The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-03-12
A TOWN DIVIDED AND A VILLAGE
CORPORATION CREATED.
The New Railroad to the Rangeley Lakes
1t Will Garry Logs by the Train Load
A Scheme to Ferry Logs by Flume
Over the Falls-Telephone Connection
With the Outer World.
tspecial to the PRESS. !,

where is now the thriving village of Rum
ford Falls. there were only small cluster
of houses, no store, 10 mills and no business
except farming. Now in the village there
is bank, one of the largest paper mills in
the world, a chemical mill for the manu-
facture of bleaching powder, wooden mill,
where is made the bne wooden felts used
by pulp mills, thirty stores and two hotels.
The village spreads over considerable terri
tory, within tie radius Of mile from its
centre it being estimated that there is
population of thu ee thousand persons. j he
affairs of these people have hitherto been
adminisi cred under the town system, but
it grew. many matters pertaining to the
sanitary and other municipal affairs of
the village could not be satisfactorily
handled, go he leading citizens united in
petition for village charter which has
been granted under this charter. II is tile
intention to establish a police system, to
carry out work suggested by the board OF
health, provide better means for lighting
hres, extend the street lighting service and
The water system for supplying the resident
portion of the town. In order 10 still
fur ther facilitate the management of their
a fairs, the people of The village found an
btu6I CIGuRc uFCtbSa1y lu6fI VlllaRS WdS
not all in the town of Rumford. While the
rtsiden; section and muC h of he business
portion was in that town, the rapid develop
ment of the industries clustered on the
we ter power had caused the occupation of
avail, bic territory in the adjoining town of
feru. There were the woolen mills. the
railroad round house and 1eight shed and
here was likely to be established other en-
terprises. 30 the legislature was asked to
set off portion of Peru and annex it to
Rumford. ibis was done by an act passed
some time ago, the line dividing the Two
now extendiEg about two miles east
of the village. instead of through it. i he
Peru people made no opposition to this
change, which is regarded by many as the
most important sier taken in town affairs
since the beginning of the development of
the region with view to large growth in
the future.
The legislature. besides passing these
measures has been asked to take action to
facilitate means of getting to and beyond
Rumford, where lies the Rangeley lake
region famous a happy hunting
ground for the sportsmen. The Portland
and Rumford Falls road terminates at the
village of Kumford Falls, but its charter
gave he right to extend the line to Bemis
stream. near Captain Rarker's camp, the
most central point on Ike whole Rangeley
lakes system. ] he AndIoscoggin Water
i,ower company, located at Lisbon Falls.
and the Berlin Mills company. are owners
OF large tracts of timberla nds. located in
the Swift River Valley. and on the shores
of Rangeley lakes. Through the forts of
4 12nro To lie md
Kangeley Lakes company was organized
and tbs new company procured from The
Portland and Rumtord Falls its franchise
from Rumford Falls TO the lake. Eighteen
miles OF the line has been built, SO that it
extends ss far as "Houghton's" in Byron.
The ten miles additional to Bemis stream
has been surveyed. The first ten miles
will be opened TO travel in June and the re-
ma inder Will probably be ready late in the
fall. When The road is completed, parlor
oar leaving Boston at $50 a. NJ. would reach
Barker's camp at about o.3U OF p. N. he
new road connects with the Portland and
Rumford Fall Mt Runiford Falls. the old
road ha wing an interest in the new. The
transfer of the franchise of the one COM
many to the other. and the ratification of
the acts and location ofsthe new corpora
tion were the subject of acts passed by the
legislature early in The winter.
II is no, only for carrying sportsmen that
the new road has been built. 1t is proposed
to transport logs over it. In order 10 avoid
the long delays now encountered i'll rafting
them down the shallow and rocky stream.
There are many railroads devoted entirely
to logging in the forests of Western states,
but the building of a road which will
proba bly, carr, on an average train load
of logs for every day in The year. is a new
departure in Maine. There is also another
scheme for facilitating the hand1l ng uf logs,
and this is now before The legislature. hum
ford Falls are a terror to the river drivers
There is a drop of 1870 feet in about mile,
and down this tore nttt there is annually
Goated about thirty million Of lumber. The
work OF getting the logs over the falls is
moi only dangerous, but there are many ex-
pensiye losses aud delays. The Rumford
Falls apeI comp. ny sometime ago con-
strue ted II private fume from the upper dam
to the canal at the middle level. This f1ume
looks like a watering trough, mile long
and placed on stills. IT is made of heavy
plank, laid at places ON the ground and
carried over depressions on irestles. In the
f1ume there is about a foot OF rapidly run
ming water. Logs taken in at the dam float
down the fume. which is just broad enough
to keep them headed right. Finally they
shoot out IN 10 space and drop with splash
into the quiet waters of the csLal. This
fiume has been operated so successfully that
sorne lumbermen and Rumford Falls parties
lave united in petition for a charter
authorizing them to build 1ume to tale
logs from ahove2the upper falls to point
below the lower. The charter they desire
would give them the right to charge reason
able tolls to cover only the actual expenses.
This novel scheme met with considerable
opposition at the hearing before the com
mittee on interior waters. The bill was,
however, favorably reported. If this
charter is granted, the luTaber interests
will watch wit interest operations und er