Daily Kennebec journal., 1890-10-27

o. Aususts II the Days whsn BaiIdiss
the Dam wss Contewutatad.

\. Wuh1Ars ssc UH'y toxffstuB m<k1DeY o
tse parry sent To this city ever hslf cen
tssy sgo for the purpose Of naking Ii,
survey preliminary to building the dam vii
commend itself without fufsher ;ntroine
uion to the stft ntion Of the Jorxyas,s An
gasss rsadersg
81, must hare been In about the yea,
JsSg or - years ago, thss some g.nsiensr
from Augusta, Me-. called ., the cfliec o,
Col. Losmi Baldwin 10 Chzriessown. Asss
{, engage him a. civii engineer, be then
a.nsing at the head Of the profession. d
z, to Augusta 10 make certain p,eIimia.
sry sarysys and observations With 4 viev
to bs iJisg dam acycss the Kennss.c 4 nv
~. DO not recolises whether there vtr,
more ihsn two or three Of these serr eraso
/ Isarned the Bsmss Of Two Of them. Mr.
James Bsidgs ssi his brother Horaee
This was in the vistsr. A short time sfse,
Col Bsiivin ersan;zsd = party and pitced
/, in charge Of Mr. PerhaD, a Farming
too, Ne. man. = ron Of . farmer snd land
sasveyos Of that place This Mr.. PeYhsu
hsd surveyed land ~i'h his father, hsd ed
scssei himself and WAS an expert surveyor
ssd spg y ser Of that period.
The party sent 10 Augusta we're four In
nnmber. Mr.. i'sfhsm. Mr.. BALDWIN, neph.
nv Of Col. Baidx in az, had served for .
yesr or two - On sssistsns engineer on the
foston Lowell railroad, a Mr.. II. X. Cur.
tie, = student tlIsn stadying engineering in
the Office Of Col. Bsiisia ard the writer Of
this stesch, also q student az well ~ com.
panion Of Curtis. II my n epIiecsion serves
me our party went from Boston to Hsver.
hid by raj and then took stage coach for
Augusta, should say tia. Col.
Bosr,imsn accompanied us. This
gentleman bsd been g constructor Of the
dams At Nashua. New Hampshire, for the
cotton mills there, aBd hal otherwise a
large experience. A smart noble man he
"a, znd well so rem, mber how much we
all logei and respected him.
Without s,.Hg into details very far, |
will tate inst our party immediately pro
eseded to execute the Instructions Of Col.
Badsin. lst. We made a Typographical
survey Of the river ffem Augusta 10 Water
vile and took the effects to the shores
throughout the line ot survey, on the ice.
for the river was then frozen over snd
slegbs and teams could pass up and down
The river 10 " aterville. ard pefhap, be-
yond. Well DO ! remember riding one
morning from Fasszibofo 10 Augusa on
ths river-a bitter cold morning, 10 deg.
below zero. and then working the remsin-
Ter Of the day eilh our iutrumeris and
nething visible, hardy. but intense sun
lieht-dirset and reiiected-ani snow anil
I've Ter and near. As near aa | ear RENE an-
ber II took rs about ihF - " eks u com
p'e,e the fieia sc qrk. SO thsu rftgrned &,
10 t91, ada pl,a 81 tht river within
the limits Of oar sjrycY nn;ing % IL sntl
Oh ier's - appsa AIRED In kat hing the topo
vrsphy. made aTrai.'e the level, taken
sta sbc,r. with snrh r., culatcd results rs
we're recs.sarv. wetc al submi i 10 Col.
Lal!s for tie basis nf his report. en-
b0dyIng BIZ. reeomm ordstioys and advice
a. % the feasibility Of constructing q dam
across the Ksnrcbec at Augusta. Me.
At the time Of cur employ me nj on The
s,ryeys We boarded a. a large hote, nesr
The Stat Uoas,; the legislature was In
.eui n ard many Of the members board, 4
xt thi. hotel aniasi remember the dig.
