Hayward’s New England Gazetteer (1839) page 36
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NEW ENGLAND GAZETTEER.

ment, aided by a Lieut, of the same
corps.

The State Insane Hospital. This
splendid granite edifice, an honor
tofthe state and to humanity, occur,
pies a plat of elevated ground, of
seventy acres, on the east side of
the river. Its situation is unrival-
ed for the beauty
of- its scenery.
This building was commenced in
1836, and will probably be complet-
ed and prepared to receive patients,
in 1S39. It will cost the state, and
some beneficent individuals, who
have made liberal donation;; towards
its erection, about $100,000. It is
of the model of tire
Lunatic Hos-
pital
at Worcester, Mass., and is
much admired for its external arch-
itecture and internal arrangement.
The centre building and wings are
262 feet long; the centre building
is 82 feet in length, 46 feet wide, 4
stories high, besides the basement
and attic, having a chapel in the attic
80 by 40. The wings are 90 feet
long in front, and 190 in the rear,
38 feet wide, aild 3 stories high, di-
vided into 126 rooms, 120 of which
are designed for patients, the re-
maining 6 for water closets and oth-
er purposes, with halls between the
rooms 12 feet wide running the en-
tire length of each wing, and com-
municating with the dining rooms
in the centre building.

The Augusta High School, is an
elegant brick building, situated up-
on a beautiful eminence, 2 stories
high, 65 feet long by.*50 wide, hav-
ing a pediment front supported by
doric columns, and contains two
large school rooms, beside a labora-
tory and four recitation rooms, and
cost about $7,000.

The above is a brief sketch of the
prominent features of this beauti-
ful and flourishing town;—such as
it has become by the common ef-
forts of an intelligent and enter-
prising people, joined to the natur-
al advantages of the place.

3

But a new era is opened to Au-
gusta.- The' mighty waters of the
Kennebec have been arrested in
their course. That proud stream,
which, for ages, has rolled its rapid
current to the ocean, unimpeded by
the devices of man, is destined for
ages fo come, to pay perpetual
homage to Yankee perseverance
and skill, and to lend its gigantic
strength to aid the arts and sciences
in supplying the wants of millions.

We may perhaps, be. suspected of
partiality towards this lovely Vil-
lage of the East, for giving it so ex-
tended a notice ;—but, as accounts
of works of great public utility are
interesting to most of our readers,
both duty and inclination prompt us
to give a brief description of the
Kejvntebec Dam;—a magnificent
structure;—bold in its design—curi-
ous in its workmanship,—and prob-
ably unrivaled by any work of sim-
ilar character and for similar pur-
poses, in this or any other country.

Although Augusta enjoys the
pleasure of seeing this noble enter-
prise accomplished within its own
borders, and by the energy of its
own people; yet improvements of
this character are by no means lo-
cal in their effects. Tbe benefits
of this undertaking will be felt,'not
only in the valley of tbe Kennebec,
but throughout the state.

=*> These works were commenced
in 1836, by the
Kennebec Locks
and Canals Company,
and com-
pleted in September, 1837. The
cost was about $300,000. They
are about half a mile above the cen-
tre of the village, and were con-
structed under the superintendence
of Col.
William BoARDMAN,of
Nashua, N. H., as chief engineer,
from whose report many of the fol-
lowing facts are elicited.

The length of the Dam, exclu-
sive of the stone abutments and
Lock, is 584 feet—the base, 127
feet—the height 15 feet above or-
dinary high wate'i mark. It is built
with cribs of timber, bolted and




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