Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-05-05
Plans for Deepening
Channel to Augusta.
Maj. Black, Engineer, Here TO
Consult Those interested.
Congress Has Appropriated $4,000 to Be
Used on The Work,

udy. in connection with the work to b.
done in improving the channel of tn,
| kCnneboc between Gardner and Au
| %usta. With him was 4. G.. Both. AS
siStant engineer, ANA with a party O
gentlemen Interested in log drivin:
operations and shipping on the rive
they made careful INSPECTION of tn,
river between the two cities hayin.
Haitr u!arly in mind .he selection O
suitable places for dumping the sedi
ncnt to be drcdced :rnm the bottom o
ne channel. The party included F. 4;
''ridstreet of Gardiner. president o.
the kennebec Log Driving Company. :
W. Philbrick of Skowhegan, treasurer
IF the company; F. f. Boston, of Gardi.
FER, a director of the company; L. c
Cornish, Esq, Of this city, the com.
pany's attorney; L. c. Ballard of Gardi-
nor, representing the American Ice
company; Capt. Dinglcy of Gardiner
representing the Kennebec Steam Tow
age company, and a Journal represen-
tative.
Boarding the little steamer, Lizzie M
Snow. Capt. Westman. at the Augusta
wharf. the party spant several hours
upon the river. the main purpose being
the attempt to select places for dump
ing the dredGed matter SO as to inter-
fore as little AS possible with the booms
of the log driving company, and par
ticularly the main storage boom al
Hallowell. When the last work of this
KIND was done upon the river channel
about 10 years ago, considerable fric-
tion developed between the contrac tors
ana the owners of the EOOmS, and the
Work was stopped oy the government
Ihere is the certainty. however, of a
perfect understanding beng reached at
TINS time. since Ma or Hack, who is
!lrectiy in charge IF letting the con-
tract FOR the work. is determined to see
mat the rights Of all parties are re-
5pected. The conference. yesterday.
was wholly satisfactory to all con-
'crned. Major Black is a delightful
man to meet, and all were much i'm
dressed by his courteous and consid-
rate manner and his thorough UNDER
Standing of the work to he done.
The sum available for the work is
*sl.0oO appropriated by Congress
through the efforts of Congressman
Burleigh. The appropriation was
made by the last Congress, but the
work has not yet been pushed, chief
ly. 1t is said owing to the fact that the
bids handed in by the contractors
were higher than the government
cared to accept. 1t is now understood
that Major Black will call for new bids
1T once and it is hoped the work may
be begun, this summer, though it may
take two seasons to complete it. The
specifications call for a channel of II
feet at high water from Gardiner to
Augusta. The present channel is
from 10 to IL feet. The deeper chan
mel is much needed, not so much to AL
low larger vessels to come to this port
us to make the channel safer and more
convenient for those of the size which
now bring coal here and take away ice
and lumber. The last work was done.
10 years ago, and in the meantime the
channel has become more shoal in
places on account of the shifting sedi-
ment washed down in the frcshets
The survey for the work now proposed
was made in 1899. but for various rea-
sons the work has not yet been carried
out.
The problem Of where to dump the
mud and rocks scOopcd up from the
bottom of the channel by the big
drcdges is one Of the most important
in connection with the work. 1t must
not be dumped where the high water
Of the following spring will wash it
back into the channel again yet it
must be dumped in water deep enough
to allow the passage of the scOws en-
ployed in the work. The kind of
dredgc such as would be used on the
work here digs up about 1000 cubic
Yards daily. The best place for
dumping is close to the shore of a pro-
tected cove which has a sandy shore
where vegetation. and particularly the
willow. grows. 1t would be folly to
DUNN the mud beside an exposed
rocky shore which is washed clean by
every frestat. II often happens that
the shore owners object and although
the government has absolute rights in
the matter it does not insist upon them
but crefers to please everybody if pos
sihle. 1t happens that the neighbour
hood of the storage boom of the Ken
ncbec Log Driving Company at HnlIo-
vol is particularly desirable rs a
dunning ground but it is not ut all
fore with the rights of the company or
mt IL to needless expense in handling
its logs.
Major william NJ. Black of the en-
.;ncering CORPS of the army. under
,ubose direction the work will be done.
4 one of the hest known and most OK
nerienced officers in his branch Of the
service. He WAS born in Pennsv!-
yania in 1855 and graduated from West
poin. in 1871. For time he was in
..r,,ctor at West Point and he has
,,.r;+ten several works Ilaon engineer
;na He was ii commissioner of the
n 's Of Cclurnbi6 for several years
Ia during the war with Spain was
a,,;af engineer in the brief campaign
=, porto Rico. Later he was with
rareraI Leonard Wood in Cuba and
w. in charge of the extensive engi-
Serns ore1at0" ses sn'F's sa,t Gn at Ha
-,t,.,pd but a short time.