Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-24

have reached Indian pond and there
are 200 men rushing the drive as fast
as possible, to get the logs down the
river before the time to commence
next seasons cutting.
There are 1883, 137 feet in the drive,
besides 100000 feet left over from last
year. There will be nearly 100000
feet left over this year. The drive will
be a month later going over Skowhe
gan falls this year than last
The number OF feet of logs cut this
year is: Moose river 52,007 ,020, Moose
head lake 29,287 .6Sl. East branch TO-
939. 1856, Main river 1691 ,2o6, Dead river
%, 04S, S45.
The raftmen's houses or house boats
are strung along the shore and some
are tastetully fitted up as my lady 5
parlor In the center Of the group Is
the mess house where the tables are
spread and the inner man is catered
To. and when the dinner horn sounds,
it is q more welcome music than any
SOLO that SouSa ever played. Beyond
| Halloweli one sees the beginning of the
| lee industry, the many vessels, bargeJ
and ships that are employed in trans
| portation. The old timer tells YOU
with a sigh of those days of golden
| promise way back in the ninetieS when
| many a poor man woke up in the
| morning and found himself a million
| aire. That was before the days OF
. trusts and when ice was worth
l 5ing's ransom. Some are still looking
or the pot Of gold at the foot of the
| ,ainbow. Ice will always have II
| steady sale and the Kenuebec ice the
| preference. At Gardiner We take on
| another consignment of pleasure seek
| 9rs. in fact, at every landing We have
| gathered them in ard all with that
| happy smile that will not rub Off
l Below the city proper and back from
4 he river front one sees the famous
| Robert Hallowell Gardiner estate with
| is close cropped lawn and hawthorn
| ledge and through the waving trees
| ne sees the stone mansion, the cas-
/ lie with its turrets and towers ivy
l eovered,-a bit of old England III
| New England setting. Below Gardiner
| he river broadens out like bay
| here are no marshy low lands, no
| lnsightly places along the shore To
| narr it's beauty. The river banks rise
gradually, sloping back from the riv-
l ~ front. the most fertile land in the
| world. The we'll kept farms, the graz
l ng lands that extend back as far as
he eye can see, all spell prosperity
IN the Dresden shore we'll hidden
l tmong the trees stands the old court
house. a link between the past and the
| PRESENT This old landmark was for
ears the county seat and all court
business was transacted within its
Il IN m pinlti0n
zee those old jurists in powdered wigs
1 md ermne melting out justice or IN
ustice to the offenders. Capt. Good
SIN who recently occupied this house
las preserved in the original state
1 many of the old relics and documents.
l At Richmond the river divides into
| wo channels, the eastern and western.
Between the two lies a little group
f islands known as the Swan Island
,roup. There are three,-Swan Island.
little swan and Spauldings Island
I rhe two latter have very little bearing
n this story. Swan Island is some
our miles in length and varies from
me half to one mile in width. rising
| approximately something like 100 feet
Il las a population of about so. As
l me views these pleasant scenes, the
title homes along the valley, the little
| hummer colony and the children at
,lav, one can hardly realize that this
vas once the stage setting fer fierce
/ indian outbreaks in the long ago, Tor
| history was made here when the sky
1 was red from the reflection of the
/ burning cabins of the early settlers,
| and the tomahawk and scalping knife
| we're the dreaded weapons in the hands
/ If the savages That was in the dead
l md musty past Those dreaded wea-
1 ,ons are ne more and the Indians live
n memory only. In the year 1850 the
l Indians raided Swan Island, captured
| The entire garrison stationed there,
l took the captives to Canada where
hey were sold into captivity to the
French. In l775 Arnold. he of the un-
savory reputation, sailed up the Ken
| nebec on his expedition to Canada. an
1 ,horcd his ships at the head of swan
1 island. SO tradition says. built bateaus
here and at Agry's point near Ran
| iolph, and proceeded to Canada by
| he way of Cushnoc, now Augusta
l One of the old landmarks ON the Is
l land is the summer home of DR.. h.
| C. Hebbard of Boston, who occupies
| the old Bumaresq house built some
time in 1900 1t is colonial in archi-
lecture. and although modernized by
| the doctor, is very little changed. Be
l low swan Island the waters of the
! Kennebec and the Androscoggin meet
| in Merrymeeting bay. The old Ken
l nebec has long since celebrated her
] golden wedding United to the Andro-
| scoggin with dusky Indian maidens as
| bridesmaids centuries ago The union
| has proven ttappy one and many
| small stream and bay has been raised
| as q result
Across MerrYmeeting bay with Its
swirling waters and through Burnt
Jacket Passage with it's boulderstud-
ded channel to the ship building city
| of the world, the music of the calking
hammer as they play rvthmic tune
| greete US as we sail past the ship
wards that line the water front. Bath
| 8 the birthplace of Uncle Sans navy,
the nucleus of her fighting strength.
| The Bath iron works immense plant
oh in