The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-01-09

SoA-A
ing Canned Corn-sawdust Poison for
Salmon-Protection of Big Game-Lost
Land Claims
Especial to the Press.]
AUGUSTA, Me-, January 7.-One of the
ambitious schemes which is creating talk
here is that of bringing logs, cut on the
upper waters of the Penobscot river,
down the Kennebec. Away up north of
Moosehead Lake, a syndicate, of which
the Bradstreets, the Gardiner lumber
men, and Ex-Governor Davis are promi-
nent members, owns a great tract of val
liable timber land. If you look at a
map of that region, you will see that the
West Branch of the Penobscot flows
from West to East only a few miles
north of the northwest bay of Moose
head Lake. In the township of Seboo-
mac, or Seeboomook. directly north of
Northwest bay, the West Branch of the
Penobscot tumbles down over SebOO-
mac falls. Now it is proposed to secure
legislative sanction to dam the river at
this point causing the water to flow
back into pond only two miles from
the lake. From there it is proposed to
carry the logs to the Moosehead waters
One of the fallen giants of the Maine
forests is bulky fellow to handle any
where, but the ingenuity of the lumber
man is equal to any task. Iu the Great
West there are mammoth chutes into
which water is turned to float logs at
lightning speed down the mountain side.
In Norway and Sweden there are similar
contrivances. But the land between the
Penobscot and the Moosehead waters is
comparatively level; consequently the
logs can not be turned loose to carry
themselves over to the lake. So the
syndicate may build an immense endless
chain which will pick the logs up in the
Penobscot waters and drop them into
the lake, whence they can be driven into
the Kennebec and SO to market. If the
endless chain is not adopted as a means
of conveying the logs, the syndicate
may unite the two great river systems of
the state by a canal at this place: Nat
urally the possible addition of many
thousands of logs to the great drives
which already find their way
10 market over the Kennebec waters
is likely to cause considerable amount
of discussion among men interested in
various enterprises on the two rivers.
The syndicate of course expects to ben
fit by having two markets for their pro-
ducts. There is likely to be opposition
from hose who think that their busi ess
wou d be hampered by additions to the
Kennebec log drives and also from Pc
nobscot people who make a living from
the logging on that river and conse-
quently want to see as many logs as pos
sible there.
Another Ambitious Scheme
is that of Mr.. A. F. Gerald of Fairfield,
has been announced by a 1tice that he
and his associates will ask the next leg
islature for charter giving them the
right to buy, lease, build and operate
street railways, light, power and heat
companies; also charter, rights and
franchise, and all contingencies pertain
ing to the same throughout the State of
Maine, and its connecting cities and
towns.
Concerning Portland Industries.
Labor Commissioner Mathews, in his
annual report will say something con-
cerning several Portland industries.
There are about sixty women and girls
at work in the various junk shops in
Portland sorting over rags. Five hun
dred thousand pounds of woolen and
100000 pounds of cotton rags are annu-
ally handled by these people, called rag
sorters. The rags come from all parts
of Maine, in bales of 200 to 800 pounds
in weight, averaging about 500 pounds to
the bale. There is only one firm which
grades other than Maine rags, but no for
eign rags are graded in Portland so there
is little danger from any infectious dis
eases. These women enjoy as good
health as most women, and the average
of life among them seems little affected
by their work Dust is disagreeable
feature from some of the poorest quail
ties.
Although the women get only from 50
to S5 per week, yet many of them like
the work and have been employed many
years. Females are quicker to learn and
are better adapted in many ways, be-
sides being much cheaper than males for
rag sorting. 1t is work at which they
sit all day, and exert themselves but lit
tie, simply to sort for colors by sense of
sight and by touch for the texture.
These cir become so expert that they
can detect cotton in suit of clothes by
sight, and at quite distance.
In summer the rag sorters have Satur-
day afternoon as half holiday and it is
usual to keep them insured in the EN-
ployers' Liability Insurance Company
in case of death by accident, and it costs
but trife to their employers.
The standard of these women is GER
tainly much below the ave age of almost
anysequal number at any other work.
The report also contains an account of
the gum industry in the state.
Spruce was the first material to be
made into stick form, and j. B. Curtis
of Portland, is the gentleman who start
ed the industry in 1913. The average
per day of woman's wages in Massachu-
setts is s1.22 for 300 days per year, in
New York is sl.oo for 265 per year, in Il
.inois is $l.20 for 295 days per year, but
they are steadily employed and can
wrap or pack more, besides getting a
trihe more per piece.
Only eight of the women employed in
the three gum manufactures of Port
land have work during most of the wear.