The Portland daily press., 1896-03-05
THE MAINE CENTRAL.
Rapidly Resuming Trains on All
Branches

| Branches
| Through to Bangor Late Yesterday After
noon-Expect to Reach All Points To-
| day Except Between Cumberland
Junction and Auburn-Effects of the
Blockade at Union Station.
Never before in the history of the
Maine Central railroad has the entire
system been go blocked as during the last
storm. The trouble began last Saturday,
when the trains on tho Mountain division
We're stopped by the dangerous weakening
of the temporary bridge over the Pre-
sumpscot at Westbrook. The next day
the bridge was destroyed. From Satur-
day morning till yesterday noon, period
OF over four days, there were no trains on
the Mountain division. Yesterday noon,
at p. IN. train started for Montreal,
the road being clear except for tho lack
Of bridge at Westbrook. The train
carried great many passengers and the
accumulated mails. At Westbrook the
passengers were taken In teams and con-
veyed to the other side of the river, by
going up around by way Of the bridge at
Saccarappa. The transfer Of mails was
also made the same way with heavy
teams and in the binding snow storm.
1t took several hours to make the entire
transfer, after which the train on this
side of the Presumpscot returned to Port
land. MI. W. f. Bennett, the contractor
of this city, has large crew of men at
work on the bridge and the railroad
will make every endeavor to have the
Mountain division in running order
again before the end of the week.
| The train on the other side that came
down to meet the train from Portland
was delayed for five hours in the noun
| tains. 1t reached Westbrook at about
y. III.
By Monday the floods had just about
blocked every train on the Maine Central
thing that never before happened and
that was most disastrous in it's results
Travellers and freight and mails were all
stranded in all places and the effect of
that can be better imagined than de-
soribed.
By Tuesday morning the trains began
to run again. The a. m. train went as
far as Richmond and returned The 100
p. m. went out and so did the p. M,
the latter going as far as Gardiner.
Trains also ran to Bath and Roekland
and also between Bangor and Augusta,
but there was no communication with
Lewiston.
Yesterday the chief difficulties were
with the Lewiston branch and on the
main line between Gardiner and Au-
gusta, where great jam of logs and ice
| covered the track. Yesterday morning
trains lett Portland and Bangor at the
| usual time and came together on each
| side of the jam. waiting till it should be
| cleared. This happened early last evening
through to Bangor.
A train ran out on the Lewiston
branch yesterday morning as far as Gray,
but not quite to the station. The Gray
postmaster came down and got the mails.
Then the train returned to Portland be-
cause of bad washout at that point that
may delay the trains for several days.
Meanwhile the road from Brunswick to
Lewiston is being put in condition and
train will probably be able to proceed
over this line today. The damage on
this road has all been repaired with the
exception of a bad washout at Crowley
which big crew is at work on.
The line from Lewiston to Waterville
over the back route Is in bad shape and
it will be several days before trains can
be run through on regular time. The
cause Of the trouble is bad washo1t at
Readfield. The road from Waterville to
Skowhegan is all right and the Somerset
branch was in good order yesterday.
General Manager Payson Tucker gave
yesterday: Maine Central all right be-
tween Brunswick and Lewiston. A break
between Gardiner and Augusta will be
repaired by five o'clock tonight. No Pull
man will be sent out tonight. but expect
all points tomorrow, except between
Cumberland Junoti IN and Auburn. Pas
sengers on the back route for points be.
yond Lewiston will go by the way of
Bl unswick and be transferred from the
lower station to the upper station.
Union station has presented
picturesque appearance since Sunday
night. About five hundred passengers
have been obliged to wait in this oity I'M
til the roads to the east were cleared and
many Of them have been here since Sun
day. Some of these people had friends in
the city with whom they have stopped;
some have found quarters at the hotels,
all of which have been crowded, but
many moro have been obliged to sleep in
the Union station. A visit there Tuesday
night was most interesting one. Every
settee and chair in the place was occupied
and persons were sleeping in all sorts of
positions There were old men and boys