Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-08-07
JUDGE PETERS MEETING THE
VOTERS OF KENNEBEC COUNTY,
individuals Of the Three Parties Pledge Their
Support to the Candidate Who Stands
For Names Best Interests.

The morning was superb with hard
ly cloud in the clear blue sky and
dsliciously cool.
Judge Peters and the Journal Trav-
eher. after breakfast 4 boarded, al
Watervillen d streets car for Oakland
and began the days work with this
pleasant trip through the beautiful
suburbs of Waterville. which are rap
idly filling the former pastures and
fields with handsome homes of pros
perous citizens. Past Mt. Merici Will
its convent and extensive orchard. and
the big fair grounds of Central Maine
Park, through needle-carpeted groves
of pine, past inviting Cascade Park
and twice crossing the winding Mess
alonskee. q half hours ride brought
us q view from the forest-shaded hill
above. of the long stretched out town
of Oakland, in the valley below with
it's background of evergreen hills.
Colonel VIM. Aver of the Aver &
Dunn Edge Tool Company, a man of
iron energy, a typical specimen of the
able manhood of Central Maine who
served on the staff of Governor Hill
and is now working on the State road
commission for better roads for Maine,
met us, with his customary cordialty.
and gave us at once an introduction
to one Of the chief sources of Oak
lands great prosperity. the great tool
factories along the tumbling falls of
the Massachusetts Within 80 miles
this little tributary of the Kennebec
produces around $4,000 II. p. and at
the tool factories rushes down over
nf
gorge that looks as if some Titan had
cleft the solid rock with a migftier
axe than any of the hundreds of
thousands this well known company
has produced.
Some of the shops were closed for
the annual vacation but, in the axe
factory. Judge Peters and the Jour
nal man were shown the process of
manufacture from the placing of the
bar of steel into the fiery furnace
to the hanging of the polished axe
upon the racks. Not Il motion lost
remarked Judge Peters. as We watch
ed the men and power trip hammers
pounding the glowing steel.
The big machines, that pound and
cut the axes, some of them, cost from
$1,000 to $4,000 each.
Almost all the fire axes used in New
York City are made here and lots
of 5000 for one company in Michigan
are here made. The western axes are
double. Those for the Maine lumber
camps are single edged affairs. The
works date back to 1887.
Most of the men in these shops
are natives of Central Maine, half of
school fellows of the Colonel's. They.
receive good pay and 1--we in tidy
homes near the shop on the main
street of the town. They are intel
ligent. thrifty men and it was with
greatest interest and respect for their
opinions that Judge Peters had brief
interviews on the politics of the cam
paign with various artisans.
The men liked the personality of
Speaker Peters and Speaker Peters
later spoke in high terms of his new
friends. He left, encouraged to expect
that with such mems support, Oakland.
in September. will give him bully
good vote.
There are $50 voters in Oakland.
which has a population of around
5000 and growing rapidly since it be
came the southern terminal of the
Somerset r. r.. or the junction with
Nc r. r.. which owns it now. BY
the way. Col Aver had much to do
with building this important road.
which was born and made success
in and worked and sold from his Oh
fees The Colonel studied engineering
at Tufts He was one of the chef
owners of the road and built ii to de-
velop the. lumber possibilities of the
north woods.
In Oakland are two woolen mills. the
Cascade and Oakland.
The Smith Lumber and Broom fac
tory has Just begun work and Will
eat up 900 it, of lumber a day. re-
cciving it over the Somerset road. It's
a regular Cunarder of Il mill with foui
big smoke stacks, suggesting that idea.
1t will employ 10G men and near it the
Forester Mfg. Co, now having It's
machines installed. is the biggest
toothpick factory in the world. 1t will
employ 100 hands, % per cent. pelhe
girls. Moreover the Somerset repair
shop is here.
Judge Peters met many men III OAK
land. Heading men of business agreed
that it would be unfortunate, were tht
district. to send Democrat to Con
gress.
Oakland is manufacturing centre