The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1896-03-05
A Word from the Lower Kennebec

A Word from the Lower Kennebec
AN oLD-TIME AND VALUED CORRESPOND
EMIT, JOHN W. LANG, SENDS A MESSAGE
FROM HIS SICK ROOM.
10 THE EDITOR OF The JOURNAL: Any.
thing in The Journal from Waldo County,
and especially from Brooks, always in
terests US, and we prize the bright, clean,
newsy paper very much. 1t is like mes
sage from old friends in the old home local
ity. Recently your Brooks correspondent
kindly mentioned US and intimated that
a word from us, if able, would please old
friends and acquaintance there. We are
not able to write much, or, in fact, to do
much OF anything. Six years come next
May we have been on the retired list; part
OF the time sick in bed, part confined to
the house, and part of the time able to
walk or ride out some. General debility
caused malarial troubles and some lung
and bronchial troubles. | am confined to
the warm rooms of the house strictly
winters, and sit up very little this winter,
though there is hardly day when | am
not dressed some portion of it and 60
from one room to another
We are having a fine run of shedding
now, and lots of business is being done
upon it. There is or inches of snow
on level. The expense of road breaking
last winter was small, and it looks as
though it would be light this year.
Considerable hay is being and has been
pressed and sent away by cars. The usual
amount is marketed in the local markets,
drawn in loose, with now and then a car
of pressed hay from some eastern or
northern point: Loose hay is worth $12
! to S14 in our villages and in Richmond,
Brunswick and Bath, and is reported
| higher in Lewiston, which is farther away.
Good hay on track here is bringing some
| twelve dollars. Potatoes in local markets
40 cents, and there is large supply. But
ter is 20 to % cents, sold at stores, and 20
to 2S sold to consumers by yearly contract.
Eggs are 16 to IS. Apples, best, one dol
lar There was very small crop. We
| have no creamery in this county, but
many excellent private diaries, and as
most of the larger dairymen have sales to
furnish customers at very satisfactory
prices, there is no great desire to change.
Only one cheese factory ever attempted
to get in its work, and that persisted in
the effort 1t was sold out and sawed in
two, the buyer making set of buildings
by inserting an ell between the severed
halves and finishing it up.
The Rev. Humphrey Small, we'll known
in Waldo county, has a very pleasant field
of labor here in the brick church on Bow
doinham Ridge, fine locality midway be-
tween the villages of Richmond and Bow
doinham. He is liked very much Last
year the church was generally repaired,
new steel ceilings put in, the painting,
cushions and all the interior renovated or
renewed and servicable lot of horse
sheds built. The church has been greatly
prospered and several out fields of labor
maintained. Mrs. Small proves an eff
cient helper.
Ice cutting is now going forward and
the kennebec river from Merrymeeting
Bay to Hallowell is specked and dotted
and occupied by thousands of men and
many horses, cutting and storing d fine
quality OF Il to Is inch ice. Business has
been dull and The money put out in labor
for the ice fields helps great many. both
directly and indirectly.
The winter fishing along the bay and
river has not been very good. Tomcods
and smelts are the principal fish in De-
cember, January and February The
tommies are over their plentiful season.
Smells will be taken for some time vet.
and they are followed in the spring by
alewives and shad. A sprinkling Of other
kinds of river fish are taken in the nets.
The striped bass are the more valuable
Some sturgeon, suckers, pickerel and
others are occasionally seem
| think your Brooks correspondent
would be pleased to know of the improve
ment that has taken place in our l4igh
school since he knew it as teacher twelve
years ago Theigrading of the schools in
town has been accomplished and our
schools in the rural districts reduced in
numbers. The grading has been carried
forward and improved, new primary
school building of large size and modern
design has been erected near the gram
mar and high school building, and more
than half the scholars of the town are
now attending these village schools. Mr..
r. E. Springer of Belfast, graduate of
Bates, class '95, is principal of the high
school, and Miss Weber OF Chesterville,
another Bates graduate, is assistant.
Rev. Charles E. Springer, known to
many in Waldo County, is the efficient
pastor of the M. E. church here. Mrs
Springer is sister of Hon, p. w. Aver
of Free dom.
The grange interest here is in healthy
and active condition. There are ten
, strong oranges in our small county of
eleven towns. The county grange has
made up it's monthly programs for the
in Ont1i no p1annc of ct of