,ingui,hed epf.sfntstive or ssnst9r who
had been in Congress, job, Holmes. had
far some rst son retired from Congress and
vas elected a state rerr.sen.a,ive from his
d,,ttict or town. think heard n. thr
time that he vas then rractir,uy law In hi.
nsi,ya town of Alfred, He boarded al
hi. hote 4 and wa. The "nbservea Of alI oh
servers and at meal time he seemed tu
gr.y,t,te I, the Genie, Of IA. table Twas
most interesting I, hear him relate his
congressional .xoo,iepces ard ma we bsd All
heard Of bis mark ia Congress- asawit and
bumori.t A. w.ll as Of his y,ca, c.p.r,tv
ass legislator. il ws. alv.ys dsliahifui At
The t,ble To hsar him eonyerse. l.a,lir0. a.
he naturally soul. the couyer,s,ion on All
,,e table tonic. 1, may be in,etastino
hs,s IN .,v ,hst Ia va. aiva,. u.tene,, 10
Win mark, Il at,etti,n whom hi, discourse
iu,nsJ upon ~, rharaft ,r,stfrs Of disf;n
,o,i., al ,nntressmen p,a ,aa time n,
b.d b.ra sneaLipg a,ont Clav Cal
bouu AMI Webster of their itas.
enre as state,m.n and of their siyie
of nratory. gentleman who al
oppo,te bim asked Mr.. Holmes how
the oralory of Webster &C m ,stei with tina;
Of Mr. Clay. lie replied. "i know of nc
hottie, vsv Ia illusirste ih, n,onIiafity oi
th.i, .,vle. than by taking the word extra.
o,dinsry lie tbsn t,ietnred Mr. tgay a.
.J,Ire..ing himself from hi, sen, 10 the
p,es,J.nt Of The Senate. Ua snupo,ed a
case xher. Mr.. CLAY wished To sxpres,
.,msth,rg mara than snrrrite a. s,rnethiu,
..iJ by m imspirary member of the Sen
ate. Mr.. IIoIms. arose from h's seat
s,aod rrect locked grave AMI fnfeible an,
waved hls hsnd around in A graceful half
crcls and liokiSg directly into the eye Of
he ftanel.d5 Pre.isent said. in tones ths
arc tmnoss hIs 30 describe here. III T.
very ex-trs-or-dina-y.r giving the wort
every po,slb innecii,u from grave Il
y.v In Initiating Webstp, his goi-liks
fren, hi, yte,t head erect with calm AM
pisreicy look Of his terrible dark eve frs,
anon ,he Preside n, Mr. uo,tnes rai.ln,
hi. arms nm and he hands stadnsliy ,irht
spiey Ia midway of hi. body. ard the,
u.iog the words ~, i. very extraordinary.
suddenly and most farecfully. hisa aut
hand. n,rn,n, AZ the .sme irstaus a. the,
fell hy hts side. pronounced the
wo,,ls ,hus. ii. very extraordinary. Hks
Y,-,ror diparv in short.chop txplo,ion-
mare cs,euia|sl 10 te,r;fv Than to per
,uaac. bat a. the same moment ciurte
on. digniHe,, and convincing. TIE i'm
pf,..ion nnen nv mind MT tho time was tha
ofamo.t supsrlor niece of act NJ on IT,,
mart If MIR HOLMES as well ass an instruc
i've illu,,rat ON.
while our marty WAS in Augasts. I
semsd ,o be The ssy ,easen. rrmembe,
~rwere ,n,ited n tho heu.e Of the Hon
Rue, W;Ilt.m. Thare wss n isrg,
v.,hs,iny there NJ n.ontrent Maine men il
bp.jr... ami n,l;,;e.t ~, spl many loysl,
women II ws.s h,illisp, marty. compcse q
Of gentlemen and ,s,ite. Of th, best of man
ne,s And ,f course We vounr engineer
b.Ilirc f,om a, o,,a,a.,io, anls in IL, in
fancy hal The slvantsgs of newpess. |,
sidt,on I, the ihrse brothers. Briigss,
remember Mr. vi uam. a l,wyer hrothe
Of the Hon. Rugl ani few others VIII,