Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1840-04-23

~ w CIIDOHGt GGildu pOiSOhs W SAh -
sluice-way, only six feet IN width and short
of one mile in length, for the passage OF
lumber from Meadow Pond to the North
west Inlet Stream, a small! tributary 10
Moosehead Lake. This pond is very ia
vorably situated for the accomplishment OF
the proposed work, with perfect safety to
all concerned 1t covers about fifteen
acres when the water is low, is very shall
low and is connected with the Penobscot
by narrow channel not far from one hun
bred rods in length. Mr.. NJ. was aware
that this measure had created much inter
est, and even excitement among the peo-
pie living along the shore of the Penob-
scot. But he was satisfied that that excite
ment would not have existed had they been
acquainted with the real object of the pc
titioners. THIS might be considered, by
gentlemen from that region, as rather bold
! language for an individual, coming from
different quarter of the State-yet, it was
clear they had been laboring under a
rasapprehension of the matter, and all the
argument which could be drawn from their
supposed acquaintance with the nature OF
the measure must fail. They had see no
survey, and had no accurate information
about the instructions which nature Of
| fered to the contemplated sluice-way.-
They supposed the design was to dam up
the Penobscot below Meadow Stream, and
| turn all the waters of the west branch,
above the sluice-way, into Moosehead
| Lake. Entertaining such opinions, what
else could we expect but that they would
be. 10 some extent. alarmed. But so far
from this being the case, there was to be
no dam there, the free course OF the wa
tiers of the Penobscot was in no way to be
INSTRUCTED. The design was only to cut a
sluice-way of six feet in breadth, to take
small portion ofwater during that season of
the year when it was abundant-when a
hundred times the quantity which the petit
TONERS ask for ran entirely to waste.
Mr.. NJ. said the first and great objec-
ton which he understood to be offered to
this measure, was that it would turn the
waters of the Penobscot out Of their natur-
al channel into the Kennebec. If there
was danger of such an occurrence, all must
agree that the bill ought not to pass. He
should give his vote for no measure that he
thought would leopard the welfare Of any
section Of the State. But, he said, there
was no force in the objection-it was not
so easy matter to turn the channel of
river from the path in which it had flowed
fer ages, without obstructing its passage
The bed of the Penobscot, opposite the
proposed sluice was deep and its course
straight Now, does any reasonable man
suppose that the course of such river can
be changed without interrupting its pas
sage, without daming up its waters, and
attempting to force them in direction
contrary to that in which they are inclined
to move? Does any one suppose that wa
ter will leave deep, broad and unobstruc
ted channel-turn right angle, follow up
narrow, Insignificant stream, and force
itself through small opening in rock
I that would not admit hundredth part of il,
while an ample, sloping bed below was left
almost dry? Impossible! No man believes
it. Nothing but the exertion Of such a
power as led the Children of Israel through
the Red Sea on dry land could effect it,
Mr.. M. went on to state that the pond
was filled by water flowing in from the Pc
nobscot in times of freshet, and as soon as
the water began to abate, there was con-
slant pressure towards the river until the
freshet had subsidized, after which the pond
and stream lay perfectly mo,loness, undis-
turbed by any thing except the action OF
wind upon its suaface. How then is the
water to force itself through into the Ken
nebec? There is no current Ia The stream,
even during freshets, OF any consequence,
nothing but gentle flow of water into tbs
pond and what little current was formed
in the stream, by the rise of water in the
river. was lost in the meadow before it got
to the sluiceway, by being spread over a
large surface, as the current of river is
lost in a lake of the ocean. The current
through the stream was not formed by wa
ter rushing from high to a lower region,
but by the gradual diffusion of water over
a level surface.
We have nothing, then, TO resist but the
dead pressure of water in the pond against
the works at the sluiceway. Surely 1t can
not require much skill to construct ii gate
six feet wide SO as to resist the pressure OF
water six or seven feet deep. What was
such a work in comparison to the difficulty
in constructing gates to dry docks, canals,
dams, &c. Look at your dry dock, where
seventy-fours are foated in and out, they
must have gates fifty or sixty times as large
as this little Seboomook gate of six feet
square, and resist a pressure thousand
times greater. Look again at the canals
Of our own and other countries, and see
how human skill is conducting vast bodies
of water over hills and through vallies, for