The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-04-11
Maine News and Notes.

Maine News and Notes.
The total amount of ice, old and new,
in the entire State is: Coast 125, 900 tons,
| Penobscot river $4,000 tons, kennebec
river 429. 900 tons; total 634, 900 tons.
The Bath school board will ask the
city government to make these appro-
priations: Text books 1925, fuel $1,000,
salaries S2S000 repairs $500, manual
training school $1,000.
| tits announced that confe renee will
| be held in Augusta, probably April IS,
under the direction of the State board
of trade, to determine what city shall
entertain on State day during this year S
| Old Home week celebration.
| Mr.. and Mrs. Hartley c. Baxter and
party of Portland and Brunswick
friends have started on a southern tour
in the remodeled steam yacht Neckan.
| The trip will cover a period of several
months, most of which will be spent in
| cruising in southern waters. Stops will
| be made at Bristol, r. l., New Y DIRK and
other places of interest on the way south.
The Lewiston city government April
End by a majority of one vote decided
| upon the lot of land opposite the city
hall as the site for the library building
| for which the city had a present of $780,
| 600 from Andrew Carnegie. The lot is
| owned by the Franklin Company and the
price is $4,000. The Franklin Company
will present the city with $1,000 towards
| the payment. Work on the library
building will begin right away.
| The State Assessors have committed
the tax on railroads in Maine for the
year of 1901. Owing to acts passed by
the last legislature, the excise tax
| levied by the asSeSSsrs is S126.217 in ex-
cess of that for the year 1900. The
total excise tax this year is 1901, 093,
against S174,276. Toward the total
amount the Maine Central railroad
pays s145, 2S6, and the Boston & Maine,
the next highest tax payer, S7s,S31.
The smallest assessment levied is
against the Fryeburg horse railway, and
amounts to ST. The roads are taxed on
gross transportation receipts.
The Knickerbocker Steam Towing
Co., which for years has controlled the
towing Oh the kennebec river held a
meeting at Bath April Sd, and, it is un-
derstood, voted to transfer its stock to
the American Ice Co., the reported price
being one-half share preferred and one
half common stock in the latter COM
pany for each share OF the former
| This deal means that the American Ice
Co. will do its own towing hereafter,
and as there is likely to be little ice
shipped from the kennebec this year
it is believed that most of the COM
pany's boats will see service on the
Hudson during the coming summer.
Col. Alfred E. Buck, United States
minister to Japan, resident of Atlanta,
Ga, and a native of Foxcroft is in this
country on leave of absence, dating from
Feb. to May1. He is now in Hallowell,
the guest of Judge HI. X. Baker, Mrs.
Bucks father. During the stay of the
Bucks at Hallowell there will be a re-
union of five sisters of the family, one
of whom is Mrs. Matte Baker Dunn of
Waterville. Col. Buck is Colby grad
uate, who has conferred honor upon his
country as well as himself during his
residence in Japan as our national rep
resentative. He will undoubtedly visit
his old home in Foxcroft before leaving
Maine.
At the Hallowell granite works in
creased activity in business already has
set in and there are employed at the
sheds and quarries about 200 men at
this time. While the officials decline to
specify what contracts they have on
hand, they state they will continue to
add good workmen to their force until
the number employed at the sheds and
quarries reaches 500. It,also is under
stood that large force of\men will be-
gin work in the Tayntor quarry as soon
as weather permits, and the indications
are that between 700 and 800 granite
workers will have employment during
the coming summer, and probably
much longer.
The ice went out of the Penobscot
river Tuesday night, April 2nd. The
river had been closed III days to navi-
cation, the ice having formed solidly
last December Last year the river
opened just one day later than this
year, though the fact has been general
ly forgotten by the public, which be-
lieyes that this early opening is some
thing more or less phenomenal The
river opened on April in 1892 and this
years record beats anything since then
The river has opened as early as March
ID. That was in 1871, but that year ii
closed on Nov. II, so the number of
days averages uppretty we'll. The latest
the river ever cleared itself of ice was
in 1918, when there was no navigation
on the Penobscot until May 1.
The wage question in the lime indus.
try has reached an amicable settle
ment, and the happy outcome gives JOY
throughout Knox county. At a confer
ence in Rockland, April End, the resi-
dent director of the Rockland and
Rockport Lime company, A. F. Crock