The Portland daily press., 1895-02-09
HARVESTING THE SHEEPSCOT.
A Big Enterprise That Promises Much
for Lincoln County.

Are To Be Utilized--A Novel and Inter
esting Scheme-Wiscasset May Yet Be-
come a F1ourishipg Town.
| Especial to the PRESS.
Augusta. February, s.-The committee on
| interior waters has decided to report a bill
which in some respects is as important as
any piece of private legislation to cone
before this Legislature. The Sheepscot
river, rising in Waldo county flows in a
generally southerly direction until 1t emp
| ties its waters into the Atlantic, IA miles
| below Wiscasset. On it's journey to the sea,
| the Sheepscot receives additions to its vol
| ume of water from chain of ponds and, as
| il takes its way from the uplands of the in
| terror 10 the level of tine ocean, it develops
such power that it is capable, if put in
| proper harness. of turning many mil
| wheel and running many dynamo for
creating electric power. The building of
the Wiscasses and Quebec road, now in
| progress of construction, to a junction with
the Maine Central, has called attention to
the possibilities of the Sheepscot river val
ley as 2 location for manufacturing enter
prises. Coal costs much more in Maine
than in states nearer the source OF supply,
but in Maine there are water powers second
to none in the country except the giant Nj
agara.
Mr.. VIM. Doe is the man who has made
the attempt to put the Sheepscot in harness
and SO control its power that it will WORK
as we'll in seasons of drought as in seasons
when lakes and streams nigh. MI, Doe
| knows all about the Sheepsoot valley for,
| while he has sent much of his life in Penn
| sylyania and California. he was born in
Kennebee county and then boy fished and
| swan in the ponds and streams of the
sheepscot system. With Mr.. Doe arc associs
| sted Mr.. e. Collins of Bradford, Pennsyl-
vania, and Mr. J. II. Link of v illiamsport
| in that state. Hon. Henry ingalls, of Wis
casset and DR.. A. W. Card Of Alma are also
| in the enterprise and named as member
of the Maine Water and Electric Power
Company, a charter for which the commit
tee will report favorably.
Mr.. Doe has been in the State for some
time and has had surveys OF the Sheepscot
valley and estimates of the water power
prepared. Mr.. Doe is enthusiastic and
therefore makes his description of the en-
terprise al interesting one. He says that
from Sheepscot lake in Waldo county. fol-
lowing the river down to LoIg lake between
Kennebec and Lincoln counties, there is
fall of 6S feet. At Cooper's Mills in the
town of Whitefield, there is a tine water
power, there is another at Turner'S Mills
yeral miles below in the same town, at
Kings Mills we find still another and then
there is the Great Fall so-called in the
towns of Alma and Whiteield. with de
scent OF 35 feet. Scattered along the river
are other powers so that in all there is
about 1900 horse power. These falls were
early utilized by the people of the region
round about as mill sites and in times past
much lumber has been sawed there. but
many of these .pills have since had little to
do. Much of the property along these water
powers las been bonded by Mr.. Doe. who
has obtained The consent of the owners to
raise or lower the water in the ponds if the
Legislature grants the charter.
The charter gives the corporation this
right and, briefly stated, its plan is to use
the ponds and lakes which fill the river as
storage reservoirs. The corporation by ac-
curing control of the water powers would
derive it's revenues from the payments made
by mill owners for the power. The corror-
alton is also authorized to transmit power
by electricity for lighting and manufactur-
ing purposes and to supply water for do
nestle and municipal purposes to towns
and cities. As an illustration OF what Mr..
Doe proposes to do, his plans in regard to
Sheepscot lake are interesting. He propo-
SEES to build dam to raise the level of the
wafer eight feet and has already acquired
the right to do SO. Then he may in times of
drought draw down the water ten feet be-
low its present level or Is feet in all. To
draw off this last ten feet, resort must be
had to artificial means The lake when at lit
normal level is like wash basin full OF
water. The water might be lowered by tip
ping the basin but Mr. Doe cannot do that.
He might cut piece ont of tho rim of the
basin by deepening the river where it leaves
the lake but that would not be practicable,
SO the only alternative has been adopted
and that is TO knock a hole in the side Of
the basin by tunneling from he pond to the
river at point short distance away
where the stream swings around and APP
proaches the lake but at much lower level
With system of gates to close the tunnel,
the water could be held in check until
needed and then allowed to flow out until
the lake was drawn down to a point Is feet
below the crest of the dam. Mr.. Doe has
also bonded rights to store water. in Long
pond.
It will be seen that the scheme is a big
one. 1t has occupied the attention of the
committee for some timo and has been the
subject of. several hearings. 1t is under
stood that objections raised from time to-
time have been settled to the satisfaction
of the 'remonstrants and the committee. If
the plans Of the corporation are ever car
ried out Wisoasset may gain prosperity as
has Rumford Falls and find a use for her
fine harbor. The corpor alton is capitalized
at S500.000. 1t is also understood that Mr..
Does associates are wealthy men who have
been engaged in similar enterprises else
where. M. Doe stated this afternoon that
there are ,,a rites who already conten,