Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-10-27
The Industries of HallOwell.
STEAM MILLS OF MEssRs..C. AND L. MILLIKEN-
ANADDITIoN TO THE BUSINESS OF THE PLACE

| Il. Mlillken, who have been engaged in the
manufacture of lumber for several years at
| Augusta.
1t will be remembered by your Kennebec
readers, that on the evening of July Sd, 1870,
the above firm arrived at steamboat wharf with
a barge 40 feet in width and 90 in length, and
| containing a steam engine of seventy five
horse power, that had been used at Bath as a
floating planning machine The wharf was
leased from the heirs of the late Rufus X.
Page, (but has since been purchased and the
barge containing all her machinery-the whole
weighing one hundred tons, was raised and
placed upon the wharf The engine was re-
moved to the wharf, and its place in the barge
occupied by circular saw and other machin-
| cry, which was at once put in operation, and
| soon that which was but a covered barge
became large and convenient building, or
mill. We will now call it capable of manufacture
ing nearly all kinds of lumber 1t is capable
of cutting 100000 feeta year. Its costs is Sl0,-
600.
The next step was to purchase Shepard's
wharf, so called-whch is situated some five
raise it some eight feet, and the foundation
for a steam saw mill was at once begun. The
mill on Steamboat wharf was brought into
requisition to furnish the lumber for the new
mill, and at the same time orders for lumber
to build the immense ice houses below were
being filled, that it was kept in operation
a good part Of the winter of 1870. Last spring,
parties in Augusta contracted to build the
new mill, and on the first of September it
was put in operation.
The writer visited the establishment yes
terday, and was very much interested in the
various departments, and also the improve
ments that have been made in machinery for
manufacturing all kinds of lumber, since he
used to work in saw mill twenty years ago,
when ''gang saw was big institution, and
cutting long lumber with a circular saw was
almost if not quite unknown on the Kennebec
river. The main building is of wood and is
GOxl00 feet, three stories in height. The en-
CINE and boiler room is built of brick, and is
40xl00 feet. There is double brick wall be-
tween the two buildings as an extra precaution
against fire. 1t is intended to be fire-proof.
The lower, or basement story ,Econtains the
shafting and driving puleys, and the clap
board planer, and is thirteen feet high, so
that all the pulleys are easily accessible, and
are all in view.
The second story is filled with machinery
consisting of the latest improved single ma
chine, that saws one thousand shingles per
| stavp hoo ri
picket machine, lath and broom handle ma
chine, and planer.
The upper story contains the ''gang saw"
that will cut not far from fifty thousand feet OF
lumber per day. The ledger" is an improve
ment on any have seen on the st. John or
anywhere else where lumber is cut very ex-
tensively, but probably such an improvement
is not entirely new. 1t is this the men who
tend it stand upon the platform that travels at
the will of the operator. 1t is graduated to
move just as fast as the lumber to be edged.
The logs are drawn directly from the river
by an ''endess" chain running over an iron
pulley. We noticed five good sized logs
drawn up at once, and about as fast as man
would walk, and much more easily than one
would walk up the slip.
The logs that are to be made into clapboards
and shingles are cut here by ''drag-saw"
driven by steam, which is a marked improve
ment on the old methodof saving them up by
hand.
Another improvement l came near forget
ting to mention here, and it is the machine
for filing the saws. 1t is a beveled emery
Wheel driven by steam, and files saw in
five minutes, far better than can possibly be
done by hand,
When we recollect that this machine cost
only four or five hundred dollars, and it
would cost over two hundred year to pur-
chase files alone, to say nothing about the
time that would be occupied in filing, the
value of the improvement is seen at a glance.
The circular saw that is now used in the
'barge MILF for saving long lumber is to be
removed to the new mill at once, and will be
replaced by a single cup and down" saw,
and when the circular and the gang are in
operation they will cut upwards of fifty thou
sand feet of lumber per day-being as fast as
it can be slowed on board vessel.
Two large vessels have just loaded at the
MILL Vessels of the largest size can load with
out carting the lumber, as tits carriedna sluice
directly upon the wharf.
They are building wharf 800 feet long be-
tween the mills, and when finished will make
ample room for piling logs or sawed lumber.
They have employed during the season
about seyenty-fiye men, and their payroll
has been about $500 per month Another
season, when they have all their machinery in
operation, it will require one hundred and
twenty-fye men, and will cut ,2O0,O 900 feet of
lumber per month.
The engine that drives all this machinery is