The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1862-12-12

Gardiner and its business-d tour among The
Sdlc-mills, 6c.,-the tcidotc's patriotism
contrasted ,cih the er-otice hoiders,-the
Press on the cars.
GARDINER, Dec. 0, 1862.
Mr. EDTToR:-It occurs to me, as have a
hour of leisure, that a few items in relation to
the business, &C., of this little live city on the
Kennebec, may not be unacceptable to the
readers of the Press.
Gardiner was incorporated in 1903, and in
cludes within its present boundaries popula-
ton Of All. The Cobbossecontee stream
courses its way through the center of the city
proper, on which are built nine substantial
dams, afiording abundant water power for the
numerous mills and manufactures upon them.
This stream is fed by the large pond that bears
its name, besides the large Winthrop and Read
field ponds, the waters of which are retained
as a reservoir in the summer by dam for that
purpose.
took stroll among the saw-mills to-day,
and, in conversation with an intelligent gen.
tleman whose business requires him to be post
ed iu such matters, noted the following Stats
tics there are IL saw-mills, all in operation,
cutting out in the average, fifty million feet of
lumber per annum. This ranges from IS to
$50 per NJ. Taking the average at SIS per NJ
we have the value of the lumber, as it leaves
the mills, at s225,0Oo yearly. Some of the
mills, built since the great fire, are models for
convenience and efficiency of operation. Its
indeed treat to be enjoyed by the uninitiated,
to watch the men as they grapple the huge
logs and haul them from their icy bath in the
stream below, roll them on the carriages. and
cut them into lumber of various kinds. with
almost incredible rapidly. The logs come
from the tributaries of the Kennebec, around
and beyond Moosehead Lake, nearly on the
Canada line; and some, / am told, have been
a dozen years finding their way to the mills.
There are here, also, two paper mills, manu-
featuring S250,000 worth OF paper per year. 9
Touring mills, 2 grist mills, 3 machine shops,
sash and blind factories, wooden factory. l
oakum mill, pottery, ] bone mill. and plas-
ter mills, the latter grinding 1900 tons of plas-
ter per annum. This shows Gardiner to be
one of the live cities of Maine. There are. al
so, seven churches and schools of high grade.
L cannot help contrasting the questionable
loyalty of an eX-eflce holder under Buchanan.
not a thousand miles from here, with the ear
nest out-gushing patriotism of poor widow,
his near neighbor. The former is dissatisfied
with the government, fault-fnding and censo-
rious in reference to the measures adopted or
proposed for the suppression of the rebellion.
more anxious apparently for the protection of
traitors and their materiainterests, than for the
perpetuity of our government, as our fathers
established it, predicting that we shall fail as a
government, and no more men can be rsised
in Maine to defend us; while the latter, strug-
Cling alone in the world with adversely and
and stay of her declining years, 10 swell the
number OF the armed hosts who are trying to
save us from ruin. i saw her in her humble
cottage, coming the latest news from the Mis-
sissippi and the Potomac, where her noble sons
are Drawing the chances of war, and with a
mothers tear glistening in her eye, and chok-
ed utterance, as she talked of Them expressed
not single regret, but on the contrary, reio-
ces that in her humble sphere, she can do so
much to preserve the life of our nation and
perpetuate our liberties. Noble mother. Such
self-sacrlicing devotion will be honored by
coming generations, while the opposite spirit
Will receive, as it deserves, the execration of
every true American.
notice the Press is sought for and read
with avidity by the multitude eager for pe-
rusal of its racy columns. The large bundle
brought through the train by the news-boy.
was at once absorbed.-No other paper could
be had from Portland. How is this? Where
are your contemporaries? -.