The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1908-03-26
Undeveloped Power on the
KennekeC.

For nearly two weeks a dozen ex-
pert mill engineers have been inves-
tigating the water power of the East
branch of the Kennebec river. The
opinion of these engineers appears to
be that there is not so much power
distributed in the same distance any
where AS that which lays in the stream
between the outlet of Moosehead lake
and the confluence of the East branch
and Dead River at The Forks, unless
the exception be in some of the can
yons of the Far West. The "Head"
or fall between the two points named
aggregates 504 feet and the major
portion of this is said to lie in the
first Is miles of the % miles of dis
lance between the two points.
Moosehead lake has two outlets each
not far from the other and these
traverse the section laying between
the big lake and Indian pond nearly
in the form of parallelogram, enter
ing Indian pond near it's head. The
shores are for the most part of solid
ledge, high in some places and low in
other places. IL so happens that at
points where the powers would be
developed the best opportunities are
offered for mill construction.
Both outlet streams provide good
water powers but the east or main
outlet affords the best of the two. All
along from the big dam of the lake to
Ledge falls where the water precipi-
tation is 40 feet, there is abundant
power and numerous situations back
ed by the main body of the lake.
Moosehead lake contains 100 square
miles of area. Indian pond, 10 miles
down the east branch is nine miles
long and averages a mile in width.
The drop from the face of the dam
at the big lake to the foot of the dam
at Indian pond about 80 feet. From
this point down the river for four
miles the shores are ledge, very high
on both sides, and there is a drop of
1870 feet in the distance given. s. W.
Philbrick of Skowhegan, the Coburn
heirs and one or two small holders,
own the land on the north side for
this distance. On the south shore,
for this stretch of four miles the land
is owned by w. d. Snow of Skowhe-
gan and Geo. and Chas. Gray of
Gardiner. Moxie stream enters the
I
ing from Moxie lake, nine miles long
and half mile wide. At a point on
the stream, almost within stones
throw of the east branch, the stream
takes sheer dip over Moxie falls a
distance of 80 feet.
From statistics of manufacture and
water powers now being utilized in
this State, the engineers who are here
are satisfied that there is power easily
available between Moosehead lake
and The Forks to drive all the mills
now in operation in the State and
then there would be power to spare.
The power privileges along the East
branch may be easily developed as
they lay in natural positions and
could not have been laid out by a
human engineer with better fitness
/ for Improvement and advantage.
1t may be well to explain that the
East branch, so called by the report
of the scouts and engineers of Ar
nold's army, is really the main river
of the Kennebeo. The river makes
pretty sharp turn at The Forks and
its course is then nearly directly
northeast and, the stream being much
narrower than Dead river. was easily
mistaken for a branch of the latter
river rather than main river itself.
Judge Hale of the United States
district court at Portland will listen
May 20 to the arguments on a motion
! for new trial in the case of George
Fred Terry and Harry w. Bosnian,
both of Waterville, who were con-
victed at the recent session of the
court of an attempt to defraud the
United States by misrepresenting the
number of sample copies of Sawyer's
Magazine sent out at the Waterville
postoffice. Terry was the treasurer
and general manager of the com
pany, and Bosnian was clerk in the
postoffice. The indictment was for
conspiracy, and the case was worked
up by Inspector w. B. Robinson of
Boston
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sal -. L.,