Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-02-16
THE FREsHEr.
Ane Trestle Work Under One ~ ,h
spans Falls Without Injury to ,h.

as anticipated Sunday the rise in tho
resulted in trouble at the railroad brid,a
ne "horslng" stood up all right durino tho
nieht' but when morning dawned, the ,;mha.
unaer the west span showed signs of yie,d;no
70 the surging water and heavy cakes &c -
~hich were piled up against it. Evervtb;no
was made ready by Supt. Booker, and hi.
men improved every moment lin nro.
pairing for the final fall. At $40 o,c,oct .
d., the wooden beam which held tho r -
''noer oeiow the new iron was chopped of
ana the entire mass of framework moved
uo"n river with the exception of sever.,
horses next the piers. There was a 6eroo
swapping and cracking and with a loud
CRASH the timber fell into the
torgld flood beneath, floated down
several rods to the cold ice no
low and piled up like a handful of lack.
straws. The new span was not injured in
the least and to the spectator from the wooden
bridge below it stood forth solid and svmme,-
real, impressing one with its appearance of
strength and security. Above the br;aoa m
the westerly side of the river and extending
up as far az Bond Brook was an extensive
neid OF ice early in the morning. This had be-
gun to show signs of weakening and OWING to
the TACT that the swift current under and below
the bridge had eaten away the ice so a. to no
longer furnish support to the mass above,
there was danger that it would 90 to piece. and
make trouble. To obviate this a party of men
proceeded onto the ice, and commenced to
break on cakes, that it might drift through
between the piers piecemeal. They were
quite successful and succeeded in disposipp
OF most OF the field, when long and large
cake swung out into the middle of the river,
reaching nearly from shore to shore, and
coming down against the ''horsing" which
stood in the three easterly spans, it
lodged against the timber, rackins
and partially wrecklng that of the third
span on the west side. The wood of the sec
ond span stood the pressure intact, but next
the east shore the timber was thrown out OF
shape somewhat.
During the afternoon the water in the river
continued to rise slowly. but the trestle work
stood, the men doing all in their power to
save it from destruction. At noon workmen
were sent to the ice below the bridge where
the timber from the demolished ''horsing''
had lodged and hauled it out upon the ice to
save it if possible.
Last evening rain commenced falling again,
continuing gently into the night The Air
was mild and there were grave apprehensions
that the ice would leave the river. Should
ice come down over the dam now there is no
telling what the result would be. The trestle
work of the bridge now standing would be
swept away in a twinkling and and a big
ice jam would be likely to form opposite or
below the city. Several business men on
the street were so fearful of trouble that they
slept in their stores all night and kept an eye
open to discover the flo Vi if it should come.
in the river at Watervlle and Skowhegan had
broken up and an enormous ice gorge formed,
but there was no truth in them, the Ice being
generally solid. Last evening the ice in the
river had risen five or six feet, in all, and was
still rising. The railroad men were quite
confident that there would be no further diff
Guilty at the bridge unless the ice should flow
over the dam. There is a field where the ice
harvesters nave been at work which it was
thought might break off aud flow down.