Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-04-09
ON THE KENNEBHC
improvements Recommended by United
States Engineer Smith.

Jared A. Smith, major of United States
engineers, makes the following interesting
statement concerning the kennebec river and
its needs; FF
From Augusta to Gardiner there are Ave
shoals; Cages, 1900 feet below the AuRus-
Ia bridge, with length Of $500 feet and
least depth of l-2 feet; Briu's shoal, .
short distance above the old bridge site at
Hallowell, 500 feet in length, with lsast
depth of A. feet; liallowell and Shepard's
Point shoals, beginning just below the
wharves at Hallowell length 400 feet, depth
! feet; Hinkley's shoal, two and half miles
above Gardiner, 2200 feet in length, least
depth, 6.5 feet; Browns Island shoal, at the
head of and opposite Brown Island, the west
ern part being shallow and the eastern and
nayigable channel narrow and crooked with
least depth of 6.5 feet.
Mr.. Smith recommends that between Hal
lowell and Augusta an eight foot channel
should be dredged, and the remainder of the
distance there should be ten feet of water.
About midway between Brown Island and
liiukley's shoals the channel, although main
tanning depth of ten feet, becomes very
narrow, and should be widened. To make
the desired depth of water on all these shoals
would require the removal of about 22l 900
cubic yards of earth and gravel. At Halo
well there are two sunken piers, dangerous
TO navigation, to be removed.
Immediately above the bridge at Gardiner
the water has shoaled over, and below the
bridge and just OF the lower end Of tho Bos-
ton steamers wharf is a shoal composed of
logs and sawdust which is very troublesome,
there being only IL feet of water at low
tide. These should both be removed.
The portion of the river from Gardiner to
the head of Swan Island a distan,e of ten
miles. is remarkably free from serious Oh
structions and has throughout almost its en-
tire length an available channel with q
depth of thirteen or fourteen feet ut mean
low water. Green's ledge 2 l-2 miles below
Gardiner, and Berry's Rock, l l-2 miles
above lceboro, are not serious obstructions,
to navigation if well buoyed.
The upper sand bar just below Nehumkeag
Island at South Gardiner, is Il sand shoal
reaching entirely across IA very wide portion
of the river 2j00 feet long, the least availa-
BILE depth being . l2 feet of water. IL seems
probable that a properly located wing dam
and dyke, or training wall, will be sufficient
to cause source which shall obtain and
preserve good channel through the shOal
Probably the most important improvement
contemplated on the river, is the removal Of
the ledges at Lovejoy's Narrows. These
narrows are in the channel east of Swan Is
land and are dangerous to vessels passing
through. There is only ten feet of water.
Beef Rock Thoal, also in the east of Swan
Island channel is divided at low water into
two channels, the water being but ten feet In
depth.
Fifteen feet of water is required, and q
good channel can be maintained on either
hand by dyke or long wing dam from the
east shore shortly above Beef Rock. and ex-
tending down stream parallel to a line join
ing the projecting points Of the island. II 10
considered best not 10 remove the rock, but
mark its location by II beacon,
The only obstruction in the West Swan Is
land Channel worthy of notice is Iiatch's
Rock Shoal. 1t would be useless to MAIN
tain greater depth that 10 feet through this
shoal, which is two and one-half miles in
length, and wing dams Of stone and
brush are recommended.
There are several rocks and lodges at
Bath which are annoying. The only one
which is regarded as being of any conse-
quence is IIoughton's Rock, 1856 feet on
Houghton's wharf.
1t is l3 feet below mean low water, and
is seven or eight feet above the surrounding
bottom. If removed at all the depth should
be made at least 20 feet.
The total cost of all the needed improve
ments on the river, which when completed,
would place it in good condition, is about
$500, 900.