Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-03-03
CAPITAL CHAT.
Harborside Has a Good Pros
pect for a Post Office.
Congressman Burleigh Investigates
lumber Output Of His District.
in 1899. as Claimed.


Maine. 10 inquire into the location of
a post office there. There has been
quite long controversy over this pro-
posed post office at Harborside. once
or twice the establishment of a post
Office at that place has been ordered.
but when the postmaster was ready l"
assume office it was found that there
was no facility for getting mails IN
there.
Recently, Governor Burleigh received
a letter from Hon. George Nj. warren.
the collector at Castine, Maine, re-
guessing that the matter be taken up
by him. He wrote TO the post Office
department and was informed that the
post office officials had no disposition
to take the matter up again. Governor
Burleigh however, called at the de-
partment in person, this week, and his
personal request secured the sending
of an inspector to Harborside.
Representative Burleigh has been
looking up the statistics regarding
lumber manufacture in his district and
finds that the output of the mills there.
last year. was about 00,000.000 feet.
Not a stick of this was sent to Puerto
Rico The matter was brought up to
some extent during the Puerto Iican
debate in the House. and it was
claimed that the lumber barons We're
having something to do with that bill.
The war department has presented
to Congress, this week, two reports on
proposed river and harbor improve
ments in Maine, neither of which are
favorable reports One of these is a
ha ,tr,af ion, nd a
of Parkers Head harbor and channel
on the Kennebec river. This improve
ment would have benefited largely the
big ice industry in that vicinity, but
the engineer officers have some things
to say about the ice industry which
will be interesting to the readers in the
Kennebec valley. Mr. F. S. Burrowes
assistant engineer. made the survey
at Parker's Head, where it was desired
to dig a channel 100 feet wide and Il
feet deep. with a turning basin at the
head to connect the harbor at the head
of the bay with deep water in the Ken
nebec river. This harbor is only a
small bay on the western bank of the
Kennebec river. about 32 miles above
its mouth. At the head of the harbor
at a distance of about 5000 feet from
deep water in the river is located Par
ker's Head village, and just back of
the village is a dam, above which is an
ice pond. from which about $4,000 tons
were harvested and shipped early. be-
tween 1860 and 1890. Major Roessler
has this to say about the proposed i'm
provement:
Compared with that shipped 10 or
more years ago. the quantity of ice
sent out from the kennebec river. the
past season, has been comparatively
small. One reason. the only plausible
one, offered for these small shipments
is that the ice industry on the Kenne-
bee, as upon other rivers in this local
ity, has passed into the hands of a COM
bination or trust which has found it
more profitable to draw its supply Of
ice from other sources. If the above
explanation is correct the prospect for
renewed activity in this business is by
no means hopeful. and it is unlikely
that any new ice industries, such as
that at Parker's head harbor. would
be started under existing conditions.
Even if the ice were again cut at
this point the benefit resulting from
any improvement would be largely in
the interest of a private corporation:
and
The navigation to Parker's Head
village is too small at the present time
to justify the expenditure of the
amount that would be required to de
velop the desired channel from the viii
lage wharf to deep water in the Ken
nebec. The cost of such channel
WDul1 no anproyipataJy roo OOn
An unfavorable report was likewise
made on the proposition to improve
Boothbay Harbor in the interests of
navigation. 1t has been that steam
boats sometimes ground at extreme
low water on the western side of the
harbor. Major Roessler states that
this was done by practically only one
boat which is not now in the trade. and
which drew l. feet. which touched
there during the summer and some
times grounded near the wharf From
such facts he draws the conclusion
that the harbor is an important one,
but so we'll favored by natural advan-
tages as to require no artificial works
to improve it or enlarge it in the in
terests of navigation.
Considerable fun has been caused
here by the propensity of Representa-
tive Boutell of Illinois, to quote cpl
taphs in his speeches. He has quoted
some very funny ones and has aroused
the laughter Of the House. Representa-
tive Boutell informs the Journal cor
respondent that he keeps book Of
these epitaphs which he has collected
from various travels around the world.
and part of them he collected in
Maine. especially up in York county.
one or these epitaphs which he got in
Maine and which he prefers to any in
his book reads as follows:
beneath these monumental stones
lies all that's left of Susan Jones
ner name was Lord and was nor ZONES
nut ZONES ), was used to rhyme with
II Is probable that the delegates to the
national Republican convention. this
year. Will be chosen from the Maine
delegation in Congress. The adminis-
ration mas given it out that Federal
onice holders will not be very accent
aoie ueiegates, and while members of
cohsress are not federal office holders
III ahe sense that that statement inn
plies' the general preference with TIA