Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-25
CAPITAL CHAT.
WhitefeId Wants a R. F. D.
Route from Gardiner.
Provisions for the Improvement of
the Kennebec.
Fewer Petitions Coming In-Maine
Visitors to Washington.

the rural free delivery service of thc
poStOliice department, has received =
petition for 4 rural free delivery routa
out Of Gardiner, to extend to North
Whitefield and Joice. Ex-Governor
Burleigh has taken the matter of this
route up with MI Machen and urged
him to have Inspector e. 2. Boutelle.
of Bangor, sent TO look over the pro-
posed route ut an early day, and report
thereon to the department. Mr.. Bou-
telle already has 4 lot of work mapped
out ahead Of him in Maine. as All the
Maine members, or all outside the first
district. have several routes in pros
poet which they are pressing to have
inspected, but it is certain that Mr..
Toutelle Will get around to Gardiner in
the course of 4 few weeks. If Il fav-
Ordble report is made on the rollte ont
of Gardiner, as is entirely probable. it
will be in time for July l, which is the
earliest date on which the department
is now authorizing any new routes to
be established. THIS is because the an
preparation for rural free delivery
routes for the current fiscal year has
been exhausted or will be exhausted
by the route now in operation.
Superintendent Machen recently
wrote to Governor Burleigh inuuiring
about the map of one of the new rural
free delivery routes out of Skowhegan.
Since then the governor has received it
from the postmaster there and it has
been forwarded to the postofiice
department.
The flood of petitions that have been
pouring in from Maine during the pres
ent winter have now nearly ceased. A
few weeks ago nearly every mail
brought a score of petitions on differ
ent topics of legislation before the
House. Many of these came from la
Dor organizations in different parts of
the State. The passage of the Chinese
Exclusion bill by both houses of Con-
gress has removed about the last sub
ject of general petition. About all the
petitions now are on the restriction of
immigration by an educational test.
That bill has been reported favorably
to the House and will be considered
there within a few weeks. 1t is very
doubtful if the bill becomes a law at
this session of Congress.
Within a few days now, the anti
oleomargerine bill will be completed
and sent to the President for his sig
nature. Speaker Henderson has prom
Used a rule for the consideration of the
Senate act in the House and with that
assured it is certain that the bill will
pass substantially as it was agreed to
by the Senate. The Maine delegation
in Congress has supported the bill
solidly and as it becomes law it is GER
tain to be very satisfactory to the
dairy interests of the Pine Tree State.
The Senate bill is regarded as much
stronger, from the standpoint of the
dairy men than the House bill was.
Representative Roberts, of Massa-
chusetts, n native Of the Kennebec Val
ley, has accepted an invitation to travel
South early in May, with a party of
congressman, including Representative
Crumpacker, of Indiana, to observe
suffrage conditions in the black belt of
Alabama. Representative Thompson,
of the fifth Alabama district, has
placed a special car at the disposal of
the congressional party and wants
them to see for themselves and draw
their own conclusions. He has a
large plantation near Tuskeegee. where
Ile WI hS fup VI oNV iicSicts7. -'ii :
Thompson takes the ground that the
South is the best friend of the negro
and is earnestly trying to help the race.
The Alabaman wants these northerners
to look things over and draw their own
conclusions as to whether he is right
and as to whether it would be wise to
disturb the present relations by stir
ring up racial troubles through suf-
oh DC
was for one or two Congresses men,
Der of one of the committees on con-
tested elections, and has pretty
thorough knowledge of Southern cleo
tions. Mr.. Thompson has also invited
Senator Frye as president pro tenn of
the Senate, to accompany the party.
Mr.. Frye would like to go, but it is
somewhat doubtful whether he can get
away from his duties here.
In the voluminous report on the river
and harbor bill, which Senator Frye made
| to the Senate, he sums up compactly the
situation as to the Kennebec river, he
| tween Augusta and Gardiner in the fol-
| lowing language:
an the opinion of Mai Roessler the
X ennebec river has already received the
greatest amount of improvement in the
interest OF low "aifs maylsap4 c cal
A
| alization but that still further i'm
| provement is worthy in the interest 81
! high-water navigation. and the project
now presented is based entirely upon the
needs of high-water traffic.
Under a project completed in 1893 q
| channel was made Us feet wide and L
| feet deep at mean low water for about
| three miles above Gardiner and a chan
| mel 100 feet wide and 10 feet deep at mean
! low water in the remaining portion. TINS
| channel has detsriorated considerably
and the plan now presented contemplates
the widening of the channel all the way
to Augusta to 125 feet and the clearing
out and deepening OF the old dredge chan
mel to a depth of 16 feet at mean high wa
ter. which will give depth of about 4
| feet at mean low water. The estimated
cost of this work, including contingencies
| is $4,000.
'.The distance from Gardiner to AT
| gusta IS % miles. In this distance
| there are six shoals, which form the oh
| structions to navigation.
| AT the present time a transfer steam
er is employed to carry all the merchan
disc ARRIVING at Gardiner by the Boston
| steamers three times per week. from Gar
diner to Hallowell and Augusta. TIL
running expenses of this steamer are sal,
to be about $1,000 per month. and ii car