Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-10-15

'""""''' A"e. "ouiu present a grand
view ai this moment.
oct. Ah,--S:20, p ". The woterl
fallen three inches within the last ten nj.
uies-bcing at its greatest height al 70.
minutes past eight-being then with
four inches of the top Of lower sash :
the hotel dining room. A boat load =,
men just embarked from Geason's stor.
and sailed into Thompson's stable 7 u
Gleason and David F. Brown have hal
their cornields cleared of corn in shoot
Whole trees standing as straight as Whom
growing in tho forest have swept noe,
here. looking like floating island. II
daylight instead Of darkness covered H..
face of this deluged land, the sight from
this point would be one of wild grandeu,
We don't often experience such storm
or witness such destruction.
Half past ten, p. H. The water Ia,
fallen four feet.
TUESDAY, Oct 5th.
We begin to learn quite early this morn.
ing OF the havoc made by the great rise
Of Swift river. The rise on the Andre.
scoggin above this place seems to have
been nothing compared with that on SYit
river. The Starch factory, the Mil house
at Kimbalrs mill, the dwelling house Of
Phebe Lufkin, house and barn of Thoma,
Houston. one of John IIoustOns barns
Lawson Smalls and Clark Houston's barns
are all swept away, together with all
their contents. We Learn nothing today
regarding the work of destruction above
Hop city, in Byron. In the mill house
was one hundred and fifty dollars worth
Of grain taken as toll by the threshing
mill Awful work has been done by the
river with the low lands, along its former
banks, making great efforts to find a new
channel. Acres of land are spoiled for
cultivation, large quantities of corn have
been swept away, many potato fields ru-
ined. Worse than all else, We have the
sad story to tell Of J. Mandayille Durgin's
death by drowning Mr. Durgin WI,
Young man, some SO years OF age, the
son of Henry f. Durgn, ofBryants Pond
He leaves n wife and one child. He
owned the first farm in Roxbury, ON the
Mexico line He was looking after lhc
safety of his crops, only few rods from
his house the water rose so rapidly that
he was surrounded with a depth through
which he could not wade, and being no
swimmer and beyond help from the few
persons who saw his situation. became
prey TO the wild torrents and died within
sight of his own home. have not learn
ed all the particulars of this sad death,
but understood that he reached fence,
climbed on it, and there sat when last
seen. and when il became so dark ~ 10
make any object not near one, invisible.
His remains have not yet been found, and
fears are entertained that they are buried
beneath the sand washed on the field near
where he was last seen.
His body has since been found, nearly
imbedded in the earth. 1t is supposed he
caught hold of some bushes, which pre-
vented his floating further away.
We hear that all the dams pnt in Swift
river have been swept away. small
barn south Of Robinson Gammon's has
been carried off, and it was with the great
est difficulty that Mr.. Cannon and his
wife were got TO place of safety. They
remained in their house so long after wa
ter began TO sarround it, that crew o.
men engaged in fixing the channel OF the
river for the Lewiston Steam Mill Co.,
and boarding in the house above, became
alarmed for them and went To their asSiS-
lance by endangering their own lives
they got Mr.. Cannon on the high land
north Of the road and finding that il would
be impossible to get Mrs. Cannon there,
they placed her in tree near the Weeks
house. and told her to cling there. Scott
Richardson remained near her as long as
he could, she being quite willing TO drop
down and die" as she expressed herself
many times, Scott telling her in answer,
ITO cling to the tree and die there, and
we can know where "a look for you
She urged him 10 let her remain alone,
which he did only when it was dangerous
to stay near her longer, when he swan
to Mr.. Gammon's barn, a distance Of near
" sixty rods. Mrs Cannon was in the
tree from one and halfto two and half
hours, and when the water had fallen so
that she could be reached. her fingers,
linked together around the tree, were so
swollen that they could only with much
effort be unlocked from each other.
Roads are destroyed in two places to
such an extent that new locations must be
made back from the river. Until such
roads are made large neighborhoods are
completely shut off from mills, stores and
all intercourse with the outside world.
Shall individuals take the responsibility
of laying out and building such new roads
and await for County Commissioners TO
sustain their action? No news above Hop
city yet.
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 6th.-2. T. NJ.
Messengers from Byron have just ar
rived; they bring the news that not mill
is now standing on Swift river, and that
not a bridge spans the stream from its
source to the Androscoggin, and that
much other dainago is done We hear Of