The Republican journal., 1915-03-04
The Georges Canal.

The Georges Canal.
An Old Time Enterprise that Ended In
Failure.
fRocxland Opinion.]
A Union correspondent has furnished
US with the story of an enterprise that
will have passed from the recollection OF
all but the Oldest citizens and OF which
few in the younger generation have ever
heard. Time has doubtless obliterated
most of the marks by which !. could be
traced and the wonder today is that peo-
pie could ever have been so optimistic as
| to suppose that it would succeed.
| The story is that, sometime in the for
| ties, charter was obtained to construct
canal from the tide waters at Warren
| to the Georges pond in the town OF Liber-
| ty. The corporation was known as The
Georges Canal Company. The capital
stock was $50, 900, which seemed large
sum at that time and divided into shares
of fifty dollars each, the stockholders
then being holden for double the amount
of each share subscribed.
Deep interest was shown all along the
line. AS many citizens Of Thomaston
| We're then engaged in the lime business,
on account of the cheaper and more plen-
tiful supply of kiln wood the canal would
give them. The usual enthusiastic meet
ings were held in the different towns, at
which addresses arguments and elo-
quence were in evidence, some of which
gave rise to considerable mirth. For ex-
ample, one ardent speaker, having clos
ed his address, arose and Informed the
meeting of another use for the can al,
1.-The transportation of eggs" The egg
business, large as it is today, was then
confined to farmers each keeping few
hens, so the ludicrous idea of shipping
eggs from the up-river towns to Thorn
aston, place then without railroad or
steamboat navigation, provoked amuse-
ment for many years.
Although the project was called ca
nal it was mainly the navigation of the
river by the aid of locks and dams. The
first work on the undertaking was the
removal of the rocks from the river be-
low Sennebec pond IN 1876. In the
spring of 1847 work on the canal COM
menced in good earnest from Warren to
Sennebec pond. There were six locks in
the town of Union. In going up the
stream the first was at the head of Sew
entree pond. From there it passed near
the present railroad station, around the
low lands to near Bessey's mills, crossing
the highway east of Fossett's store and
entering the river several rods above the
mills. A lock was situated little below
the road near where Mr.. Fossett's small
stable now stands. The next lock and
dam was nearly opposite the residence
of A. A. Carter, on lands now owned by
Mrs. Shaw. This dam took the boats to
two locks that were little south and
west of the stave mill at Hills mills.
The other dam and lock were Guilt
very nearly on the spot where the new
concrete dam now stands. This dam
flowed Sennebec pond and finished the
work for that year.
| In 1848 the work was continued to
| treshet the following spring carried
away the dam at Dyer's Mills, now
Client, making the work useless above
that point.
The first boat to pass the locks was
General Knox" in November or De-
cember, 1S47, loaded with kiln wood.
The following spring, Capt. George Dow
of Thomaston with steamboat, sailed
up the canal far as Sennebec pond, Re-
mark able as it may seem today. steam
boat has sailed up and down between Mr..
Fossett's store and Mrs. Morse's dwell
ing house. The northern terminal of the
Georges Valley Railroad is in the bed of
the old canal. The steamboat enter
prise was not a success. The principal
business of the canal was transporting
lumber for shipbuilding purposes and
wood, mainly kiln wood. The boats
were propelled by the use of set poles,
usually by two men on each side, walk
ing back and forth on the gunwales.
Some of the boats had square sails
which, if the wind was favorable, could
! be used to advantage on the ponds and
some parts of the river. AS there were
bridges to pass, the masts must be low
cred, so the advantage of the sail was
not great. The last use of the canal, as
such, was in 1854.
The enterprise was stupendous fail
ure. The capital stock was not half suf-
ficient for the work and the stockhold-
ers were compelled to pay double the
amount they subscribed for. The flow
age and other land damage was never
paid. The contractors and those fur
nishing material lost heavily. Learning,
it was said, that the canal could not be
sold, its tolls for series of years were
advertised for sale. 1t is quite safe to
say nothing was received from that
source. No one dared to own the ele-
plant. Not dollar was ever paid for
lockage; each boat carried wrench with
which they locked themselves through.
A laughing stock of that day is now
nearly forgotten.