The Portland daily press., 1896-04-20
EFFECTS OF THE FLOOD
Won't Be Repaired On the Kenue.
bee for Long Time.
TO RIVER CUT
THROUGH THE ICE.

In Many Places Fourteen and Fifteen Feet
Thick-Richmond Ferryboat Launched,
Couldn't Be Used-River Men Engaged
in Collecting and Rafting Logs.
Richmond, Me-. April 19.-It will be
long time before the effects of the big
freshet of eight weeks ago are effaced
and the damage is repaired.
Notwithstanding the recent warm
been open more than week, easy oom-
munioatlon between this town and Dres-
den, across the river, has not yet been
fully established.
During the past week the approaches TO
the ferry landings on the Richmond and
Dresden shores have been cleared out. 1t
was necessary to cut the oadways
through masses of ice fourteen and fifteen
feet thick respectively.
The Richmond ferry boat was launched
| Thursday, but could not be used owing
| TO the strong current in the river from q
| freshet caused by the melting SHOWS in
the upper river REGION. The rise was sud-
den. beginning Thursday afternoon. The
| Dresden ferry boat will be launched as
soon as she oan be got through the ice.
/ Though rotting fast under the rays of
the sun, the ice Is still piled in thick
masses along the shores of the Kennebec
and on the low lying farm lands border
ing its banks, in many places source of
great Inconvenience.
River men and many others in the en-
p1oy of the log driving company are bust
ly engaged in collecting and rafting the
thousands of logs gathered from the ice
jam and from the shores where they were
thrown up by the swollen waters.
| On three adjoining farms in Dresden
1T is estimated there were between 60 600
and go. 600 logs, foated there by the fresh
ct and left by the receding waters, and
| the estimate Is doubtless below the aotu-
al number. Men and teams have been at
work two weeks getting them into the
river and it will take as much longer to
complete the task.
| Upon one of the farms the owner
/
early crop this season. He has the early
crop, but 1t is logs, and the crop he
planned for may have to be postponed
until another season.
Mixed with the logs are many rocks
| some Of them SO large and heavy as to
require the yoke of oxen to remove them.
They were taken up by the ice and car
al xofA 1+h r nh,,ic-
of them were moorings for the booms.
Another farmer has his moving field COW
cred with six or eight inches of flats,
mud aud sand and other parts Of his
farm covered with all kinds Of debris,
mixed with quantities of bark stripped
from the logs. His large orchard is
nearly ruined and covered thick with
heavy ice.
Along the shore of farm in the lower
part of Pittston the owner states that red
oak trees three feet in diameter were cut
off as though mown by a huge scythe.
The "Sands BOOM" pushed forward by
the Brown Island boom," in body,
swung in against the trees and some
thing had to give way. In an other place
large willow trees were pulled up by
the roots and rolled up like an old hoop
skirt.
The Sands island, just below South
Gardiner, was swept of trees and bushes
by the logs from the Brown island boom,
so that now trains can be seen passing in
| South Gardiner, from the Dresden shore,
where before only the top of the pulp mill
chimney was visible above the trees.
Gunners report that the trees along the
shores of the river show the marks OF
the freshet, in the form of bark peeled off
| BY the ice and broken branches, at
| heights incredible II the proof was not
before their eyes,
| The village Wharves are still encum-
bered by the thick masses of ice which it
will take weeks to melt off The steam
boat wharf has been cleared, at the COST
of much labor and considerable expense,
and Is being put in readiness for the ar
rival of the steamer Kenpebec Tuesday
from Boston.
The west channel near Harward's at
thesfoot of Swan island is reported to
have been changed ami doubt is ex-
pressed about the Boston boat being able
to coma up, but the old channel is said
to be clogged only by deposit of soft
mud which it 10 supposed will not be
serious obstruction.
/
quired to repair the jetty across the
.aCooksocket" channel, east of Swan is
land, which was CARED away by the jam.
j. A. Proctor's yacht "Isis," which
was engaged to ferry passengers between
Gardiner and Randolph, returned to
Richmond Friday, having been compelled
to suspend trips on account of the heavy
freshet and strong current.
The Richmond Lumber company is
having the foundation built for large
burner which will soon be erected for
the purpose of consuming the waste wood
and sawdust from the mill. 1t is ex-
peoted the saw mill will start soon. None
of the company's logs were lost in the
bie freshet and upward of 10000 more
have been purchased from the gleanings
of the freshet for the seasons saving.
Late Marine News.
New York, April 19.-Passed City Is