Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-06-24

lefore the coming of the railroads.
Steam on wheels soon knocked out the
team on water and now no trace Of
he old shipping business remains. But
ntil within some 50 years the bust
ess was an important part Of the in
ustrim life Of the city.
Along in the late 2Os and early aO's Of
so there was a good sized cluster OF
Mills on the little stream. Silas and Abi-
an Wing built a dam near the mouth
II the stream and sold il to Samuel Jo-
ieph Hitchins Of Boston in 1909. This
lam furnished power for a grist and saw
nil. Samuel later went into the business
# making carding mill machinery and
urning posts for the old fashioned bed
'teads Of the time, constructing new
uilding for the purpose. He later
hanged this into a shingle mill.
Asa Emerson built dam up the stream
tbOve this one ana erected one Of tile
rst saw mills Of the town. The stream
vas known by his name before the name
fessalorskce became firmly fixed. Ills
nill was in operation in 1890. But in 1893
he ola mill was idle and in ruins. Til.
rivilege was then purchased By Joseph
,. Fairbanks, one OF the famous scale
manufacturers Of st. Jone sbury, VT, AMI
company with others under the firm
anne of Fairbanks, Nelson & Co., manu-
actured cast iron plows.
The great plant Of the Hoiingsworth z
Whitney Co., which is the second largest
n the world and now one Of the principle
Industries Of Waterville although IL Is
ituated in Winslow. was proceeded by
wo little mills on the Messalonskee that
night be run through the modern mill
md not be noticed in the paper If they
were standing today Along about 1859
samuel Appleton, Zebulon Sanger and
Ohm Ransted built small mill whore
hey manufactured newspaper stock
This plant was purchased later by Boston
parties who manufactured paper out Of
cedar bark. q process that is probable
well nigh forgotten by this time.
Then some % cdd years ago there was a
carpet factory on the stream where gen
line Wiltshire goods were manufactured
The people Of the time manifested the
same enterprsing spirit in getting new
Industries that is characteristic Of the
present and ordered carpets before me
business was established as an encour-
dgement. The building was originally
built for cotton factory ana after be-
ng M for making carpets was utilized
for making mill machinery ana finally
WAS enlarged and became a tannery
where a large business was done for a
llmber Of years.
There were other saw and grist mills on
the stream ana one for making shanks
used in the manufacture Of shoes All
these We're among the carrier ones ana
were being continually changed ana NV.
modelled 70 finally disappear entirely But
in the first - years after the incurpord-
lion Of the town there was a great va
riety of industries cn the stream. includ-
Ing. saw, grist, mill machinery. shoe
sbanhs, paper, cotton, carpets, pillow.
stoves ana leather mills. The " were re-
placed bT others about as varied Some
were burned ana never rebuilt while 9th
eTs were allowed e 50 u ruin in idIcncss.
y lair sized book might be written
about the early Industries Oh this little
stream and il is a strange fact that the
"n!y wheels that row turn there are those
the pumping station Of the Maine Wa
Ter Co. and those Of the one OF the pow
station Of the Watcrville & Fairfield
Railway x Light Co. y wooden mill is
now being built however, on the site oF
aAe OF the ola industries. But if a Cit
zen OF 1880 or 1870 could return the silence
Of the little stream would be one of the
most surprising things Of his visit.
But although the Messalonskce was an
p2rently the favoritc power for the early
Industries the Kennebcc was not wholly
neglected. Thu principal among the cary
Industries along its banks was NUMBERING
ihe famous pine Of the northern part Of
The State fed many a saw in Watcrviu,
until the supply was exhausted. The mill;
passed with the pine until now there "a
but one on the river near the city. Eut
The early lumbermen were famous in
their day-the Old Kenncbeckcrs that tool,
no back water for any one Among thos,
men was William Kendall, the inventor.
Of the circAIar saw and the turbine water
wheel. hisTFothers John and Samuel. the
Redingtons ,-MiIliam, Samuel. Siias aDj
Asa. lebu@n Sanger and his sons. D,a-
con Doiittle who did much in the lumber
business and still remained. 4 good church
member, Isaac Farrer, David Paige To-
siah Morrill,. Colonel Scribner ana CoInn.
Simonds, men TO whom the hum of both
bullet and saw were familiar. William
end Daniel Moore, tine French brothers.
Dunlap, Hobson and. Parker sheldon
man whose names were known from one
end Of the river to the other in the frs
half Of the 18th century.
The first dam on the river at this mint
was buiit by Nehemiah Getchel and AS,
Redington and furnished power for 4
saw mill. The others mentioned FOLLOWED
shortly after ana all did 4 big business
ior their day. Great old lumbermen these
who started the industry that is now 90
ing 70 decay in this section NJ.
Then there was the old Ticonic Water
Power and Manufacturing 60. organizci
by z. A. Phillips but The date of this is
TOO recent to need much mention as II Il
familiar to many at present.
But it was from this old Ticonic Com
pany that the present Lockwood mills
originated. In developing his scheme MIR.
Phillips purchased some 400 acres or lam
adjoining the falls at cost of $50 900 ana
IN 1868 the present dam was built nj a
cost of $4,000 But the plan was not very
successful ana nothing much was done
Tor q time. Then r. Il. Dunn became in
terested and bought up a controlling
share of the stock at big discount ana