Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-03-19
water power
Of East Branch Of Ken
nebec Being Investigated.
Enormous Amount Of Available
Water Power Reported.
Not Exceeded Anywhere, Unless In
Some Far Western Canyon.

Moxie. Me, March 1S.-(SpeciaD-
For nearly two weeks a dozen expert
mill engineers have been investigating
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 anywhere as that
which lays in the stream between the
outlet of Moosehead lake and the con-
fiuence of the East branch and Dead
river at The Forks. unless the excep-
ton be in some of the canyons of the
Far West The Head" or fall between
the two points named aggregates 5O4
feet and the major portion of this is
said to lie in the first Is miles of the
SO miles of distance between the two
points. MooSehead lake has two out
let's each not far from the other and
these traverse the section laying be-
tween the big lake and Indian pond
nearly in the form of a paralelogram,
entering Indian pond near its head.
The shores are for the most part of
solid ledge, high in some places and
low in other places. 1t 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 out
let affords the best of the two. All
along from the big dam of the lake to
Ledge falls where. the water precipita-
ton is 40 feet nearly perpendicular,
i,a h,1n nt
situations backed by the main body of
the lake. Moosehead lake CONTAINS 120
suuaresmiles of area Indian pond, 70
miles down the east branch is nine
miles long and averages a mile in
width. The drop frOmi.the face of the
dafh at the big lake to the foot of .the
dam at Indian pond is 800 feet. TMoxie
stream enters the east branch below
Indian pond, issuing from MoXie lake,
nine miles long and a half mile wide.
At a point on the stream, almost With
in stones throw of the east branch,
the stream takes a sheer dip over
Moxie falls a distance of SO 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 are
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 we'll to explain that the
East branch, so called by the report
of the scouts and engineers of Arnold's
army. is really the m4Al Diver of the
Kennebec The river mikes a pretty
sharp turn at The Forkstand it's course
is then nearly directly northeast and.
the stream being much narrower than
Dead river, was easily mistaken for
branch of the latter river rather than
main river itself.
Government records indicate that
Arnold's scouts invaded the section
around The Forks and finding that the
eastern stream took such sharp curve
against the general course of the army
concluded that Dead river led to the
Canadian border and was the most di-
rect water route to Quebec, the objec
tive point of the army Had Arnold
dragged his boats over the same dis
lance on the east branch that he drag
ged them along Dead river. he would
have been on easy street as far as APP
preaching the Canadian border by wat
er was concerned, for. when he had
reached Moosehead lake he would have
been in a nearer direct line for Quebec
than when he reached Long falls on
Dead river.
At Moosehead lake he would have
been afforded easy water way lor
distance of 50 miles which includes but
two short distances-the longest less
than one mile-over which he would
have been obliged to carry his boats
Having reached the summit at Holeb
falls Arnold would have been afforded
still water to the border line at what
is now known as Lowelltown Gore.
Some students of history conclude
that when Col Bigelow was sent to
the top of the mountain whlch now
bears his name and which lies south
of Dead river. Arnold supposed ne was
on what is now known as Moose river
and that he was sufficiently near the
border to allow Col. Bigelow to look
over into Canada. The colonel might
easily enough, from the top of Mount
Bigelow, see where Canada lay but he
could not see Canada for the great
divide between Moose and Dead rivers
Law between he and the border and
Quebec, which Arnold really expected
Rieelow to discover was far away from
the border. Col Bigelow, however,
could look around him to the east and
the north and see where the greatest
amo,int Of power. in the shortest dis
lance, law and to the gentlemen who are
here investigating that power. it ap-
nears the strangest thing in the world
th,t the great strength of Moosehead
and its tributaries has not been ae-