The Portland daily press., 1895-04-16

tho road on which an engine left the iror
last lall. injuring two men. The little roa6
seems to be playing in hard luck, as the
nrst accident is said to have cost it il
manages and repairs $1,000.
| ride along the Grand TrunK.this morn.
Ing was interesting and novel. Up in the
vicinity of Pownal great pond had ap-
peared where there were meadows the day
before. From The water gapnt trees arose
like the masts of sunken vessels. Every
| where the earth was sodden and muddy.
The needed rain had done its work we'll,
indeed almost too we'll.
Mr.. A. H. Briggs, agent for Marshall and
Dudley, who drive pulp wood down the
Androscoggin, fears that their boons at
Iopsham may be carried out if much lumber
escapes up stream. Marshall and Dudleys
drives are now Swift and Ellis rivers,
and are probably all right.
The iron highway bridge in South Paris
crosses the Little Androscoggin Just below
the dam, and close TO the grist mill. The
water carried away the grist mill fume,
knocked a big hole i'll the lower story of tile
mill al the end nearest the dam, and then
went swirling through the lower story of
the building. long wooden structure, four
stories high. During the night men were at
work stuffing great bundles OF hay into the
rents made by The water in the walls.
Stones, wood, anything that would tend to
Diminish the food was put into play and
finally the gradual lowering of the freshet
left the mill safe. The bridge is an iron
truss affair resting on abutments and one
pier in the middle of the stream This pier
Is of heavy stone but is put together with
out cement. Several of the great stones
We're hurled from their places, and the pier
settled SO that thee was considerable de-
preston in the middle of the bridge. Had
the flood lasted a little longer, the pier
would have gone to pieces and then the
bridge would have snapped in two in the
middle. As it was. it was closed to travel
by teams. About one-ihird of the dam was
carried out, and great piece of it's wood
work was lodged under the mill. Looking
up stream from the iron bridge. there was
view Of a great expanse of foam streaked
waters with here and there a few trees
rising out of it to show where the banks of
the river should be. The water at the
covered bridge some distance above was said
to be eight feet deep over the approaches,
but the bridge itself seemed to be standing
all right.
At the Twin BRIDGES. so-ealled, over
Crooked river on the road from South Paris
10 Bridston, Mr.. l.. i. Preston OF Boston,
Who was trying to go to Bridgton by train.
had an exciting experience. Mr., Preston
left his team and crossed one of the bridges
20 see if the short piece OF road between the
two was 3assa BILE. He found the road
several feet under water and WIS standing
IN the smaller of the two bridges. looking
it the wafer. While l stood there wstc h. |
ng it," said Mr.. Preston, 1.-THE water with
'ut any warning. rose in twinkling to a |
iepth of foot all over the bridge. didn't
wait for it to get any higher, but made for
ny team-on the banks. A couple of big logs
'ame along just then and knocked a piece
tut OF the bridge. 1t probably all went OUT
Mr.. Preston thought that the larger bridge
vas all right. The roads. he said, were in
orrible shape. being all quilted and washed
ut.