The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-01-08
FLOODS in MAINE.
A Gloomy outlook for the Kennebec
Ice Dealers.
Prospects Of an Early Crop Bad.
No Fears Of Further Damage by the
FreShetS.
Esnecial to the Press. ]

not opened on the Kennebec yet. Last night
about o'clock the pack stopped running
and this morning is jammed to thickness OF
from five to twenty feet for distance of sew
eral miles. extending above and below this
village completely destroying the fields of
several large ice companies. at Iceboro the
channel is open, but the ice is still running
past Gardiner and Augusta, and thelprospect
is that the jam will be extended. Clark &
Chaplin Ice Company's field, four miles be-
low here is reported open. The project of
starting the jam by dynamite is being dis
cussed If some remedy is not found the
prospect for an early crop here is bad, ca
lamity. the effects of which would reach a
large number of people
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
RICHMOND, Jan. THE situation on the
Kennebec in this vicinity is serious. The
sudden cold snap has caused the ice to gain,
and the river is full from Clark q Chaplin's
to Cedar Island, six miles. The ice is two to
ten inches thick between Sonth Gardiner and
the foot of Swan Island. Along this ten
miles there are 13 ice houses with an estima-
ted capacity as follows: Consumers, 10000
tons; Kennebec, $4,000; Haley's $4,000;
Kniekerbocker, $4,000; Berry's, 10000; Cedar
Grove, sc, 600; Haynes & Demitt, 10000; B..
w. & Fl. +. Morse 10000; Lincoln, 10000;
Orient, 5000; Russell's, 100000; Sagadahoc,
$4,000; Underwood, 10000, Total, $4,000
tons.
Two hundred men and one tug are now
working desperately to start the jam. Doubt
less explosives will be used. If these efforts
are unsuccessful no ice can be gathered in
any of the above houses. Such a result
would be disastrous. Thousands of laboring
men are depending upon the ice for employ
ment to carry them through the winter. The
ice men are despondent, but are determined
to clear the fields if money and men can do
it. Business is stagnant today, and interest
centres in the work ON the river. The re-
suit is awaited with feverish anxiety by all
all classes.
PENNINGTON, Jan. bridge Builder
Booker of the Maine Central railroad has
sent men here and they are now at work re-
pairing the railroad bridge across the Sandy
river at this point, which was injured by the
ice freshet on Wednesday. No trains have
passed over the bridge since Tuesday noon.
Especial to the PREss1
SAco, Jan. THE cold weather of last
night and today has checked the water some
in the river, and it has fallen little today,
although it is high now. Below the falls the
river is almost entirely free from ice, and
but for the ice around the shores, would look
like early fall.
Especial to the PREss.l
STEEP FALLS, Jan. THE heavy rain
for the past few days has carried off the
snow and raised the water in the Saco to an
unusual height for this season of the year.
The river is now clear of ice. 1t started in a
body carrying all before it. The estate of T.
Lord had swept away quite a quantity Of
valuable pine logs Loss on logs estimated
from 500 to $500. This is the first time
known that the ice has gone out here in the
winter season. The river is still rising and
other damage may be expected.
OTHER POINTS IN MAINE.
Later reports from Livermore Falls are
that the water in the Androseoggin began
rising Tuesday night and continued through
Wednesday The dam had been raised two
feet since the last freshet but the new bulk
head was not completed so that the water
broke over the uncompleted portion, into the
mill yard and surged up against the saw mill
with tremendous force Portion after por-
tion gave away and all had soon gone down
river. There was valuable new planer,
circular board saw and other saws, the whole
valued at about $4,000 and owned by Messrs.
Lane & Mo0Tin and was total loss. The
box factory of the New York Turning Com
pany was the next building to go. The
foundations gave way and the factory ended
over into the abyss of waters, sent cloud
of dust upwards, crushed like an egg shell,
and the wrecked building went to pieces.
Most Of the turning lathes and other machin-
cry were removed from the factory before it
went off.
The ice in the Kennebec river above Car
ratunk Falls went out Monday morning and
it now lays jammed in the bay below the
falls. There are places where the ice is
probably thirty feet deep. Some of the
islands in the river are completely covered.
The ice of about twenty miles OF the river
above the falls lay in jam less than one
| mile long The sight is worth going far to
see.
| At North Arson Mr.. Albert Aliens ma
chine shop was carried away, but the building
had been previously cleared of tools and ma
chimes The flume that furnished water for
the grist mill, leather-board mills, Rich
mond's box factory, Robbins job shop, and
in fact all the manufacturing done on the
east side of the river was carried away so
| that everything is at a standStill. About 175
persons are thrown out of employment. The
damage done is estimated at about $4,000.
None of the mills can run until the bulk
head is repaired and a new flume made.
ROCHESTER,, N. H., Jan. loving to high
water the dam at Hanscam q McDutfie's saw
MILL situated on the Cochecho river has
been carried away. 1t will cause considerable
damage as it cannot be replaced until low
water