Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-05-31
THE CANADIAN PRESENTS.

Despatches from Quebec give accounts OF
great freshets on the st. Lawrence ana othef
rivers. despatch on the 26th says; For
the past few days, the river ST. Lawrence mas
| been crowded with timber broken adrlft from
various places; and on the river st. Maurice
two saw mills, belonging to Baptsts & Sons,
have been swept away by the great floods that
have prevailed since Saturday. In the early
part of May, it was feared that there would
be a scarcely of water for driving, but one OF
the ST. Maurice lumbermen, Mr.. Jos. Reynar,
came down from an exploring tour in the up
per portion of the territory Immediately after
the ice showed from the main river, and re-
ported the large lakes still covered with ice,
the water rising slowly, and about three feet
of snow still in the woods. Ten days later,
the river had risen TO high pitch, but had
gone down considerably before the recent
heavy rains. On Saturday night, another
rise in the river took place. At G o'clock on
Sunday morning, the government boom in
the eastery channel was broken by the I'M
petuous current, and some hours later the
guide-boom in the westerly channel snapped
asunder.
The government superintendent of the
works, with a large gang of men, worked hard
to repair the damage, but without result, and
nothing could stand against the rushing cur
rent and the timber poured into the st. Law
renee in a continuous stream. The quantity
of timber gone adrift will probably not fall
short of one hundred thousand logs. The
water mill of Messrs. George Baptist & Sons,
situated at Les Gras, about fifteen miles up
the ST. Maurice, was swept away by the rag
ing waters, and the mill booms of the same
firm at their steam mill near the mouth of
the river shared the same fate. In addition
to the Messrs Baptist, the following firms
will suffer from this accident; &. b. Hall,
St. Maurice Lumber and Land Company,
Stoddards, Richie and Gull, and few 9TH
ers to less extent. The booms in the mid
die channel still hold fast. They contain
about $50, 900 logs, and it is believed that they
will stand the pressure, although the timber
is coming down very fast. The latest adyi-
ces from Three Rivers say that the water still
continues very high
Owing to the rapid current on the St. Maui
rice, the booms cannot be relayed, and the
logs are running out steadily by the east ard
west channels. The booms in the centre
| channel still hold fast; and, as they have
stood the enormous pressure so long, they
may be considered safe. The lumbcrmen are
doing ell in their power to save the drift logs
Steamers and small boats, with large gangs
of men, are working hard all along the st
Lawrence below Three Rivers; great many
logs will also be saved by the people on boil
sides of the river. 1t is reported that the gov
eminent timber slide ct Shawinigan FALL
has been carried away. The scene at Graf:
village is said to be wild in the extreme. The
river has cut out new channel, some dis.
lance inland, forming an island which takes
in tile entire village and some acres of land
to the westward. Thousands Of logs fioated
down the st. Lawrence, past Quebec, to-day