The Republican journal., 1907-02-14

woodsmen, it would require cut OF
from 100000 to 100, 100000 feet an
nually to remove what logs are now
standing. After that the tract would
cut from 5U,OOO,0OO0 to 100000 feet
each year forever, the annual growth
equalling the cut.
The Allegash is about 100 miles long,
and from Chamberlain Lake to its
mouth it falls 3Os feet, an average of
almost four feet to the mile. Its water
storage is ample, including about 127
miles of lake surface. 1t is estimated
that five dams on the main river would
yield 35, 600 horse power, or, if the water
of Chamberlain Lake were added, about
5O,000-horse power for every - hours
working day in the year.
In the entire St. John river system
of Maine, that is, on waters flowing to
the north, it is estimated that there are
now standing 6,942 900, 900 feet of spruce,
427, 100000 feet of pine and 1880, 100000
feet of cedar
/ With trunk line available scores of
, lumber spurs can be built into the tim
berlands in any direction and reach
vast tracts of virgin forest which other
wise would stand and fall for centuries
to come utterly useless.
SCORES OF WATER POWERS.
There are of course many thousands
of acres of timber land to the south of
the AIlegash which will be made avail
able
Next in Importance to the proposed
outlet of the vast Allegash forests are
the scores Of water powers which will
be available. There are many wild
wilderness streams known only to the
hunters, fishermen and trappers as good
places for sport, where thousands OF
horse power has been running to waste
for centuries. There's the great Ripo-
genus gorge, where for three miles the
waters OF Chesuncook surge and boil
with tremendous fury. How many hid
den sites for great power plants there
is problematical. When it is remem-
bered that the colossal power system
at Millnocket was discovered by an
and tedious surveys, it is safe to as
sumo that there are many more wait
ing in hiding.
1t will in time be a region Of great
pulp and paper mills. 1t cannot we'll
be otherwise. The demand for paper
is Unsuitable. The spruce is there and
the water power to grind it directly Or
by electric energy. Then there will be
the railroad to take the flushed pro-
duct to the seaport of Stockton or de-
liver it to the through rail lines of the
Maine Central or the Canadian Pacific
at the many junction points.
Mills mean men to operate them and
men make towns. There must be
stores to sell food and clothing. There
will be schools and churches where
there are people, all of which means
freight and passenger traffic. At the
very start there must be millions of
bricks, mountains of cement and thous-
ands of tons of iron machinery sent
north. There'll be busy times along
the river of steel.
There are many other propositions.
Along the line there is said to be
some of the finest farming land in the
State, rich meadows and intervaleS
only waiting for the ploW and seed to
bring forth abundance; thousands of
acres of available farm sites as promis-
ing as the best in the famous Aroos-
took.
FINEST HUNTING GROUNDS.
1t will bring the sportsmen to the fin
est hunting grounds i'll the country, op-
ening up new regions almost inacceSsi-
bic now. There's no danger of any one
railroad soaring the game all out of
the Maine woods. The frequency with
which deer and moose are seen from
trains, even run over by locomotives OH
the present lines of the B. & A indicate
that the "bullgine" has no great terrors
for them.
1t will be a moving farther back, pos
sibly, but there's plenty of room to
move. There will no doubt be great
hue and cry about this invasion of
Names great hunting grounds but
with wise game laws there'll be all the
game the present generation of sports
men can legally shoot, and there'll be
good hunting for their children and
their children's children.
To describe the present Bangor &
Aroostook system fancifully, it extends
over Northern Maine like hand.
The wrist and main arteries are the sea-
port outlet of Stockton and the allrail
transfer point at Bangor. The Dover
& Moosehead branch may be called a
thumb, the new Allegash branch will be
one finger with its tip at St. Francis on
the Canadian line. The Ashland
branch lays another finger tip on the
Canadian line at Fort Kent, only 16
miles down the river from st. Francis.