The Portland daily press., 1892-08-13
RUMFORD FALLS WORKS.
A Million and a. Half Of Dollars
Going In.
MR.. CHISHOLM'S GREAT OXFORD
COUNTY ENTERPRISE.

A Party of Portland Gentlemen View the
Progress of the Work-A Splendid Ca
nal System at the Remarkable Falls
of the roscoggin-Industries
Which Are Going In.
Yesterday a party of prominent bust
uess men of Portland visited Rumford
Falls, where are underway the great en-
terprises which Mr.. Hugh j. Chisholm
has been pushing forward in that region
for several years. In the party were the
following well known gentlemen:
Hugh j. Chisholm, Judge Nathan Webb,
Elias Thomas Charles S. EobeS,
Fred Z. Richards, Philip II. Brown,
j. e. Blabon. Clark H. Barker,
Joseph S. Kicker, George K RUSSELL
George G. Wing, Waldo Pettengill,
George S. Hunt, A. Whitney,
Ex-Gov. Fredk Robbie, John O. Twyitchell,
w. w. Mason, Charles A. Brown,
Chas. F. Libby, Ii. N. Jose,
Galen G. Moses, Bath 4. B. Dennison,
Chas. Z. Wing, Auburn, Geo. @. Wing. Auburn,
Geo. w. Russell, George d. Bisbee,
Dan'l r. Emery, Jr., Buckfeld,
w. S. Eaton, R. C. Bradford.
George S. Roweu, George 0. Gosse,
Asher G. Kinds.
The party took the early morning
train on the Grand Trunk. At Mechan-
Falls they were met by Superintendent
L. L. Lincoln. who accompanied them
up over the extension of the Portland 6
Rumford Falls railway. This road has
now become one of the important lines
of the state, reaching from Mechanic
Falls up AZ miles to Rumford Falls, the
heart of the timber and game region of
Maine. 1t is SO miles by the Grand
Trunk from Portland to Mechanic Falls,
so in reality the Portland & Rumford
Falls road is trunk line of IS miles,
reaching from
Portland to the Great Falls
at Rumford.
The last Is miles of this road have just
been completed at a cost of over $780,,
600. The new as well as the older par
tons of the line are in excellent shape,
with good bridges and stations, the Dix
field station, which is just approaching
completion, being one of the neatest of
its size in the state.
William L. Putnam. George w. Rus
sell of Lawrence, Mass, Galen G. Moses
of Bath, Waldo Pettengill of Rumford,
Daniel F. Emery, Jr., of Portland, Geo.
G. Wing of Auburn, Geo. D. Bisbee of
Buckfeld and Hugh j. Chisholm of Port
land, one of the owners of this road.
The party were most exeellently taken
care of by Supt Lincoln and Treasurer
Bradford during the trip. Caterer Robin
son served dinner on the cars at Rum
ford Falls.
The works which are going on at Rum
ford Falls should greatly interest Port
land people. With the direct railroad
line completed, Portland will be the sup
ply point for the new industrial settle
ment, and the avenue through which its
products will reach markets. Moreover,
the man whose persistence, courage and
energy have carried forward the enter
prise, is Portland business man,-Mr.
huSu e. SllSioills LILO IDS pOCA uIuoll
assisted by Portland capital, and large
part of the thousands of dollars now go
ing in at Rumford Falls come from the
State of Maine.
The operations which are now going
on at Rumford Falls are absorbing
Million and Six Hundred Thousand Dol
lars
and are employing 400 or 500 men.
These operations are of two classes:
Those of the Rumford Falls Power Com
pany; and those of the individual indus
tries which are coming in to use the
water power which the Power Company
are preparing to furnish.
The Rumford Falls Power Company is
the creation of Mr.. Chisholm's energy.
He early realized the immense value of
the magnificent water power of these
falls. In distance of about half mile
the Androscoggin river descends $50 feet
in succession of picturesque falls. For
natural beauty the scenery of Rumford
Falls is not surpassed in Maine. High
hills frown above the rocky gorge of the
river, while in the distance rise the
mountains of the Rangely region. 1t
was about 10 years ago that Mr.. CHS
holm began to acquire the land which
controlled the falls, in order to be able at
some day to chain to the uses of
man the great power that has for all the
centuries wasted its power of
Thirty-five Thousand Horses
in a magnificent but impotent roar.
The highest efficiency of this water
power could not be attained by setting
mills along the banks of the torrent; SO
system of canals was devised. The lofty
slope on the south side of the river af-
forded an excellent location for these Ca
mails. From the head of the falls a long
canal is laid out along the brow of the
slope. This is called the upper level,
and is to be 5000 feet long. There are
along its banks lots for u manufacto-
ries, which can get their power from its