The Portland daily press., 1870-02-22
The Freshes at Augusta.
Ill, 1OrA


The Freshef at Augusta.
AUGUSTA, Feb. 81, 1870.
To the Editor Of the Press:
The great freshet of yesterday has somewhat
subsided, though the water is still higher than
at any other time within the memory of the
Oldest fnhabitant. Even now III o'clock A.
N.Y. the dam, which is Is feet high, is entirely
out of sight, its presence not being denoted
even by ripple. The violent storm of Friday
and Saturday had caused considerable appre-
hension of freshet, bnt no one supposed that
the ice in the river was in danger of breaking
up. About o'clock Sunday morning, how
ever, it commenced breaking just below the
bridge and started out with the current. 1t
was not till after 10 that the jam which had
been accommodating abreast the dam commence
ed its "march to the sea-" The scene presented
at this point was most grand and at the
same time most frightful. From Cushnoc
Heights, near the Sprague mill, the immense
ice-jam, resembling glacier, could be seen
for miles up the river, crushing and forcing its
way along-rolling in a sea at least fifteen feet
high between the preciptous banks and abb
sorbing into itself the ice-felds in its path. In
this manner it poured itself over the dam with
violence that seemed to shake the solid earth,
crowding huge masses of its volume upon the
river banks and sweeping away every obstacle
in its course. The railroad bridge, which is
but short distance below the dam, withstood
the shock for some little time, but it was evil
dent that it must soon be swept away. As
soon as this mass of ice and debris reached
HallOwell, where it came in contact with the
solid ice, the water commenced to "back up
and in less than thirty minutes the river rose
more than seven feet. This brought the float
ing cakes into contact with the body of the
bridge, and a short time before II the two mid
die spans were swept away. By this time the
alarm had become general, and the churches
poured forth their wOrshIppers TO witness the
spectacle. AS the two spans came rushing
down with the current everybody supposed
that the toll bridge must in turn be Smashed
into smithereens," but fortunately they were
mistaken. They struck the bridge nearly in
the centre, and were crushed into thousand
pieces, without materially injuring the Old
structure. The western span did not succumb
till nearly o'clock in the afternoon and in its
tilt with the toll bridge shared very nearly the
same fate as its predecessors; though it injured
its antagonist considerably more; SO that travel
over it for carriages must be suspended for a
long time.
SUNDAY SCENES.
In the meantime the streets presented a
most exhilarating and anything but a Sunday
appearance. So sudden and unexpected had
been the rise of water that no precautions had
been taken, and those who were not scram-
bling before the infowing torrent for dear life
were scrambling for their goods and chattels
Several stables, in whose subterranean apart
ments considerable number of pigs were lux
uriating, were inundated, and the summary
ejectment of these animals was attended by a
degree of vocal music that added not a little to
the general din and confusion. Parties were
willing to pay any price for a skiff to go in
search of floating property, or to ascertain
where their late domicle had drifted to. Shin
giles, scanting, and all manner of sawed and
unsawed lumber, was joining in the ice cur
rent, and occasionally building or so came
floating along by way Of variety.
THE SUFFERERS.
For hundred and fifty rods or so in the Vi
cinity of the mill the street was submerged in
some places to the depth of six or seven feet.
All the basement stories on the east side of
Water street were filled with water and
great amount of damage done. The principal
losers are Messrs. Whitehouse s. Gould, f. &
e. Hamlin, Parrot & Bradbury, B. Libby &
Co., Hamilton s. Turner, Clapp & North,
Fowler, Hamlin & Smith, j. d. Pierce & Son,
e. D. Norcross, G. E. Collier, S. S. Brooks,
Sawtelle & Ward, Stafford & Son, and
Hodgkins & Fuller, though great many
age. At Sprague's mill the first story was
filled to the depth of five feet, and all the ma
chinery in the catding room has been nearly
ruined The damage to the mill is estimated
at $150,O00. Lambard's iron foundry, on the
east side of the river, was nearly submerged;
only the roof of the old building appearing
above the flood. Mr. Lambard's loss will
probably reach $500. A large building on the
wharf, owned by E. D. Norcross, and used for
storing coal, was dragged from its mornings"
by huge ice cake and is at the present time
time kept in the upper Kennetec only by
hawser running from rear window of Bart
lett & Hartwelrs grocery store.
The river from Augusta to Hallowell is now
completely choked with ice and all manner of
debris, in many places no doubt reaching to
the bottom of the channel, and men are at
work saving such of the drift stuff" as is val
liable. Should the ice give way at the jam the
destruction of property along the river must
be great, as there is an enormous mass of ice,
two or three bridges, still up river.
Very little ice has yet been housed along the
river, though few days of cold weather will
ensure much better crop than has been an
ticipated. Those engaged in the business are
"doing their level best" and should the grand
break be postponed few days longer, they
will reap a rich harvest. CUsHNoC.