Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-10-22

ittsIc tiic uNsiuS iutri NS'scu' VIZ
smoke of the battle passed away, details
come to hand which are reliable. We can
now give q more definite idea Of the dam
age done on swirl river by the freshet.
In Rumford, on the west side Of Swift riv-
er. Ebenezer Virgin loses very little ex-
! eept his crop Of -prtatoes. planted for
starch and family use. A small portion OF
his interv,le was washed away. A large
amount of drift-wood, logs, trees. stumps,
bridge timbers. plank. ETC.. is piled up in
places over his farm. Osgood Virgin
and Iazen 6. Virgin lost nearly all OF
their this year crop Of corn-land not very
badly damaged.
Jeremiah Richardson was not in his ccl-
lar drawing cider, but was outside mis-
house and was washed into and across
his cellar. and came ont substantially, as
stated in your last weeks issue. This
farm is badly damaged; he has lost his
corn-had number of apple-trees up
rooted and swept away, and buildings
damaged considerably. William w.
Blanchard has suffered loss Of land. fenc.
es. apple.trecs, and must expend much
labor in moving the debris from his low
land. From his house to the Mexico
town line new location for County road
must be made and such location continued
through Mexico TO some point above the
old site of kimbalrs mills. The ii. q.
Putnam farm now owned and occupied by
Teri Durgin is badly damaged. VIM. w.
Foss' interNale is nearly spelled. The
farms above his until that Of Mr.. Ed
munds is reached are improved in value,
Mr.. Edmuud's farm, las all reading this
will be much interested in this, perhaps
too definite history oi the AWFUL Mondays
work will know that this is the last farm
in Mexico, on the Rumlortl side of the
river. This farm is very badly injured
washed and quilted, and covered in ma.
ny places with great depths of sand. Mr..
Edmunds lost between four of five acres
Of rs good corn rs was raised on Swift
river this year. The farms ON tina, side
OF the river III Roxbury, were considera-
bly, damaged.
Tho nice farm formerly owned by Mer-
ril Thomas and now occupied by +. NJ.
Thomas. is one Of the most complete
wrecks on the river; il being ruined ir
farming purposes. The bed of the river
has completely changed its course trough
this farm. Reeds mill was not carried
away, rs previously reported, but now
stands rs a monument of the past. At
the old Austin mill stone weighing full
" one bundled tons. used in the past To
hold the end of boom, was swept sew
enty rods over the toughest Of river bet
tom At thi, point Gustavus Holman had
n null for saving boards and shingles,
and for gri>t mill. nearly ready for the
machinery. This mill stood rs every one
Supposed. above danger from flood, but
At this point CAT Coos Bridge, the wa
ter rose fifty feet from Sunday morning
till Monday evening. II was quite low
Sunday morning and considerable high
Monday ait,rnoo From the planking of
Coos bridge TO the water, generally, The
distance is forty ieet. Monday the water
rose 10 depth of some say fifteen feet
above this planking; judge that ten feet
is about the proper igure-fiity feet is not
an over estimate OF the rise nj this bridge.
Two miles below Coos bridge is Hop
city, in Byron. rs pretty farming neigh
borhood, before this Hood. rs could be
found in Maine. One broad piece of in
teryae. one mile in length. divided into
lots of the proper size for large farms.
Upon these lots had been built nice farm
houses, barns and out-buildngs. These
had been built by men engaged in raising
hops when they commanded great prices,
and were nice. beyond the general con-
ception Of the tenn. Only one building
was swept away from this "city"-lhat
Alonzo Browns barn, but the interyales
are very badly damaged almost ruined /;
divided into island, OF every aud all nam.
able shapes. Upon what remains of these
once beautiful farms. there is now piled
such an amount of"driit ,tufs, that they
claim that the anloun, OF labor required
TO remove il Is more than it took 10 clear
it when it was first felied, burnt, piled
and cleared. The main channel Of the
river is now through this place. No safe
" exists for the buildings, in future fresh
cts, even those OF common occurrence.
The owners Of these farms for one quar-.
ter their value before the rain-storm Of
Monday. Below this point, you had par
ticulars from. in your last.
A part ofO. A. Reeds house, All ell.
was torn from the main building, and
sailed 10 point opposite his fathers, a
distance OF eight miles, without any visi.
bic disturbance to its contents. Young
Reeds mother saw it as it passed, with
stove in place, fire burning and the kettle
on. Much damage was done to hay in
barns which were partially inundated
and great amount of hay is spoiled.
As soon as the farmers could. after the
rain. they got help and moved their hay
out of their barns and spread it around to
dry. Monday, the 18th, it rained and
il has raincd every day since, more orless,
spelling tons and tons Of hay that might
in fair weather have been saved in slight
ly dam a0ed condition.