The Portland daily press., 1870-02-21


We are glad to learn that measure of great
public importance, and of special interest to
the people of Portland, has been matured at
Ter some years of labor, and will be brought
to public attention through the action of the
Legislature, which is to be called upon to give
the necessary sanction to render it immedi-
ately avaiahe.
The Commissioners of the Hydrographic
Survey, Messrs. Poor, Lockwood and Hamlin,
in their re ort, page 23d, make use of the fol-
loving language: 'Among the remarkable
fact in the physical features of the State.
one feserves notice upon the Androscogein
waters. The upper lakes apparently had at
one time an outlet by way of Ellis river,
through the town of Andover, which is more
than eight hundred feet below the level of
Richardson's lake, but which outlet was cut
off by the raising of their southern shores, or
the cutting down Of the present channel. A
short cat or canal into Black brook, the head
of Ellis river, fios the lake, would allow the
water to flow through this short route, in a
distance of twenty miles, TO the Androscog-
o", i+-vvssV, -rrteors 7rIr of e re the-
one hundred miles iiom the lake to the NOUN
OF Ellis river in Rumlor1. A survey of this
route has been made, through the enterprise
of individuals, in view of an improvement of
facilities in sending lumber to market"
Mr. Walter Wells, in his last report upon
the water power OF Maine, just issued from
the press, dwells more at length upon this
important measure, with some details of the
survey. 1t appears that careful survey of
the plan was made in 1865, by the Hon. Noah
Barker of Exeter, very competent Engineer,
and in 1867, reported to Messrs. Lynch and
Wood, owners of lands on the upper Andro-
scoggin (Hon. John Lynch, Member of Con-
gress, and James Wood of Lewiston) by
whom he was employed.
1t appears by Mr.. Barker's report, that
canal of $500 feet in length would connect
the southeastern arm of Richardson's Lake
with the channel of Black Brook, at point
of equal elevation with The lake; that the
deepest cut required would be 2S 34-100 feet,
requiring the removal of 1926 cubic yards
o. material to make canal 25 feet at the bot
tom and 110 feet at the top, the slopes being
l 1-2 to /.
The lowest run of the water of the lake in
summer, is the datum or base line. A dam
has been built at the outlet of the lake, so
that if the top of the waste way of that dam
Is taken as the datum line, the canal would
be reduced to 5000 feet in length, and the ex-
cavaton reduced to 81 61-10O at the deepest
cut.
Again, if the present waste-way of the dam
is raised to the height of the dam itself, the
cutting required would be only 10 91-1OO feet
at the deepest part, and the canal required
only 27OO feet.
The height of land or summit to be over.
come is only 2200 feet from the lake. From
this point the ground falls gradually to the
channel of Black Brook, from which point to
the Androscoggin at Rumford, there is fall
of over 500 feet. This fall taks place in about
ten miles, and water could be used adyan-
for manufacturing purposes from
the lake to the town of Andover.
The timber and wood from fourteen town
ships or 100000 acres of land, could in this
way be run out, without exposure to loss or
injury, in passing Berlin Falls, where the An
the distance of 6 miles.
1t is proposed to construct branch rail-
road from Bryant's Pond to Andover, some
twenty miles over very level route, surveyed
by the Atlantic and st. Lawrance Railroad
Company in 1916. The timber and wood from
the Androscosgin waters could come to An
dover, and there be placed upon the rail for
Portland market.
The station at Bryant's Pond, 62 miles from
Portland, is 40 feet above tide water The
level of the Androscogein as ascertained by
the railroad surveys, is 239 feet, showing a
descent of II feet only from Bryant's Pond
summit to the crossing of the Androscoggin
n Rumford distance of ten miles, of which
distance three miles is level, with descent of
ten feet to the mile from Bryant's Pond sta
ton to the Concord liver.
From the crossing OF the Androscoggin at
Rumford to the town of Andover along the
line OF Ellis river, there is descent OF less
than two feet to the mile, and at the time of
great freshets the waters of the Androscoggin
flow back ten miles, and the table-land plain
on which the village of Andover is situated,
Is about so feet above the level of the river,
or about 700 feet above tide water,-ths line
having been carefully surveyed in expectation
OF its adoption for the railroad to Montreal, il
being the shortest route, finally abandoned
for more western route, on account of the
steep grades from Dixville Notch TO the Con-
necticut river at Colebrook. Umb9gog Lake
was found to be 1856 feet above tile water
Richardson's Lake is 200 feet higher than
Umbasog, or about 500 ieet above the level Of
Ellis river at Andover.
The value of this improvement to Portland
is obvious to all, Ea a supply OF wood fer the
Portland market for years to come, would be
afforded at a cheap rate from the upper An
droscosgin waters now shut out from market.
Without in any way interfering with the
natural run Of the water, by building perma-
nent dams ersuring an abundant storage OF
water, the natural supply could be maintained
throughout the year, which the supply for the
canal would not interfere with, and along the
rocky channel of Black Brook, water conld be
drawn of for manufacturing purposes as re-
quired, ana the flow of water so. regulated
by means of this canal, as In no way TO Affect
iniuIiously riparian rights. BY this means,
too, a supply Of water could be stored in the
upper irssvs and made available at Brunswick
Lisbon, Lewiston and other places on the
route in times OF summer drought.