The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-02-21
THE GREAT FRESHET.
The Destruction Of Bridges. Dams, and Fs c.
tories on the Kennebec and Androscosgin N
Trouble for the Lumbermen Of Maine
The Freshet Elsewhere.


tories on the Kcnnebcc and Androscosgin
Trouble for the Lumbermen Of Maine
The Fresbet Elsewhere.
SkowHEoAS, Feb. 20.-The heavy rain Of Fri
day night raised the water In the Kennebcc and Its
tributaries 10 unprecedented height for this sea
son. The present Ice freshet Ia without parallel In
this section. From the upper Kennebec every arri.
val brings intelligence Of damages. The telegraph
lines north are down, and we cannot get anything
certain from above solon, where damage TO con.
siderable extent was done TO mills and dams on the
Fall brook.
The bridges at Madison and Norridgewock, across
the Kennebec, have been swept away the Ice. The
freshet In January filled the ice up 80 that It was in
many places four yc feet thick, and this Ia CON-
pletey out from Anson to Augusta II not further up.
The Ice jammed below Somerset Mills on Saturday
night and was piled in huge masses. The loss In
Somerset and nt Kcndall's Mills is light.
AT about noon on Saturday the water undermined
culvert on the Portland and Kenncbec Railroad,
Just above Waerville, and before the damage could
be arrested pit hty feet long and thirty feet deep
was washed out A crew OF forty men belonging to
that road, and furnished by superinte IN dent
Noyes Of the Maine Central, worked all nieht, 10
that the skowhegan trains arrived here this morn.
ing. More than one thousand slcepers and other
timber were used to oil up the break.
The river seemed TO be one vast flow OF broken
Ice mingled with timber. Here and there itjammed.
and the Ice piled upon the shores like . sea wall,
crushing fences and leaving huge boulders OF ice on
the adjacent lands. The damage up the Sandy river
and the Carrabssset must be very great IL II prob
able that tile bridges over the river have been swept
The Losses of the BRIDGES at Madison and Nor.
ridgewock will be seriously felt by the public. The
water at Norridgewock was five feet higher than IN
October, caused by the Jam OF the ice. A sick wo-
man on the south side Was taken from her house this
AUGUSTA, Feb eO-Ths morning the ice gave
way here, and passed TO HoIowcl, where II stopped
and 40 formed med on immense iee dam The water rose
rapidly here to the height OF TWENTY-FIVE feet above
low water mark. The ice soon gave way above the
dam, and came down with tremendous force, carry.
ing away the bridge 900 feet ong) Of the Portland
and kennebcc Railroad at this place.
Az Watcrvie about any feet Of railroad was
At yassalboro, the railroad bridges over Seven
Mile Brook and another small stream were crushed
In this city the damage cannot be estimated. Tn,
water rose so RAPIDLY that goods the Easements Of
stores on the east side Of water street could not be
kinda wa. destroyed. The % site Ok Gpe AID y ". W
sprssues Manutacturing Company's new mill is en-
trey oyerfowed as also the first and second stories
OF the old mill which had Just been filled with new
machinery. They estimate their damage at 10000
Lamberts large iron foundry on the side OF the
AZ Hallowell nearly the whole business portion
o. water street is oyerfowed. In many Of the
Many merchants moved their goods away in boats
put the larger part were destroyed. Some 100 or
NO dwellings in the lower part OF the city were
hoated from their foundations and overturned and
many families are rendered houseless Several new
ice houses which have lately been erected and part
V nned, have been carried away.
All the Ice In the river for more than Any miles
above Is packed In one solid mass st Hallowell,
forming an immense leo dam.
Al Gardiner the Ice In still nrm.
is estimated that the damage to the Portland and
hennebec Railroad 10 $4,000,
hoLLowELL, 1890 p. MA large Jam OF leo IA
ahoat up the river and fears entertained for the
safety OF the city bridge here. The water still holds
up TO its highest point
LEWISTON. Feb. 20.-on the Androscorgin river
but little damage was done by the ffcshet break.
water attached to one OF the piers on the bridge con.
Meeting Auburn and Lewiston was carried OF, but
the bridge was not otherwise damaged. The An
droscoRgin has risen three feet four inches since
Friday morning, but thr,e feet higher last an.
tumn The river las been full OF floating ice all day
third bridge has been carried OF the Androscog.
gin Railroad. The Wiltontown bridge has also
gone.
TIE FREsuET AT PAssAIc FALLS.
An immense multitude witnessed the unpreee.
cented Hood at the beautiful falls Just outsiee the
city OF Paterson, n. j. The water al this point falls
into ehasm GO icet deep by 25 in width. Usually
one can stand on the verandah Of Van Voorhees,
cottage on the ohG and view the sparkling spray,
but on saturday last the swollen river ovcrlowed
filling the chnsm, aud continued onward, rushing
through the deep creyices IN the huge mount ain OF
rocx, and for time 1t carried all before II.