Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-03-06
Maine

all about Maine because II - Jul
home but do we all know that Maine
is 300 miles in length, 2S5 miles
wide and that its total area is 1886
square miles, of which $3.50 square
miles Is water. The direct length
of her coast line is ESQ miles. but its
irregularities make nearly an exact
measurement of $500 miles. Along
the coast are more than 400 islands.
This broken coast line and the many
islands is what makes Names shores
SO attractive to visitors. Maine has
1920 lakes besides multitude OF
ponds, her lakes are famous for their
extent and beauty. These lakes
form immense reservoirs which are
the source of the states water power
and have a combined water surface
of 5000 square miles.
A highland, really an extension of
the Appalachian Mountains extends
across Maine from southwest to
northeast, it gradually decreases in
altitude until near New Brunswick it
his a height of only 600 TT.
The western and northern portions
of the state have many mountain
peaks, altho apparently not connect
ed, belong to the White Mountains
1 SctChltlS I'D IL ANs LIZ AhS oASeS Va
the mountains in Maine is about
$500 SO. miles. Our highest, Katahdin
is 5248 it The other chief ones are
Mount Abraham, Saddleback. Bige-
low, Russell and Haystack. Somer-
set, Franklin and Piscataquis coun-
ties claim nearly all our mountains.
No other state in the union has so
many rivers and streams. Maine has
5,151 rivers and streams. of sufficient
size to be marked upon the state
map. We have the Saco As miles
long, fed by rs lakes. represents
17.493 horse power. The Andro-
scoggin, 157 miles long, fed by 14S
lakes and ponds represents $1,000
horse power. The Kennebec. 155
miles long, fed by 81 lakes and
ponds, representing 100000 horse
power. The Penobscot, 800 miles
long, fed by 467 lakes representing
at Bangor, $500 horse power. The
st. Croix, partly in New Brunswick,
81 miles long, fed by 81 lakes. The
ST. John total length 250 of which
211 is in Maine fed by 206 Maine
lakes. There are eight other rivers
fed by 31S lakes. These rivers and
lakes are nearly all stocked with fish
and well protected by our laws. -.
The surrounding country is well
supplied with sporting camps, and
tourists camping grounds. Several
new camping sites have been equip
ped with conveniences for the COM
fort of tourists and the safety of our
forests by the state, the past year.
We have an average of about AZ
inches of rain fall yearly, about ESQ
of this is reabsorbed by the atmos-
phere and about 16 percent pass of
by rivers. Our rainfall is very even
ly distributed over the state which
saves us from protracted droughts
such as affiict the treeless sections
of the West, and on the other hand
we are spared the devastating floods
suffered by other states. Cyclones,
waterspouts, whirlwinds and bliz-
yards, which man or beast cannot
face are unknown in Maine. The
humidity of our climate. The air on
an average being more than "a
saturated with moisture makes Maine
an ideal summer vacation land. AL
tho we have no valuable gold. silver
or coal mines, Maine is rich in
mineral deposits. We have traces OF
the precious metals in the central
parts. Copper has been mined in
Blue Hill by one of the largest min
ing concerns in America. Iron ores
have been worked with profit III
Piscataquis county. Lead has been
mined in Lubec. Zinc and copper are
also present there, and our granite is
famed all over the union. Maine
granite can be. seen in the most
stately and gorgeous buildings in all
the large cities of America.
Very fine marble is found on the
east branch of the Penobscot, Sand
stone for building purposes south OF
the Penobscot. A belt of slate many
townships wide run east from the
Kennebec. There are several quar-
ries of excellent felspar in different
sections of the state. The demand is
always greater than the supply SO
there is no difficulty in f1ndlng
market. Maine is usually nrst OF
second in the annual out put or pot
terry felspar. Mica is somewhat
scarce in this country and large
part of that used comes from india.
r. "a said by those competent to
Judge that mica taken from Hedge
Hog Mountain in Peru, Oxford Co, Is
superior to the India mineral. That
rare and precious stone the tourma-
line prized all over the world is
found in Maine. A deposit of the
green and red tourmaline unequaled
else where is found at Mt. Mica IN
the town of Paris. The quantity
seems to be inexhaustible and un-
riyaled in quality. 1t is said that
Knox County can supply the whole
world with lime for centuries 10
come. Maine has probably the larg-
est deposits of mo-lih- de-nun IN the
in the world, and Maine is also sup
nlied with abundance of clay ana
sand. A..
Maine has 81 mineral springs dis
covered and their virtues fully known
and several more not fully tested.
The sale of mineral water is classed
as one of our important industries.
one of Names beauty spots is
Lafayette National Park. The hrst
national monument east OF the
Mississippi on the Island of Mount
Desert. The only national park
bordering on the sea, 1t. contains
about 10000 acres, donated by the
owners to the government, TINS IN
cludes four lakes and ten mountains.
Within its confines are found more
varieties of plants than can be dupn-
Gated in any other similar area. IL
contains the first national plrd re-
serve east of the Mississippi.
Maine has two state hospllals 1or
the insane, one at Augusta the otner
at Bangor. A school for the feeble
minded at Pownal. The state school
for bows at South Portland, state
school for girls at Hallowell. Bath
Military and Naval Orphan asylum
at Bath, Maine school for the deaf at
Portland, three tuberculosis sana-
forums at Hebron, Fairfield and
Pressure Isle. Reformatory for men
at Windkam, reformatory for women
at Skowhegan. The Maine State
Prison at Thomaston. Protected
from all the extremes and supplied
with all the means for sustenance