Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-04-29
THE LUMBER BUSINESS on THE
HENNEBEC.
How the Logs are finally Disposed Of
The Kennebec Log-Driving company
The Land and Lumber Company
on the kiver.

just above the cove known "Dayiss Gully"
, the rest Of the shore clear along down the inter
val is used for sorting and making up RATS. Here
once was famous ship yard in which was built
many vessel among these one season was built
the snip marshall Ney," and another one at the
same time. Further down is a celebrated fish
, privilege, where the seine was dragged for many
year. The writer has seen thirty sa lmon taken
here, at one haul. 1t is all used for logs now.
We uext come to Browns Island Boom. The
collectors being allowed to collect the owners logs
wherever found, planned the boom at Ilallowel,
ia order that they might get them at as little ex-
pensc as possible Bat not beng able to stop them
all there, the Log Driving Co. take care OF what
goes by. In ordinary times most of them 20 into
| Browns Island Boom, and here they held Till
the collectors get thr- urh at Hallowell. That be-
ing done, we next find their boats moored along
the shore from tue foot Of Browns Island Boom TO
the knIckerboCker piers in FarmnC dale; and
where during the winter months, hun
dred or more hn!ckerbockers with horses, scrap
crs, pows and planes at work gathering the frozen
harvest two feet thick, many
hardy rivermcn on ota oflogs borne up by the
hmpid waters of the glorious old river. They
employed III making the IoSs INTO rats III all their
| various stages Of construction. 1t requires no
small amount OF nerve and agility to take single
slippery log and navigate 1t 10 its proper place
the raft, but We seldom see any one fail of. Most
| rats are constructed with the logs cro5sWlsc.
| Bat those intended to 20 through the draws to
bIicges on their way to " iscasset have to be made
| lengihwlse to get them narrower While some are
| swung Oft into the tide to commence their voyage,
others Will be commenced in their places. Boats
ply swiftly to and fro, Olders are passed back and
| forth, and so the work goes on. While the coec-
| tors are selecting then marks the company has
men running out the unsold or unclaimt d logs at
| the same time. These too, are taken care OF BY
the companies collector and RATED 10 another
great boom at South Gardiner, called "Sands
| BOOM" anu deposited there till sold. For the
| lors taken cane of and turned ont to the col
lectors at Browns land, the company charges the
| pD lie "a in II from
twenty to thirty cents when delivered to the owner.
| Below Gardner Bridge private individuals own
| Blooms and the company pays anybody who choos-
IS to do it, ten cents apiece for logs towed into the
| sands deposit boom ; which happens when there
are many running, and they get by Browns Island.
! These IN tuIn are delivered TO the collectors at
twelve and one-half cents apiece. If during "a
| reSlet the logs by the sands boom, then the
| company has another large boom IN Merry Meet
| ing Bay, called the bay Boom" in which all logs
caught down river are transferred at about twenty
five cents apiece, and fol which the company gets
about forty cents. So very few logs escape them
| In charge OF all these booms is the companys
perintendent Joseph Atkins Esq. of Farningdale,
one Of the most expert and vigilant men on the
river, and to whom the writer is under obligation
| for much information ID. {. Palmer, Esq. the well
known surveyor of lumber at Gardiner is clerk, and
will be seen at the different booms looking after
| the lumber that here lies in its embryo state.
| In charge of the Browns Island boom will be
tound Mr. George Cummings, one of the veterans.
u,
sisiipg of four picked men, whose duty it is to
examine all RATS and see that the hight marks
there. And the president OF the whole company
Is no less person than the venerable EX-Goy.
| COburn. From the ranks of these sturdy river
men have risen many OF our smartcst lumber mer-
chants; and having ''beon through the mill, they
know perfectly well how to apr eciate the services
OF those in their employ. There is sort of COM
mon mpathy running through both classes. Any
one would think too, from the stature of BOTH that
As T.
man to become a lumberman.
We have seen these RATS going slowly down
with the tide, the attitude OF the man at the big
scull at the first gace to be ,notioness
ono, hut on close observation, he is seen to be
hanging his whole weight on the oar, making it a
lever with the log against which II Is placed the
fulcum. With measured time he suddenly reyer
scs the contact OF his oarbade against the water,
and gives another heaye on the car handle. In
this manner he guides his floating home its
way, keeping it out OF the track of vessels they
pass, TIL the voyage Is up. Lately new power
has come into TIE field. The Hobsons Of WIscas-
set send powerful little tug boat to tow the logs
to their destination And the kennebcc Land x
lunihci Co. have the nice little steamer "Adola'
ia the same business. They also employ the tu.s
of TIE kuicherbocker Towagc Co., and last year
had d Portland tug, the Tiger" constantly en-
poyod lor a long time. Before long il is probable
Tia. tue Bath log owners will do the same.
In cases Of freshet, above mentioned when
large number OF logs 20 down llver, and there Is
BY the t.l,t flood tide they meet, Superintendent
Atkins Will start the steamer with all the collectors
boats in tow, filled with men, and before the ebb
tide sets out again the truant logs will be captured
and held in place of safety. Somuch for steam.
On pleasant summer days, knots Of curious OBJ
server. will be seen standing on the causeway over
the lock at Gardner. watching the labors Of the
| men railing the logs up through the sluce. \
raj; has been left outside and half dozen at a
timc are transferred M the Cobhossee to the num-
erous mills carried by the mower of that river ON
the lower dam are several large operator.-one
mill alone consuming about forty thousand logs
per season. Beyond thi, dam is another past
which the logs have TO be rallied again. Here we
find the fine establishment of Joshua GRAY, Esq,
and 50 on Soon our long talked of logs will be
transformed into every shape possible, jhc waste
slabs sawed by steam into Stove wood for the cit-
zens and even the very sawdust IS sold at a high
price for ice dunnage. The lumber, shingles
capboarls laths, box shocks, pickets bed Stats
&C., beng manufactured. are partly hauled parted
loaded into scows, bv which meaus they are trans
ported to the adjacent wharves, and then slowed
away in some vessel ready to receive them. This
Is in Gardiner. The kennebec La d and Lumber