The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-03-05
AGRICULTURAL.
Abilities Tor Manufacture ing in. Maine.

Facilities Tor Manufacturing i'm Maine.
Probably no cher State in the Union has
the natural facilities of Maine as manufac-
turing State. Although no extensive coal
beds, which are the sources of steam power,
have as yet been discovered within the limits
Of the State, her water power is almost ines
Unable.
ln accordance with recommendation of
Governor Chamberlain, an exploration OF the
water-power of the State was ordered by the
Legislature of 1867. This survey was under
the direct superintendent OF Mr.: Walter
Wells. From the Superintendent report
the statistical part of this article is con-
densed.
The mean height of the State was found to
be about 600 feet, and the amount of annual
rain fall, taking the mean Of many different
stations, was found to be az inches. This,
multiplied by the horizontal dimensions of
the State, gives 3,073,0 900, 100000, or not far
from three trillion cubic feet of water, which
must fall through the mean distance of 900
feet TO the ocean. Only forty per cent. of
this water reaches the ocean, however 60
per cent. being carried of by evaporation
The gross horse pc yer developed by our
rivers is estimated, from the data just given
to be 1850 Not all of this grosshorse-
power is capable of being utilized, but on
account of the few disadvantages offered by
the character of the slopes and river banks a
very large percentage might be made avail
abe. 1t is safe to say somewhere between
one and two million horse powers, equal to
the working energies of from twenty to
thirty million men.
Maine, situated as it is near the southeast
angle OF the continent, and almost exactly
halfway between The equator and the pole,
receives greater amount of rainfall than
the majority of the States. Her cold climate
and immense forests tend to check evapora-
ton and to increase the water-power in di-
rect proportion.
There are three principal slopes OF the sur
face. A watershed crosses the State from
southwest to northeast, and this ridge slopes
naturally toward its northeastern extremity.
The three slopes are, therefore, a northeast
erly slope, which is unimportant as water
power slope, on account of its slight inclina-
ton; a north-westerly slope, the effect OF
which is merely to give the rivers OF the
sontheasterly and principal slope an easterly
tendency in their upper courses. The south
ern slope offers great many advantages as
water-power district, being of just the right
inclination to give the rivers of that slope the
advantages offered by Maine as WATERPROOF
er State is her great number of lakes, which
serve as the best possible natural reservoirs
to hold back the water in times of drouth.
By improving these lakes, by means of dams
and channels, nearly constant and uniform
supply of water might be secured for manu-
featuring purposes. This uniform supply is
very important, where large amount of
capital is expended, and large number of
hands employed.
There is hardly a township in the State
that has not one or more water-powers, aud
many have five or six. A majority of the
powers in the settled portion of the State are
only partially improved, and many not at all
while the best water-powers OF the State,
those of the upper Penobscot and upper
Kennebec, are almost wholly unemployed.
There are great many good water-powers
above Orono, on the Penobscot, that are
totally unemployed; and perhaps greater
number of available powers above Skowhe-
gan, on the Kennebec, fed by that great
reservoir of power, Moosehead Lake, over
one thousand feet above the level of the sea.
These parts of the State will not be i'm
proved as manufacturing districts until they
are made easier of access, by means of rail
roads, for one of the important things about
manufacturing district is that goods and
stock may be cneaply transported. There is
great field for the civil engineer in improv-
ing lakes and rivers, and for the mechanical
engineer in applying efficiently these sources
of power to the performance OF useful work.
Corr. Maine Farmer.