The Portland daily press., 1873-01-29
Eastern Maine.
BANGOR. JAN. 9th. 1877:
BANGOR, JAN. ZItn, 10
To the Editor of the Press

s BANGOR, JAN. 27th, 1873.
To the Editor of the Press
THE LUMBER BUSINESS.
The extraordinary quantity of snow that
has fallen this winter has not, thus far, inter-
rupted numbering operations on the Penob-
scot and its tributaries, farther than by pre-
venting the freezing of swamps to hinder
transportation to some extent. The fact of
the swamps remaining open after the large
amount Of rain that fell late in the autumn,
causes all the streams and rivers to be unusu-
ally high this winter, and mills generally will
have an ample supply of water through the
winter season. There are fewer men and
teams employed in getting out lumber this
winter than common, and smaller amount
of sawed lumber left over in Bangor at the
closing of navigation. 1
BANGOR BUSINESS.
There is little doing this winter in Bangor.
outside of supplying the numbering camps.
There is great tightness in the money market,
caused by the large amounts paid out by the
various insurance companies since the Boston
fire. These companies with the exception
of the National which has failed, have met
all losses promptly, in many cases in advance
of falling due. The small pox, although it
had run its course three weeks ago, still con-
tinues bugbear to the country people who
would otherwise come to the city to make
purchases. AS country merchants derive
emolument therefrom, they of course take no
pains to remove this impression, and it will
be long time before the retail trade gets
back TO its normal standard.
"THE BEAUTIFUL sNOw.''
I learn by conversation with citizen of
Monson in Piscataquis County, that the
snow in that village of lofty altitude is only
three and half feet deep on level (which
from my knowledge of the idioms of that To-
cality means the depth taken i'll an open
field where the wind has clear sweep).
The Monsonites are above the subterfuge of
exalting their snow fall three or four feet by
stating the depth along the roadside, where
Observation-Disclosures ones-are us1-
ally taken by winter travellers in that re-
gion, but some base reporter has given the
average depth as fivefeet, so 1 feel called upon
to state the facts as they are.
THE SLATE INDUsTRY-Acc1DENT.
Two of the slate quarries of Monson, 1.-THE
Hebron pond and the Cove quarry are work
ing this winter, each of them employing six
or eight men and they average, each of
them, square of slate per day for each man
employed. In the spring, it is expected that
five or six quarries will be worked by the va
rious companies ownin.! them, and several
large engines are to be introduced for that
purpose.
The Dirigo Quarry Company have Just pur-
chased portion of the Norris Quarry, there
by securing about double their former area of
slate vein. In the Hebron Pond Quarry an
accident occurred last Tuesday. Two men
who had failed to cause charge of powder
to explode by a fuse, took the method of drill
ing down to it, and were so successful that it
went off Immediately, blowing their faces full of
powder, and throwing them several feet into
the air. 1t is feared GRAHAM will lose his eve
sight from the effec of the powder. P.