The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-05-30
GREAT FIR ESHET IN MAINE.


GREAT FRESHET IN MAINE.
The Kennebec River, swollen by the late
rains, has risen to an unparalleled height,
and caused ireshet which has carried
away Mills, Stores, Bridges, and every
thing movable it met in its progress. We
have before us letter from Hallowell, dat
ed Tuesday 22d inst. from which we make
the following extract: >
at is truly melancholy 10 look from our
window and witness the destruction Of prop
erty and see it floating down the river. No
less than three mills and nine bridges have
passed this forenoon. Among the bridges
were two large ones; one of them from
Waterville. Part of Augusta has gone and
the remainder is expected to 90 every min
ute. have just sounded Immediately I'M
der our window and the depth of water Is
141 feet. six feet from the window 1t Is 10
feet deep. Our store is higher than any
other. have TO go to my boarding house
and return in boat Business Of all kinds
is suspended and stores are closed. Some
of them are entirely under water. at
tempted to go to Gardiner yesterday, but
was obliged to come back.
The wster is still on the rise, and has
risen six inches in the last hour. 1t never
was known so high before, not even when
there was jam of ice. Now there is no
ice, and the river free for the water to go
down. The lower part Of his town Is all
under water, and several schooneis ;ay at
anchor across the street. The water rush
es By us with great velocity. Thousands.
and thousands of dollars in property IS al
ready lost, and if the water continues to
rise, there is no calculating the extent of
the damage. We are preparing to remove
oil our goods if the water rises much more"
Since the above was in type, We have re-
ceived the Gardner Standard of Tuesday,
which has, in a Postscript, an account of
the freshet. We suhjon some extracts.
The water is at this ment.-Tuesday
morning, 7'o'clock. two or three feet high
er than the memorable feshet in March,
1926, and still rising, but we trust 1t has
nearly reached its maximum. Our wharves
are now twelve or fourteen feet under
water, and every thing upon them is being
swept away. The store and ice houses on
the upper wharf, which successfully resisted
the immense mass Of ice and water that
pressed upon it in the freshet of 1926, have
now been carried off by the force of the
current only.
About a dozen vessels have parted their
fasts by the pressure oil logs and drift stuff
accumulated against them, and are gone we
know not whittier. The mills and dams at
this village remain firm. Yesterday the
fragments of store, with many articles Of
merchandise in it, foated into one of the
hooms near this village. Houses and barns
have also been seen floating past US. Rats,
logs, shingles. &C., almost cover the face of
the winter. No boom can hold, no fastening
secC.e them here, but it is trusted that in
the comparatively still waters below. the
principal part Of the immense quantity float
ed by US, will be saved. - -.
The road in many places between Us and
Hallowell is impossible from the destruction
of small bridges and overlooking Of the
kennenec.
Etepen o'clock. A. NJ The water has ris-
en- one foot since O'Clock, and is now sta
tionary. The freshet is near four feet high
er than in 1626-aHd six or seven higher
than any other freshet except that, for
sixty years. The sun has made its appear
ance. Sebasticook bridge has just gone by
and Augusta is expected shortly.
The Augusta Age, Of Wednessay, says
that the river at that place had risen twel-
ty feet. Several dwelling houses near the
river, in the upper part Of the village were
inundated with water, and the families
compelled to abandon them A valuable
cardng mill, belonging 10 Turner & Tuck
er, was carried off on Monday. On Tues
day saw mill from Waterville, came down
the river. Much anxiety was felt for the
safety of KeRnebcc bridge. The abutment
which supports the east end, was partly un-
dermined by the water, and stone after
stone vas dropping away. Several vessels
broke flom their mornings, and one went
down the river. All the booms above the
village had gone. The loss of lumber is
immense. The water appeared 10 have
reached its height, and was subsiding. An
incident occurred which marks the fearless
and cnterpTising character of the lumber
men. A large pile of boards, apparently
swept from the pling place of saw-miI{,
was borne along by the current with f. arful
velocity; upon it were three men, and two
in boat alongside, employing their ener-
gies with great GOODNESS and effect in d.
recting its course. They had naviga,ed
the stream in that manner for Is miles, I'M
able to land and secure their charge, and
unwilling to abandon il.
The Belfast Advocate says" We had
no Western mail from Saturday Till We'd
nesday, when it brought terrible account
oc disasters to Eridges, mills, &c. in all d-
rcctions, few only of which We have been
able to detnil. Among them we nre sorry
to learn that the substantial bridge lately re-
built at the head of the tide in this Town is
again carried away, as also the mills and
mill dams below also the bridge across
Wilson's stream, being the third time that
this last has been carried away within 18
months, oil which bear heavily upon the
road tax Of this town."
The Belfast Republican says, that ut the
head Of the tide, saw mill and several
dams were carried away--also, three bridg-
es in Searsmont on the Augusta road,
and the bridge near HazeliIne's on tine
south road. Several vessels we're driven
ashore at the West PrOspect-they will all
probably he got off again without being
materially damaged.
The Bath Inquirer states-Little River
bridge has been carried away, and South
West Bend bridge considerably injured
Both cross the Androscoggin al Lisbon.
The boolns at Brunswick, which are said to
contain fifty thousand logs, remain secure.
A large quantity Of lumber has come down
the Kennebec, most of which has been
stopped and secured at Bath. No injury
was done at Bath, as the buys and chan
nels are so broad and numerous that fresh
cts do not raise the water there but few
inches.
an