Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-08

now located, has rushed down the
valley Of the Androscoggin and
made the city of Lewiston. con-
tributing and perpetuatinS and
making fixed and permanent her
prosperity. On the water, as now
stored. in wet seasons and dry
seasons other great manufacturing CEN
tiers have grown up even beyond the
dream of their most sanguine promoters.
Berlin Falls, Rumford Falls. Livermorc
Falls are thriving and prosperous.
But Mr.. White. the treasurer of tho
Union Water Power Company. in a COM
munication ID the Lewiston Journal OF
Monday last. said that they needed
supply for a few weeks in the winter
months. net every year perhaps. but ev-
cry few years. and that their need was
no trifiing handicap to the mills" and
in that article he tells of the various
expedients that were studied by their
engineers but which were dismissed
as not practical or nable"-couldn't
be done or cost too much.
But. gtntl. men. did h. say that the3;
had exhausted their storage powers in
that Rangriy Lake r, @!on. WHY did he
not canvass the practical question Of
storage in the valley Of the Magallowav
has been planning TO create additional
and supplementary storage. till this pro-
ject of lowering the outlets. which was
cheaper. was ventured upon?
The Senate may recall that the Magal-
loway is a river flowing into the I'm
bagog lake, the last and lowest of tn"
Rangcleys, the immediate source of the
Androscoggin river, and that in this val
ley abovc all settlements of the Masallo-
way and Lincoln plantations is a mag
nificent natural storage basin requiring
only dam at the falls of AZiscoos. |
say. gentlemen. it has for years been
planned by tie directors OF this com.
pany to utilize this power and l was
told by IepreSe sentative of these great
companies only the other day a man
high in the confidence of that company.
Il man who knows the possibilities OF
that region, that The utilization of thai
opportunity for storage would furnish all
the water needed at any time of short
age in our dryest years. This same rep
reSentative further told me that it had
never been considered possible to get
from the State the right to dredge these
outlets. But here We have it. we ar,
face 10 face with the proposition in the
year 1907. 1t is cheaper. as the treas
urer of the power company. in his arti-
Gle. says. a dam at Aziscoos falls would
flow timber land, cause damage that
would be legal. This poor company with
his magnificent power falling from the
beautiful OQuossoc to its dams at Lew
iston cannot afford to develop other stor.
age. but comes here and asks of us to
imperil the summer interests of the whole
State. bound from their very nature to
last for all time, for the purpose Of saw
ing few paltry dollars.
The manufacturing interests Of the
State are great. They deserve we'll at
our hands The private corporations
contribute wonderfully to the prosperity
of the people: they deserve we'll at our
hands. The summer interests, as yet in
their infancy. are boundless in their pos
sibiities. Within the past few years the
tide of summer travel has turned RAPIDLY
here. The nervc-raclcd. the BRAIN worn
and the pleasure seekers of the nation
have sought rest. recreation and renewed
health and vigor in the region Of our
beautiful lakes. ill in summer months
our State has become the playground. thu
resting place of the nation. These Range
lev lakes now Surpass all other inland
lake resorts. and bid fair to become as
famous as those Of the Adirondacks. OK
ceiling as they do in beauty of surround
ings the far famous Trossacks and the
Lakes of Killarney.
These business corporations. these sum
mer interests. each have their specia!
light The one should not be allowed to
encroach upon or jeoprrdize the other.
Now. whether the granting of this bill
would destroy the scenic beauty Of our
lakes. and I do not doubt that it would
whether the granting of the bill will
cause the destruction Of the fish in the
lakes. and the authorities on fish culture
say tina tit would. whether the granting
of this Hi will damage and inj,Ire and
possibly wipe out all individual interests
about these lakes. I do not propose II
discuss. No one knows: no one can
know. The lakes may fill up. if drawn
down: they may not One thing, how
ever. is certain, is slre If we do not
grant this bill. if We do not orcn this
door Their We may be s;lre then we may
know that all interests are safe. We
must take no chances
1f the manufacturing Industries ara
suffering. 1T the Union Water Powe.
Company develop and exhaust the stor-
age resources of the Magaloway river.
even though it costs n hundred or two
hundred thousand dollars. let them con-
struct the dam at the Pcnd-n- the River
and thus save and conserve the waters
of the Richardson lakes to what extern
they can. and they will have no cause to
complain Of short water for wears TO
come.
TO my county and the county Of Frank
line. in which these lakes are situated.
this is the most momertous and far
reaching proposition that has come be-
fore the Legislature in the history of
the State. TO the whole State it Is a
proposition that ovcrshadows and OBJ
scures all Others presented at this Leg
islatGre- 1t is a step which. If taken.
nav cost us our property; it is a step
which We can never retrace
This is a contest on one sid cot which,
arH the private interests with their force
Of trained and Skilled ioIl,,;-.- ~, ~