Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-01-30
A CASE OF WATER.
|Some New Brunswick People
Seem Much Disturbed
Over What May Be Done by Maine
With One of Own Lakes.
Chamberlain Lake, the Alegash and
ST. John Involved.

| st. John. ~ b., Jan. 29.-What may
develop into an international issue has
arisen out Of a project now on foot al
Augusta, Me. which it is claimed has
| for its object the diversion Of the wa
/ tiers of Chamberlain lake in northern
Maine from the Allegash river, which
drains the lake and which empties in
| 10 the St. John river. so that the wa
ter of the lake will flow into the East
branch of the Penobscot. The issue
arises out of bill known as House
document. No. 6, which has been intro
lduced in the Maine Legislature. The
| bill. should it become a law. it is as.
serted will give certain lumbermen the
fright to change the water course men,
| toned.
| The bill when introduced early in the
month did not attract much attention,
as on its face it simply empowered an
Improvement company to develop its
property and interest on the East
branch of the Penobscot river in
Maine. Recently. however the pros
lposed legislation has come under the
notice of prominent lumbermen in
Maine and this province whose opera
| tions are largely carried on along the
ISt. John river and its tributaries.
These interests claim that q diversion
lof the waters Of Chamberlain lake
from the Allagash to the Penobscot
would diminish the flow i'll the former
| river and consequently the st. John,
much to the injury of lumbermen along
Ithe latter stream on both sides of the
boundary.
In Maine. the project is said to be
popular With the lumber interests
|along the upper Penobscot but in
Aroostook county, where the st. John
has the major part of it's course, the
scheme is meeting with strong oppo,
|sition. and q movement is or foot TO
bring about cooperation with the TIM
Der owners on the ST. John on this side
|of the boundary for the purpose of de-
Heating the alleged purpose of the bill
Some of the lumbermen in the val
ley of the ST. John assert that any at
|tempt to change the water course OF
|any stream tributary to the river
would be violation of the Webster
Ashburton treaty, the agreement
which terminated the celebrated dis
lute between Great Britain and the
Unuited States over territory in east
Ito the latter country.
Article three of this treaty provides
that free navigation of the St. john
and its tributaries shall be maintained.
But whether this article would apply
to the water of Lake Chamberlain is I,
matter which most llmbermen consid-
Ter uncertain. If the treaty has no ap,
plication in the present case, it is con-
sidered that the Canadian government
is poWerless in the matter.
According to what information has
been received here the plan of the
|Penobscot promoters is to build Il dam
on the Allegash stream between Heron
lake and Lake Chamberlain, the head
waters Of the Allegash, ana direct these
waters into the East branch of the
Penobscot and thence through Bangor
to the sea. This of course would be Of
the mills in Bangor and vicinity. The
natural outlets Of the water in Cham
herlain lake is through the Allegas.l
and the st. John.
Outside of the lumber interests there
is no objection as far as known, in
this province, to the plan. Some river
men claim the change would have little
or no effect on the river in this prov
ince. tna only damage being done in
Maine whole others think any slight
diminItion in the flow of water would
not be unwelcome to farmers and resi-
dents Of the st. John valley. who occa-
sionally sustain losses from freshets in
the spring and fall.