The Portland daily press., 1898-02-14
SEBAGO POWER co.
Getting Ready TO Utilize the Great
Falls Power.
IMPORTANT GATHERING OF MAN
UFACTURERS SATURDAY.
The Story of the Great Enterprise-Bonds
of the Company's PIant-work to Re-
terprise

gin at Once-Ths Promoters of the En-
terprise.
Saturday afternoon there was notable
gathering at the Congress Square hotel
1t was composed of representatives Of
many of the largest manufacturers of by
draulic and electrical machinery in New
England, and they were hard at work al
the afternoon and late into the nigh
figuring on the construction of appara
tus which is intended for what viii
be the largest electrical power depot il
this part of the country.
The plans of the Sebago Power compa
ny, which was organized in this city some
months ago, have often been limited al
and there has been much speculation CON
corning them. Until few weeks age
nothing definite was known except by
the stock holders of this concern as to
what was the real purpose of the eorpo-
ration.
Everything was in the air as far as the
general public was concerned, but now
the Sebago Power company has began
it's work in earnest and some OF the
things it is contemplating are being Civ
en- out to the seekers of information. AS
has been said the plans OF the Sepago
Power company, which will be carried
out as rapidly as possible, mean great
deal to Portland. 1t will give this city
cheaper electric lights and cheaper power
than has ever been known here before.
The Presumpsoot river, on its way to
The sea, turns the wheels of many manu-
factories which give employment to hun
areds of men and women. it has been
The cause of the growth Of the city OF
Westbrook, one of the Gveliest manu-
featuring cities Of New England. 1t has
kept in motion the machinery of the
greatest paper mill in the world and
along it's banks have sprung many indus
tries. But with all of this the Prea mp
scot river has only been doing in the past
the work OF pigmy when the possbi
ties of the future are taken into consid-
ration. This pretty river, which is aleady
hampered and fretted on its way to the
ocean by dozens of dams and toiling
wheels, has not done anywhere near the
amount. of work it is capable of doing.
At Great Falls there is situated one of
the largest water power privileges in the
State of Maine. 1t has been partially
utilized in the past. AT this point have
been located some small manufactures,
but here has ibeen running to waste pow
er enough to run all the electric roads,
he fri1 ioh Tllo ND loy
manufactures in Cumberland county.
Towards this power the eyes of the pro-
motors and developers of large industries
have long been turned. Here could be
seen the making of fortunes, the harding
er of prosperity. Many years ago the In
durated Fibre company and the Rocka-
meecock company obtained control of
this valuable property, intending to uti-
lie the giant power of the Presumpscot
at some future date.
But little was done to harness this
Peterson of Lockport, N. Y, acquired
control of a portion Of this power ON the
Presumpscot at Great Falls. His plan
was to erect at this point an electrical
mower station and furnish the city of
Portland with Its electric lights. Mr.
the cheapest electric light it had ever
known. With this idea in Wow and with
his plans well under way towards COM
pletion, Mr.. Peterson interested many
people of this city. But un-
expectedly he ran against an obstacle
which for time completely took the
wind out of the sails of the promoter and
defeated the enterprise. Mr.. Peterson
found that one of the laws of the State
of Maine would prevent him stretching
his wires in this city in opposition to the
Consolidated Electric Light company. He
went to the legislature of the state and
endeayored to secure q special charter,
allowing him to enter this city with his
electrical power. The special charter was
not granted and Mr.. Peterson's scheme
seemed to be defeated.
But Mr.. Peterson s attempt to utilize
the water power of the upper Presump-
scot attracted the attention of moneyed
men in other parts of the country. Many
of them came to Portland and journeyed
out to the falls Of the Presumpscos to
view the site of Mr.. Peterson's proposed
power station. Gradually the great en-
terprise took shape in the minds of these
promoters. The Sebago Power company,
capitalized at $500, 030 WAS organized un-
der the laws of the State Of Maine. Lit
tie information was given the public in
regard to the plans of the company, but
Saturday some of them were made
known.
The banking house of Lee, Higginson
q Co., of Boston. has placed $780, 900
worth of the company's bonds The COM
pany will come into the possession on
Monday of the deeds covering the flow
age lands about Great Falls and Mt the
same time the titles to the Great Falls
property including the property of the
Indurated Fibre company, the United
Indurated Fibre company and the Rock
ameecook property will be placed in the
hands Of the treasurer Of the Sebago
Power company.