The Portland daily press., 1892-07-27
NAMES BOOM CITY.
Scenes Which Remind One Of the
Great and Hustling West.
OPENING OF THE PORTLAND &
RUMFORD FALLS ROAD.

A Line Substantially Built Through
Beautiful Country-Progress of the
City of Rumford Falls-Its Great Mills,
Magnificent Water Power, Present
Prosperity and Hope of Future Glory.
The party of railroad commissioners.
directors, etc., who left their homes
Monday afternoon to formally open up
the extension of Is miles of track on the
Portland & Rumford Falls railroad, from
Gilbertville to Rumford Falls, changed
their plan of stopping at Dixfield Mon
day night. and continuing up Tuesday
morning and instead went clear up to
Rumford Monday, returning to Dixfield
for the night and left early yesterday
morning for their homes. The reason
for the change was that the commission
ers, Mr.. D. N. Mortland of Rockland,
and Colonel A. W. Wildes of Skowhegan,
were ANXIOUS to get to Old Orchard yes
terday morning in order to inspect the
beach road there, and so had their time
limited.
The commissioners officially inspected
the entire lengthof the road from Me-
chanic Falls to Rumford Falls, including
that part from Gilbertville up, just com
pleted. The commissioners pronounced
this latter to be the best and most com
plete road for new one of any they had
seen in Maine. The road is certainly
finely built and more substantial than is
generally seen in newly constructed
roads. 1t has iron bridges and solid
stone masonry wherever it is needed.
The scenery on the new route, which
includes six stations, is grand and rivals
any to be found in Maine.
The track skirts the Androscoggin
river all the way, some times on the very
bank of the stream and at others cutting
it's way through tall cliffs or wind
ing around the base of the
mountain, which is never abb
sent from the scene. The Sugar Loaf
mountains, Dixville Notch, and splendid
farm houses along the route, Dixfield
village, with back ground of lofty hills,
and in the foreground the
Broad Surface of the Androscoggin,
| dotted with small islands and crossed by
the ferry boats, go to make up some OF
the pretty scenery to be seen on this
line.
At the Rumford end of the line the
grade has rise of 10 feet to the mile and
the terminus lies in the midst of noun
tains Mr.. Colby, travelling for A. Lit
tie & Co., has the honor of being the
first commercial traveller to go over the
new road. He got on board with the
commissioners at Canton and rode up
from there.
| The Rumford Falls Railroad promises
to be more successful than was the So
called F. o. j. Smith road, built many
wears ago between Mechanic Falls and
Canton. The first freight on this road
is said to have been a barrel of rum on
| tap, and the road seems to have lasted
no longer than did the rum.
Down in the valley of the Androscog-
gin just where the river makes sharp
turn after being met by the Swift river,
is going on the mighty preparations for
a future mighty city.
The bulk of the work on the indus
tries of the City of Rumford Falls is 60
ing on between the upper and lower
falls of the river, and is location com
pletely surrounded by lofty mountains
and grand scenery. Anyone acquainted
with the sight of a western boom town
under process of building is struck by
the similarity to such town of the OPP
erations going on before him.
Mammoth Mills and Broad Canals,
gates and dams, huge abutments for
bridges and deep railroad cuts through
lofty bluffs are what one sees before him;
and on nearer approach, the hotel,
stores and residences, all these things
being fastened on to completion by the
vast crew of men and the dozen or SO
stationary engines in use.
A great part of the labor hands here
are Italians, who live in queer mud huts
and bush houses, which can be seen in
great numbers scattered about amidst
the works and in the woods.
About 20 buildings already con-
structed, together with the amount of
work already done toward uncompleted
projects have all been started since last
April The principal structure now 60
ing up is the Rumford Falls paper mill,
which will cover 100000 square feet of
land, and when completed is expected to
produce 80 tons of paper day. The
brick walls of the finishing room and
heavy foundations for the machine rooms
are already completed. Work on sui
phide pulp mill and on mill for manu-
featuring chemicals and bleaching pow
der will shortly be begun. 1t is expect
| ed that lumber mill will take up po-