The Portland daily press., 1875-08-17
THE PRESUMPsCOT.
A Remarks able River Sixteen Water
Powers in Twenty-Five Miles-R are Op.
portunities for Manufacturers,

A gentleman residing in another state, who
has travelled extensively in New England and
knows about its water powers, remarked the
other day that the Presumpscot River present
ed the greatest amount of the best, cheapest
and safest water power of any river of the
same length that had ever come under his OBJ
servation. He wondered that capitalists had
passed further on to improve rivers which ii
was expensive to dam and which are subject to
destructive freshets and affected by severe
dreughts, when the Presumpscot afforded a
Large amount of power easily made available,
free from destructive freshets and affording at
all seasons so uniform and so large volume
of water. If the reader will but look over that
wonderful work of Walter Wells, Esq The
Water-Power of Maine,-a work which reflects
the highest credit upon the author he will find
within the distance of TWENTY-FIVE miles six
teen available water-powers, most of them
first-class, and yet to-day largely unoccupied,
but all capable of providing power which would
build up villages something like Cumberland
Mills.
We are aware that the present condition of
manufacturing world is not exactly such as to
induce capitalists to invest in new enterprises.
But the present condition isn't to last always
and the time will come when manufacturing
business will revive and when mannfactur-
ers will be looking for cheap Localities in which
to establish new industries
1t is said by some that hereafter steam will
supercede water power. 1t may, but the ind-
cations are against it unless Kelley or some
other motor inventor devises some means to
make it cheaper than it now is. Kelley, how
ever, is a failure, and there will be many more
failures before cheaper means of getting steam
from water will be devised than the present
Already wood as fuel for producing steam is
not thought of outside of locomotives and lum-
Der mills. There is no reason to believe that
coal will ever be much cheaper than at the
present time when sea freights are so low. The
reasonable presumption is that the price of coal
will command higher prizes than at present in
the years to COME The inference, therefore,
is that water.power will, in the future, be used
to a greater extent than ever in extensive
manufacturing.
In Mr.. Wells Report we find the following
named water.powers on the Presumpscot, which
are grouped below for the purpose of giving an
idea of the waste of power so readily availa.
BILE: Wescott's falls at the outlet of Lake Sc
bago, 10 #. fall, partly improved; Eelwer falls,
II it. fall, unimproved; Hubble falls, s ft. fall
unimproved; Steep falls, u fit. fall, unimprov-
ed; Harden's falls, one mile below the lake, IL
# fall, partially improved; Great Falls, one
mile lower, 16 #. fall, partly improved; Whit.
ney s falls, one mile lower, 10 feet fall, unim
proved; Island falls half mile lower, 10 it, fall,
unimproved; Dundee falls, a mile below, IS ft.
fall, unimproved; Leavitt's falls. nearly mile
lower, II fit. fall, unimproved; Gambo falls a
mile below, 16 #. fall, partially improved; Lit
tie falls, m,le lower, II fit. fall, under i'm
provement; Madison falls, half mile below,
Is TT. fall, partly improved; upper Power"
with IL #. fall, and Lower Power" with 10
It, fall at Saccarappa, only partly used; and
Cumberland Mills power 20 fit. fall, which Of
fords 2013 horse powers. The total descent of
the Presumpscot from head to outlet is 247 feet
in 22 miles, The annual discharge Of the river
is estimated at 20, 100000 cubic feet. The flow
of water may be made much mora uniform by
a higher dam at the outlet. The river is re-
Hi"iAopiJ udrroW lOr one OF Sucn volume ana
direct in its course, flowing nearly half the
distance through a narrow belt of gneiss
Of the twenty to thirty thousand horse pow
ers available upon the Presumpscot bnt small
portion is in use. MIR. Wells remarks: "The
absolute immunity of the power from dearth
or freshet, the superiority of the natural sites
for improvement, the proximity to market,
conspire to give the river unusual attractions
to the manufacturer"
At Little Falls or South Windham the lately
organized company known as the Sebago Wood
Board Co.. of which VIM. A. Russell of Law
renee s-President, has began the work of build
ing mill for the manufacture of wood board
and pulb from poplar and spruce woods. The
mill will be 50x150 feet two stories high. The
company has also begun to put its boarding
houses in repair, and the pleasant little village
will soon show signs of new life. Mr.. Russell
is man of large wealth, and is interested in
twenty New England paper mills.