Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-04-17
Exciting Times at South
Gardiner on Friday
pslveen Employees Of The Ice
and Lumber Companies.
Attempt to Block Up Slip Over Which
Logs Reach Lumber Mill.

South Gardiner Me, April 16--(Spe-
ciaD.-There was almost a riot in the
usually quiet little village of South
Gardiner this morning. caused by the
attempt of employees Of the American
lee Co. to block up the slip over which
the South Gardiner Lumber Co. car
riAs its logs to the mill. The trouble
began about 1890 this forenoon and
continued until S O'Clock this afternoon
and at nghtfan the opposing crews
had suspended operations. but both
properties were being guarded await
ing what might develop tomorrow. AS
fast ae any obstacles were thrown IN
10 the water by the American Ice co.
crew for the purpose of blocking up
the slip just so fast the crew oi the
South Gardiner Lumber Co. would
throw them out and in the meantime
another crew Of the South Gardiner
Lumber co. was urged forward in the
work Of placing a boom and filling 1t
with logs in front Of the slip 50 as to
nrnyent the Ice Co. crew from filing up
the channel
The property Of the American Ice Co
at South Gardiner is located Just h'rth
Of that of the South Gardiner Lumber
Go. When the min at South Gardner
was built by the Bradstrect LUMBER
CO. the slip was extended up the river
and in front Of the property OF the
American Ice Co., then owned by the
Great Falls Ice Co. 1t seems that an
agreement was made between these
two companies so that in summer
when the mill was operated logs could
he doomed and run down in front or
the ice houses into the mill and in the
winter in exchange for this courtesy
the Ice Co. could cut the ice in front
of the steam mill.
About a year ago the American Ice
Cos. houses at this place burned ana
the property has been unused ana UNI
occupied ever since. While the South
Gardiner Lumber Co. has operated lts
mill it has paid rental OF 81 a DAY
during the summer for the privilege OF
floating the logs by the Ice COS. prop
erty to their slip. 1t is alleged that the
Ice Co. has been very DESTROYS this
year Of selling this property to the
south Gardiner Lumber Co. and those
connected with the Lumber Co. have
been inclined to think that this desire
was fosterad because the South Gardl-
ner Lumber Co. saw the danger In the
near future of being unable to operate
their mill with the high price of logs
and the difficulty of obtaining them at
this point.
However that may be, the South
Gardiner Lumber Co. apparently did
net wish to put out several thousand
dollars in buying land which was like
" to be practically useless to them
with the present outlook of the lum-
berinc business for the mill. So they
offered to rent or lease the privilege of
floating their logs by the Ice Co. prop
erty This the Ice Co. management
was unwilling to do and so matters
came to crisis.
This morning a crew was ordered to
throw the rocks from one of the piers
Of the American Ice Co in front of the
Lumber Cos. slip. Daniel Longfellow,
treasurer of the South Gardiner Lum-
Der Co. protested against this work,
becauee of the impossibility of getting
the logs into the mill over this obsta-
Gle When protests were useless, Mr..
Longfellow ordered his crew from the
mill to prevent the wOrkmen from the
American Ice Co. from carrying out
their plans. The temper OF the men
was such that had they not been eau
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