The New York herald., 1845-07-08
CObbescOntee Lake.
Correspondence of the Herald.l


Correspondence of the Herald.1
CoBBEscoNrEE LAKE, WINTHROP, July 3.
Pen and INK Sketches, Extracts from my Journal
Trip up the Kennebec, augusta, and parts ada
cent-Ine Trade, 8-c.-Great Country for Eggs.
Ipromised such of your readers as choose to fol-
low me, during short tour, that in my next would
give them description of the romantic scenery Of
the beautiful lake, where this letter is dated but
my stay will be prolonged to another week, pro-
pose TO give them in its stead slight account of our
trip up the Kennebec, and stay at Augusta
Kind reader, in our last, we left you as stepped
board the beautiful "Queen Of the East" the
" John Marshall" !" with her gentemanly commander,
Capt. Brown. Suppose yourself now entering the
mouth of the noble Kennebec, Just the sun tpsthe
eastern hills with gold, and summons man to his
task We pass swiftly up to Bath, stop five minutes,
and are off. Here several steam mills for lum-
Der, about dozen ships, barques, brigs, &c, now
building On our way up, the eye, at every point
catches some object Of nterest-the rock bound
shore-shlp rds-bays-steamers, &c, all lend
their charms to make up the scene. We next stop
at Gardiner, and, passed the wharf OF the "old
line" OF steamers, our captain told the gaping agent
to have patience, the new" boat OF the cod line,
would be along In five or six hours. Here stop
ped minute, and in ten mere were at our berth
in Holowe, the present head of steamboat (of this
cass) navigation. Augusta is two miles above here,
and learn that another year steamers of 800 tonswi
gb to that place For years the navigation OF the
kennebec has suffered for the want of ship channel
from Vaughan's Point to Augusta, 2s miles. After
years OF lmportunlng to Congress, without success
the town Of Augusta appropriated last winter, ten
thousand dollars for this purpose, and learn that
two enterprizing Yankees, Give Yankees can do
anything, and had .Archimedes been a Yankee,
he would have blushed to ask for fucrum, to
tip over this little ball we live on,) from New
Bedford, Messrs. G. Randall, and j. G.. Has
ken, have contracted to cut channel from the
wharves IN front of Augusta TO Vaughans Point, five
eighths of mile below Hollowel, Z feet deep and
eighty wide, at low water, for the $4,000. There
will still be about hundred rods to the present
channel, which has the depth Of water This can be
cut through flat, (dry at lowwater, for 900 which
will be raised in two hours by these "Yankees''-
II these persons who are constantly petitoning Con-
gress to ''widen,"" DEEPEN and "open'' channels,
in our rivers, would just raise the amount required
and let Congress alone, they would much sooner, and
at less expense too, gain the desired object: With
a little perseverance and yankee ingenuity" for
nearly three miles, now navigable for vessels Of one
hundred tons, there will be broad, deep, and safe
channel, capable of taking steamboats, Of eight hun
| dred tons the whole distance. To Augusta, this
will be of inestmable value-here is one Of the lar
gest and best water powers In the world, and by this
| a vessel may load in New Orleans with cotton, or
Philadelphia with coal, and unload it into the factory
| at this place.
The kennebec dam is situated at this place, and is
capable OF driving the spndes of factories enough
cover space equal to New York city 1t was built
in 1851 and cost originally about $33S ,OD II was
partially carried away in 1882 and rebuilt again the
same fall, at cost Of about $4,000. The water
commenced round the clocks" on the west, rising
during freshet and in five minutes more, such was
its force, THAT hole was cut through to the canal
below. On this canal stood block OF mills 800 feet
| long, sixteen in number, which the contractor was
TO deliver the next day, which closed his contract
| for the building In ten minutes more channel
was cut twenty feet wide, through which began to
pour the whole waters OF the rlver now swollen by
In min nrora ftSooo
IN atoms floating down the river, aud such was the
power OF the water, that 1t wore INTO the west bank,
which isat this place about 100 to l20 feet high with
such rapidlty, that people had but time to escape
out of their back doors, ere their houses with
all their contents, went plunglng headlong over
the bank, a hundred feet. often, in former days,
travelled where now there is nothing but empty air.
300 feet from the present bank, and 100 from the
water below. II was scene OF SURPRISING gran
deur. The pond made by this was precisely the
thing wanted by the, company round which to set
their mills beyond the reach OF freshets. And its
bed is also of solid rock, without which no dam
could be made to stand; for want of which the old
dam was lost. The loss Of SO vast an amount of
property, which at first damped the ardor Of the
owners, proved their greatest blessing.
The company however, failed, and 1t has till this
season lain nearly useless. A company from Bos-
ton have purchased it, together with all the locks
and land. They have already laid the foundation
for block Of cotton factories, and are at this
ment dlggn nc canal one-eighth OF mile along
where the road formerly was. They dig this canal
Dy lettlng water through the Jocks Wnere tney can
control it (not round the end when the west wing
was formerly carried away. This force Of water
is equal to, and will dig as fast $4,000 could.
The length of the present dam is $40 feet (ncludng
locks capable of raising vessels of 200 tons, 1850
feeD. II is filed with ballast, save the new part,
which is wood. The base is l27 feet; height Is
feet and flows the river back Is miles, covering
about 800 acres. Here the best water power in
the world, and nothing but the former selfish,
did Legislation of this State arrested the present
improvements, which must be the making of Au-
gusta in time, and make it what Lowell now is.
The valley Of the Kennebeck needs horne mar
ket for its agricultural products Besides the great
numbers of tat cattle and fine horses, owing to the
increased demand for the Boston Market and the
facility of Transporting by steamboats,, the whole re-
| gon for twenty miles around, is regularly visited
for the purchase of eggs calves lambs, and poultry
| of all sorts The quantity OF eggs collected and
sent by the boats is immense. This is well for the
| farmers. learn that eggs cannot be brought into
Boston on the railroad without damage Should the
present demand therefore continue, the valley of
| the Kennebeck will become one vast hen-ery.
| 1t is estimated that the boat takes 200 doz. each
| trip, which gives the enormous amount Of 72OW
doz. in seven months from this region. Not less
than 100000 eggs 60 annually from here to Bos-
ton, which at 10 cents per doz. amounts TO $1,000
This is a great world for eggs at least.
|
Sing Sing.