The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-02


were flooded, and the water rushing into
Waldron' street, on tho other side, filled
the house of Samuel Perkins, ~ stories
In height, washing II away. The lower
stories in the Cocheco print works hayo
also filled with water. and the loss will
reach several hundred thousand dollars
here.
Tho water began rising after 12 hours
rain. The bridge mt Whicher's Falls was
carried away ut = o'clock last night. Here
the river Is usually 30 feet wide, but 10
spread to an eighth OF mile. Goods In
the houses which were flooded were re-
moved In boats On the two Boston and
Maine railroad bridges below were drawn
100 600 tons OF freight TO hold them down.
The danger comes from the leo which Is
gorging the river above tho bridges.
The Central Avenue bridge stood the
strain till 3 o'clock, when IL gave way
The Bracewell block was built 20 years
ago and cost $4,000 A small story and a
half building was also swept away. The
city was In darkness, as when the block
collapsed the electric wires were broken.
A 24-inch water main supplying tho south
side was also broken. The two Washing
ton street bridges alone remain. The loss
TO the print works will be very heavy, as
the color and engine rooms were flooded.
No lives are known to have been lost.
Carried All Before It.
wEsTBRooK, Me-. March 2.-Thero was
q foot of snow on tho ground here. and
this melting caused the Presumpscot river
to rise very rapidly. The ice In the river
began to go out yesterday. and In an
hours time the water had risen 10 feet.
The bridge ut w. X. Dana's board mill
went, and then followed a railroad bridge.
The wheelhouse of the Westbrook electric
light station was carried away leaving
Westbrook without any means OF lighting
BY this time the debris brought down
by the raging waters had accumulated
into mass Of threatening proportions. 1t
lodged against the big iron railroad
bridge Of the Maine Central road. The
water, which had backed up against the
bridge, rose fully 30 feet, and when re-
leased spread over the adjacent territory
for u distance OF go yards back from the
natural banks OF the river.
Below the bridge were the mills OF s.
ID. Warren, the largest paper mills in the
world. The gate house, which recently
cost $4,000, was destroyed, and this will
throw $500 people out Of employment.
Pride bridge, which has stood the floods
OF 40 years, together with q power station
OF ;. ID. Warren. which furnishes light for
the mills and the city Of Deering, were
both carried away.
The Stroud brook, which in summer
time. almost runs dry, began torrent
and swept away String-strcet bridge.
Two bridges at Mellison Falls have gone
down. The bridge at Gorham also went
down in the flood, and it is reported that
ha hri6 thf. afuft, n tki-
sion of the Maine Central and two other
bridges on the same branch have gone out.
In Western Massachusetts.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass, March ALI west
ern Massachusetts, suffered from floods
yesterday, the great and sudden thaw
causing the rivers TO overflow their banks
and seE6ing the leo down stream on the
swift current. The Connecticut river,
strangely enough. did not cause nearly as
much damage as the smaller streams At
Bellows Falls, VT, the water reached the
same remarkable height as last year.
1t poured over tho Holyoke dam last
night ID inches higher than last year;
near Northampton it flooded hundreds OF
acres Of meadow land on both sides of the
river, and in this city 1t covered low out
lying districts at the north and south
ends, but no serious damage was done at
any place.
At IL o'clock last night 1t seemed to have
reached its maximum and the current was
becoming more free from ice
The Mill river, near Northampton,
wrecked small iron bridge from its
foundations and twisted 1t around In
one street in the city 1t was necessary to
use boats to get about, and family
named Weeks on the Easthampton road
were driven from their home by the rising
water
At Fairfield the Westfleld river broke
the dam and lifted from their foundations
two dwelling houses nearby. In West.
field number of cellars and mills were
flooded.
At Londville, a village of Westhampton,
half OF Watson's dam was carried away.
The Sunderland bridge is in precarious
condition.
saco on the Rampage.
BIDDEFoRD, Me-, March 2.-The Saco
river Is the highest ever known, and is
rapidly rising. Rain has been falling
steadily since Saturday morning. The
river rose at the rate of four inches an
hour, and soon began TO overflow the
banks. So rapidly did the water flood the
streets that many people were compelled
to take to boats and wagons, carrying
with them household goods, poultry. swine
and domestic pets. The river is full of
Ice, and II it breaks up, all the bridges are