The Portland daily press., 1895-04-20
DISMAL OUTLOOK AT BUXTON.
Business Cannot Start Up at Moder-
alton Until the Dam is Rebuilt.
A PRESS Correspondent Reviews the
Ruin Along the Banks of the Saco
Rlver-Forty Thousand Dollars Loss
Without Counting Lumber-Hollis
Afflicted.
Especial to the PRSsJ


West Buxton, April 19.-Although the
| water was five feet lower in the Saco at
| noon to-day than on Wednesday it still
surrounded the dwelling houses of John and
James Bergman. Joseph r. Sands, Benja-
| min Partridge and Hervey N. Berry and
was in fact from one and one half to two
| 1eet above the sills. 1t is still impossible to
get TO these buildings except by boat. AS
| the water receeds new evidence of the de-
! struction wrought by the flood appears.
Last night portion of the foundation of
the HarRrdves mill oaved in. but 1t is be-
nsyed as the still turbulent saoo has lost
much of its force and impetus, the building
will not go down unless the balance of the
sou ndation proves much weaker than it
now appears. Not until today We're the
people on the Hollis side able to get their
mail, as it happens that the post office is
located on the Buxton side. Today line
was rigged by throwing cord attached to
a stone across the intervening space. The
line Is made continuous and to it large
tin box, ontaining the mail, 10 securely
fastened. The box is then hauled over the
rushing waters to the Buxton side. Ali
along the river the wafer seems to have
spent it's force against The Hollis side. and
ON that town will come the eaviest part OF
the expense that must be incurred in bridge
building and repairing. 1t was the Hollis
side of the Buxton pridge. that was carried
away, leaving the Vest Buxton naf intact.
1t was piers and abutments ON the Hollis
side Of the Bar Mills bridge that weakened,
and that end of the bridge was only held In
place by weig ht ing 1t down with big bouId-
ers and heavy pieces OF water soaked lum-
heY. 1t was the Hollis end of the Salmon
Fails bridge that first gave way.
Even now, after the water has subsidized
five feet or more, the hcene at the Salmon
Falls is wild and wferd indeed. 1t is under
stood that +
CABLE F oOT BRIDGES
are to be constructed across the river, both
at West Buxton and Salmon Falls. Now In
order to reach the Hollis side, from West
Buxton. 1t is necessary to travel four miles,
two miles up to Bonney Eagle on the Bux-
ton side, across the river there and go
down two miles on the Hollis side TO Har-
aravsG mill. and then you will be within q
stones throw of where you started from,
but you must travel that four miles if
you get there...all the same. Not vestige
OF a. X. P. Lords saw mill on the Hollis
side is left to tell the story. Every little
cove along the river is filed with a
Heterogeneous mass Of logs and drift wood.
A conservative esti mate of tho totel
damage done between, Bonney Eagle and
the Salmon Falls leaving the millions OBJECT
Of logs that have gone down the river out
| Of the question entirely, places 1t at from,
| 335. 900 to n. 900 1t will cost about $500 to
replace the Salmon Falls bridge. and as
much more TO repair the ROLLS bridge. 1t
cost A. X. P. Lord $20.0s0 to construct the
dam and build the saw mill that the freshet
took away. The damage to highways will
amount TO nearly $4,000. and about the same
amount willshave to be expended in repairs
and rebuilding on the Hargraves mill at
West Buxton. Mrs. Flanders'e stable that
noated down the river and went to pieces
against the piers of the Portland and
Rochester railroad bridge at saco River
station, was valued at $500, and it will cost
Chs rles Dunn about $500 to get his stable
back where it started from.
Both sections of the big iron bridge at
West Buxton have lodged among the rocks
nearly half a mile below. and the post eface
nuated that distance on the irresistible
current.
~ 40 O AUr tuo pdOpld
| OF West Buxton for the coming summer, as
all manufacturing will practically be at
standstill. A. X. P. Lord. who usually en-
pIoys from eighty to one hundred men, will
have ora for only very small portion Of
| that number. while the Hargraves mill will
be shut down completely during the next
SIX or eight months. With this outlook
staring the people in the face is it any
| wonder that the people generally are feeling
decidedly blueS