Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-07-09
Uncle Sam Explores Penobscot Bay.

The Penobscot Bay region. because
of its great scenic beauty. it's cool
summer climate, and it's many bays
and inlets. which afford safe harbors
and protected sailing, has become one
of the most popular summer resorts in
America. The biologists of the
United States Geological Survey, how
ever, have visited it as matter of
duty, not pleasure, and result OF
their work has just appeared as folio
149 of the Geologic Atlas of the United
States, called the Penobscot Bay folio.
The area mapped ana described IN
this folio comprises S51 square miles,
about one-half Of which is water.
Two thirds of the land surface of this
quadrangle belongs to the mainland,
the remaining third consisting of
many islands, of various sizes, rang
ing from rocky points barely visible
above high water to areas many miles
in extent. Deer Isle, Vinalhaven,
N.rth Haven. Isle au Haut. and Isles
boro are the largest. The largest
town in the area is Belfast, but Cas-
tine, Deer Isle, Dark Harbor, and
North Haven are favorite places Of
resort and recreation.
The folio is the work of George Otis
Smith Maine man who is now the
and c. w. Brown. 1t is the first
Maine folio published by the Survey,
and the second New England folio.
and represents cooperative work be-
tween the Federal Survey and the
Maine State Survey commission. The
folio consists of II pages of text
describing the topography, geology,
and mineral resources of the quad
rangle, with detailed Photographic
descriptions of the rocks, and three
maps showing the topography and
geology.
Many Of the summer sojourners in
these blessed isles may be surprised to
learn that this region was once the site
of volcanoes, but the volcanic rocks
examined and identified leave no
room for doubt on this point. Ages
later after the region had passed
through many vicissitudes. related in
this folio. it was overridden by the ice
of the glacial epoch, which has
scratched and scored the rocks in
many places and left additional re-
cords in the form of glacial deposits.
OF the mineral resources of the
quadrangle, which are described in
detail, granite is by far the most valu-
able The State of Maine ranks third
i'm the list of granite-producing States
of the Union, and of its total prOduc.
ton the quarries of the PenObscot Bay
quadrangle furnish nearly one-third
Tn, importance of this industry to the
community is not. however, eXpresse.
by the mere statement of annual pro
duction: it is necessary to add tina
labor receives so per cent of the value
of the stone quarried. The most notable
uuarries are in the vicinity of Stoning
ton and Vinalhaven, and several o
them doubtless rank as the largest il
the United States. The Topographic
form of the coast greatly facilitates
quarrying operations, and the cost o
transportation is reduced to
minimum by the fact that deep waite
channels suitable for the largest coast
| ing vessels extend to the very edges o
| the quarrics, so that immense block
| the vessels that take them to tn
great cities of the Atlantic coast.
Clay used in the manufacture o
| common bricks Is found at numbe
Of places. and shares with granite tn
commercial advantage of proximity t
the coast. It's quality, abundance. an
favorable situation would seem t
Justify a more extensive development
| Nearly a generation ago cope
mines were operated in Bluehill an
BROWNSVILLE. and the ruins Of shat
houses, mills, and smelters mark tn
sites of this activity and indicate tn
| scale on which the mining was con
Quoted. A renewal of this work
now projected. The water supply G
the Penobscot Bay region is derive
almost entirely from undergrOun
sources. which are discussed at lengt
in this folio.
The Canadian and American Market
Perhaps the Journal would cxplai
| Ia tn