Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-09-23

nearly 20 years ago and here, too, in
earlier years he shot other caribou
and deer. Now the island is a nude
patch on the deadwater's surface.
The old Seboomook dam is a relic
of bygone numbering days and ways.
1t was erected at the time when
Names -eminence was due to the
magnitude of its lumber industry,
long before paper making began its
revolutionary overthrow of the old
methods. Then Bangor was the Sec
ond greatest lumber market in the
world. Today the Penobscot river
mills, with one or two exceptions, are
but memories and the Bangor lum
er-carrying fleet has vanished. leav
ing long lines of empty wharves from
which, in the old times, millions of
feet of the product of these mills were
shipped each year.
An interesting reference is made to
the changed conditions in a recently
issued Geological Survey report on the
water resources of the Penobseot ba-
sim "Of the 40 billion cubic feet OF
storage" says this report. afforded
by the dams in the Penobscot basin
for which data are available, only
West Branch-is operated with any
approach to efficiency as regards the
use of water fer power development,
and even on the West Branch the pre-
dominance of the g-driving interests
during certain months of the wear
causes considerable waste of water.
I'm the past log driving and lum-
bering have been the greatest import
ance, but the constantly growing pow
err interests require much more eco
nomical use of water than is neces-
sary in log driving The present dam
should be kept tight and in good re-
pair ard care should be taken not TO
waste water either in log driving o.
by careless handling OF gates. system
attic efforts should be made to keep ali
reservoirs as full and To retain the
water as far upstream in the storage
system as possible. are in operation
with even the present reservoir sys-
tenn would greatly increase the value
of the power privileges. and the de-
yelopment of the additional storage
sites described would establish min
imum discharge limit that would
make the Penobscot one of the pest
power streams in the United states.
From the foregoing it will be seen
that the large timberlana interests are
adopting the most modern and scien-
tific measures for the conservation OF
the Penobscot waters. In so doing
they are affording another object les
son of the Importance of ettlcIehcy
principles in the conduct OF big enter
prises. In the case of the Sepoo-
nook Falls development IT Will mean
greatly added facilities for sending
the annual 'log-cu down the Penop-
scot: it will be protection against
the possibility of the drives being hung
IN for lack of sufficient pitch of wa
ter in the West Branch and there VIII
no small chance of extreme low water
at power sites
The paramount importane OF the
great new lake, from the Great North
era's viewpoint, is that it viii aIoIa
ample f1owage over Sebcomock rapids
to carry the logs. which will be lana-
ed on the banks of the West Brahch
from numbering camps lar into the m
terror and extending to the Canaolah
boundary down the Penobscot to the
gigantic pulp and paper plant at Mil
linocket.
When the dam is completed i VIII
also serve as a bridge connecting the
road now running from Sehoomook
with a new forest thoroughfare which
viii be constructed on the other sue
ard which will penetrate the timber
lands for a distance approaching 90
miles. The road is to be of the same
tvpe of thoroughfore as the eXceiieht
strin from SehoomoolS to the fails now
in ,ise over this new road the traction
| engines and fCur-horse teams VIII
bring supplies to the various camps
and will haul logs from of stream
wards to the landing, as on the West
branch. The three miles of this THOR
t,ighfare already in use cost upwards
of 10000 This will show what o-e
outlay will be to complete the h'sh-
wav. Who knows but that the Sepoo-
nook Speedway may be lure TO at
tract motorists to Moosehead shores IN
+ba wears close bNi