Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-11-06
SKOWHECAN.

The construction work of Road
Commissioner Edgar L. Ford was
practically closed. Saturday, with the
completion of the Allen Farm bridge
on the Middle road for which the aput-
ments were rebuilt. MIR. Ford has car
ried out several quite extensive i'm
provcments, this season. The largest
was the laying of $50 feet of Sineh
tile sewer in the bottom of 1O-foot
trench through Crossing and Railroad
streets. this job being done for less
than The civil engineers estimate
Along the river bank below the Great
Eddy 5000 feet of sand clay State ROAD
were constructed with an additional
600 feet to use up the unexpended APP
propria ton. That kind of road con-
struetion is new for this section but
has proven very satisfactory. Mr.
Ford thinks it would be still better
with q surface treatment of crude
oil such as is used in other states.
This would Keep the grass and weeds
from growing on the shoulders of the
road and make it easier to keep in
shape. Among the other fairly large
pieces of construction We're: Macada-
mixing Of North street from Water to
High; blowing and shaping the sand
clay road for mile on the Malbon's
Mills pike; SEQ feet of sidewalk on
Madison avenhe: cutting the brush
out of two miles of the Notch road
With the re- building of the Allen farm
bridge Mr.. Ford says all but three of
the towns bridges are in excellent re-
pair Next year the Richardson bridge
over Carrabassett stream should be
replaced with steel structure; the
ahutmcnts of another bridge in East
Skowhegan rebuilt; and an entire
new bridge built to replace the one
over Geld brook at Malbon's Mills
THAI will take care Of all the bridge
work in prospect for term of years
Nine hundred tons of rock have been
crushed at the plant on Hathaway
street, this summer.
The ealabash, gourd native to
South Africa, which in this country Is
used for making pipes, is the latest
thing to be raised in Skowhegan. Fred
Avery of Buh street is the first TO
introduce the calabash here and his
products can be seen in his show Win
dow on Water street AS the duty on
the calabash brought from Africa is
so per cent. the United States govern
mert is trying to introduce its culture
here and it was from Washington that
Mr.. Avery got his seed. He planted
about a dozen and in one hill raised
two vigorous vines. His gourds We're
all right in texture and color, but
lacked the best shape. Tobacco fam
ciers pay all the way from Is cents to
SEE fer the finished pipe, depending o.
shape and trimmings. The highest |
quality gourds are fitted with amber |
stems, meerschaum bowls and gold
Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Crowell and Mr.. |
and Mrs. Richard Harris passed Sat
ureay and Sunday in Brooks, the guest j
of Mr. Crowells father. Isaiah Crow
ell. They made the trip in Mr.. Crowel's
The continued drought in this coun-
ty and especially in Skowhegan is be-
a most serious difficulty. Wells
are going dry every day, many of them
that were never known to go dry be-
fore. The people on the Plains are suf
fering greatly. This is a section that
has recently been built up and the ia
c:lities for getting water are very
meager Some have to go a distance of
two miles TO get drinking water. There |
s no city water I'm most of the places
md the matter is becoming serious.
rhe last few rains have not affected
he wells and unless more comes be-
ore the ground freezes it is feared dis
ase will be prevalent.