Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/38

 30 MAINE -My. M:i-lii:is Plcasmt. Frenchman's, M u-'-,. nirus, Ca-co. MIK! Saco. Maine is abundantly supplied with watercourses. The Walloofltook, tiowing into the St. John in tlu- iiiTtli. ainl the Aroostook in the east, . ith numerous trilmtarics, drain the N. a of tin- -t-ite. The St. Croix, which flows S. into PttMunAqaoddy bay, forms a por- tion i.f tin- K. boundary between Maine and New Brunswick. The IVnobscot, flowing into 'uy, is the largest river, draining with its branches and connecting lakes the of the state, and navigable for large vessels to Bangor, 55 m. from its mouth. The Ki-nn.-her. W. of the Penobscot, affords great and valuable water power, and is navigable for -hips to Hath, 12 m., and for smaller boats to Augusta, 50 m. from its mouth. Further W. are the Androscoggin and Saco. On the southwest the Piscataqua separates Maine from New Hampshire. Several of the rivers have falls of considerable note. Scattered over the surface of the state is a great number of the largest of which is Moosehead, 35 in. long and from 4 to 12 m. wide; among others are Sebago, Umbagog, Chesuncook, Bas- kaheiran, Long, Portage, Eagle, Madawaska, Pamrd'imcook, Millinoket, Sebec, andSchoodic. The surface is generally hilly, mostly level toward the coast, but rising in the interior. A broken chain of eminences, apparently an ex- tension of the White mountains of New Hamp- shire, crosses the state from S. W. to N. E., ter- minating in Mars hill on the borders of New Brunswick. The highest elevation in the range is Mt. Katahdin, 5,385 ft. above the sea. Sad- dl.-hack. BL'dou', Abraham, North and South Russell, and I lay-tack are among the others 1.. st known. Maine is almost exclusively a region of the azoic rocks. The W. portion of i to is granitic. The metamorphic rocks abound in a great variety of interesting min- nd Paris, Oxford co., is noted for its beautiful colored tourmalines; Parsonsfield, York co., arid Phippslmrg, on the coast of Lincoln co., for varieties of garnet and various other minerals; Brunswick and Topsham for of the country the drift for- mation j> everywhere -[.read 'in the form of bm Iders and -and and gravel. Even upon the iiN are f.mnd scattered rounded tits of formations situated in places fur- -. Alting the S. portion of the state ts >f tertiary clays are found in many localities beneath the drift, They are charac- i by beds of shells of the common clam and in ]--,!, and consequently belong to the newer pliocene. They extend into the interior "id Hallou-,.11. and are pene- trated by w.-IN -unk 50 ft. or more below the Limestone quarries are worked in a among the metamorphic rocks, -liore of Passamaquoddy bay are red sandstone, probably of the age of the Connecticut river sandstone. It is pene- trated by dikes of trap, and at the contact of the two rocks are developed many interesting minerals. On Campbell's island and on the shores of Cobscook bay veins of galena are found of some promise at the contact of trap dikes and argillaceous limestone. Trap abounds in this portion of the state, and in the interior it forms hills of considerable extent. The sources of the rivers are in a wild mountain- ous territory spreading over the central portion of the state. The mountains are in scattered groups, with no appearance of regular ranges. Their structure is of the metamorphic rocks ; and so far as explored they present little of economical importance. On the Aroostook are numerous beds of limestone and one large body of red hematite. Argillaceous slates and lime- stones prevail over the N. portion of the state. Maine is said to be rich in minerals, espe- cially in Aroostook, Piscataquis, and Washing- ton cos. Besides marble, slate, granite, and limestone, which are sources of wealth, iron, lead, tin, copper, zinc, and manganese exist. There is also abundance of material for the profitable manufacture of alum, copperas, and sulphur. Granite is obtained in blocks of im- mense size, some weighing more than 100 tons each. It is of fine grain, beautiful in color, and very durable. The marble is better adapt- ed for building than for ornamental purposes. The principal belt of roofing slate, which is found in immense quantities, extends from the Kennebec to the Penobscot river, a distance of about 80 m. The principal quarries are in Piscataquis co. Most of the slate is suitable for tables, blackboards, writing slates, and pencils. Few attempts Have been made to work metallic ores. The climate is one of ex- tremes. In the year the temperature ranges between 20 or 30 below to 100 above zero ; and the isothermal lines vary with the lati- tude from 45$ to 37 F. The following me- teorological summary for Portland, lat. 43 40' N. and Ion. 70 14' W., has been reported by the United States signal bureau : YEAR. Month. Mean ba- rometer. Mean thermom- eter. Total rainfall, inches. Prevailing wind. 1871.. 1872.. October November. . December. . . January. .. Fobniary. .. March... April.... May June 80-058 29-926 80-004 29-910 29-924 29-900 29-949 20-955 29-950 29-919 80-007 80-020 50-0 83-0 28-0 22-5 28-0 28-3 41-8 52-8 62-0 6S-7 67-1 59-8 6-55 6-87 8-00 0-77 0-85 1-44 1-60 8-23 5-95 2-97 6-97 8-12 42-82 Southwest. Northwest. Southwest. Southwest Northwest. Northwest. Northwest. South. South. South. Southwest. Southwest. Southwest. July Aupruet September. . Ann'lmean. 29-963 48-9 In the extreme northern part of the state the temperature ranges from 5 to 10 lower. The winters are severe, but the temperature is uniform and not subject to violent changes. The snow lies on the ground for from three
 * .} and Bowdoinham for beryls,