Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-05-09
pleasure in presenting some extracts
as follows:

| kennebec river is one of the best
streams in the United Sttaes for the de-
velOpment of water power. It's basin
| lies between those of the AEdroScoggin
and the PenobScOt, and extends from
| the Canada line to the ocean. lSee ri.
V, p. 2D. The basin measures $50
| miles in length, and varies in width
| from so to so miles in the main portion,
| embracing a total area of $3.50 square
miles. OF this area 1850 square miles
are tributary to Moosehead Lake. The
general elevation is less than that of
| the Androscoggin Basin, though near
the center of the area Saddleback,
Abraham. and Bigelow mountains rise
as isolated peaks to elevations higher
| than any mountains in the State except
| Katahdin.
The river rises in Moosehead Lake,
though its headwaters are collected by
| Nose river, Roach river, and q num-
| Der of smaller streams rising in the
billy, forested areas lying to the east
and west of that lake. Near Moose
head the hills and highlands are we'll
back from the lake, leaving Il great
open plain. The northern part of the
drainage basin is broken by offsets
from the White Mountains. Nearly
the whole of the upper portion of the
drainage areas is forest covered and
in it's original wild state. Below the
outlet of Moosehead Lake into the
Kennebec the hills close in upon the
river. forming a narrow, rock chasm,
with steep and preciI itous sides From
Moosehead Lake to The Forks the
;- fo a rnclyU
bed 500 feet in Il distance of % miles.
At The Forks the waters of Dead river,
which rises near the western boundary
of the State at an elevation of about
2C00 feet, are joined to the main
stream. Below this junction the river
flows through a broad valley, with
gentle slopes upon either side, still
covered to some extent with forest
growth, but largely cleared and with
occasional cultivated farms. About 90
miles from the coast the hills again
rise though not to considerable
height There are on tho river num-
Der of large falls, which nave been de-
veloped by the construction of dams
and are now used for sawmills, pulp
mills and cotton mills. These will be
described later.
The prevailing rock in the northern
part of the basin is slate, with q belt
of sandstone to the west and a district
of granite to the east of Moosehead.
South of Bingham mica-schiSts run into
the clay slate in spots, and elsewhere
in gneiss, but Except where broken by
intrusions OF granite, as at HALLOWEEN
and Augusta, the slate prevails as far
as Gardiner. Below the latter city
gneiss predominates, with stretches of
mica-schiStS on the asst bank. The sur
face materials are finely pulverized,
and Understanding sands and graVels
are more abundant in the northern
part, succeeded by a greater proportion
of loan and clay to the southwark.
Moosehead Lake, with an area of 10
square miles, forms about one-third of
the whole lake surface in this basin.
The other lakes are small, not one eX-
ceeding 10 square miles in area, yet in
the aggregate the tributary lake sur
face amounts to nearly $50 square
miles.
Despite the excellent natural facili-
ties offered by the basin, the storage
has been but imperfectly developed,
and that controlled is not employed in
the manner most favorable to water
power interests. There is a natural
conflict in this matter. For the pur-
poses of log driving it is desirable to
open the gates at the lakes in the
spring and early summer, when the
normal flow of the stream is already
large. so as to flush the logs down to
the mills, while the economical use of
stored water for power requires it to be
held back in the lakes until midsunl-
mer and gradually down from that
time through the fall and winter.
Moosehead Lake fills during the Win
ter and spring largely, with the melt
ing of the snow, the last of which is
usually wasted and forms part of the