Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-19

OK team, and this road which was cut
through. leading over Kent's Hill and
going through at@.the foot of Kent's.
Hill shortened that road for hauling
provisions by OK team, avoiding the
hill.
: Now, gentlemen, there isn't a house
on that road in the town of Readfield,
and as a matter of fact by actual
measurement 1t is just COS feet further
to ga over tISent's. Hill with Your au-'
tomobile than ii is. 10 go over this road
Now, remember that, just sos feet fur
Their. This water power company has
the right of fiowage, q right which
they purchased away back in the year
1904; and when six or eight years ago
they frightened the. dam there, little
stream which was only a thread in the
SUMMER time became quite a river, so
much so in fact that from the time the
pond opened up in the spring of the
year the water flowed over this road
10 depth of from six to Is inches, and
that condition continued for about
three months of the year That power
company has not utilized the dam to
its full extent, and they can put on
other boards in their raeeway which
will raise the water another foot and
in case that were done the water over
this road would be raised another foot.
This the town of Readfield cannot
control because this power company
has the right of fiowage there.
On this road there Is a bridge s25
feet long, between the rails it is from
IL to ID feet in width. and at the re-
mote end the widest distance in one
place is Is feet and four inches. This
bridge is made up of old stones that
were hauled in there and dumped
away back when this road was laid
out lit is not a bridge like the modern
steel bridge, or one with stringerss or,
anything like that, and the travelled
part of the road on this bridge is not
over eight or nine feet wide, because
these rocks have tumbled down from
each side so that the travelled part of
the road that remains is very narrow.
There are 1S,cuiyerts on this road, and
in the springtime the water backs
through these culverts and comes
down on the opposite side, so that the
wrought or travelled part of the road
there is very narrow. and if any au-
tomobiIe were passing through and
dlltllpl " III Qut ~ WoaAt
get stranded, and two heavy teams in
many places on this road would be
stranded. Now, owing 10 the fact that
the water flows across there, it is ex-
itremely hard to keep the road in prop
er condition. 1t has been said that the
town of Readfield wanted to close
that road to prevent the repairing of
it, That is absolutely wrong, because
in the last few years on that i S-5
miles of road from $50 to $500 has
been expended each year to try and
keep it in repair on account of this
water over which we have no control
whatever.
This matter does not accommodate
the town of Readfield at all. AS /
said, this road was laid out at the re-
quest of these people in Franklin coun-
ty, and the road is used largely by
people from that section of the State;
and so we felt that we were willing to
have this road opened for travel if the
State which it benefits would pay a
part of the cost. We had the highway
commissioner. Mr.. Harrison, out there.
and they made a very careful survey
of THIS road; they also tried to lay out
another road to get rid of this long
bridge, but the highway department
said it would cost at least $4,000 to put
that road in good shape. and it would
be mere expensive TO make road out
around and avoid the bridge. For that
reason, we have put in a resolve ask
ing for $500, which is one-half of the
estimated cost-and usually in those
eases the estimate calls for considefa-
bly less, than the actual eoSt-and the
town of Readfield viii bear the other
half OF the expense.
Mr.. Speaker and gentlemen. have
asked for this matter to be tabled,