Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-03-07
A JAM OF JAMS.
Worst Condition of River Is
in Vicinity of Richmond.
Estimated That 100000 Feet Of
Logs Beside Saved Lumber
Is Packed in jam--Hopes Of Saving Much
Estimates Of Damage.

description cttu 40 JuStlCc W tllc sChHN pro
sented by the Kcnnebec river and its
banks after the freshet. Never before
have the elements conspircd SO success
| fully to turn things upside down to the
general Inconvenience Of all and damag.
to many.
From the foot of Swan island, on both
sides, to the head nearly five miles, and
above neatly TO lceboro, the river is one
mass of ice logs, lumber, boat houses, out
houses, sheds, bridge wreckage and gen
eral wreckage from ice houses along the
river. 1t is packed solid nearly to the
bottom i'll many places and many feet up
on the banks and wharves.
There is at present n standstill, bur
should rain follow, or should the anchor
ice collect sufficiently To block the passage
of the water, there can be no estimate of
the damage that may ensue.
The damage in this vicinity is consider
able. though not so extensive is suffered
at Gardiner When the great mass of tho
jam came down and rounded the ferry in
to the western channel, 1t drove out the
occupant of the Wood residence to higher
ground. So sudden was the rise that To
save the pigs in the stable, u hole had to
be cut in the wall. The ice heared up on
and all about the piazza and it was feared
that the house must 60, but luckily jam
lower down stopped tine moving mass.
Just below the ferry the Richmond
Lumber Co. lad boom containing about
S60e0 worth of logs. The boom WAS
broken, but no logs lost, though they are
strewn in every direction on the shore and
in the fields. Immediately below is the
mill i,lan6. which escaped destruction by
great luck. To the north and on the river
bank was a great pile Of slabs, about 4o0
cords This held its own against the
freshet, and warded of the danger from
the mills and logs, though the rest of the
wharf was lifted some 1--WE feet. Had it
not been for this, the logs above men
toned would also have gone down.
The water rose in the mill over the
boilers, but as al the BELTS. etc, were
stored away for the winter, tbc damage
was slight. The eItfnnd Side of the plan
ing mill werestove In, and the two bridges
across the stream carried away. NJ. p.
Milliken, the resident member of the firm,
says that the actual damage to the mill
property is SO slight. compared with what
it might have been, that he counts it as a
mere trihe, with great thankfulness for SO
easily escaping.
The company also had a boom on the
Dresden shore, near the Court House, con
tanning S00oslogs. Last fall, with the
feeling that they might be needed, Mr.
Milliken hAd two drayloads of lines sent
IN I, ict bor ho
menced to rise, he sent a crew of men to
the spot, and by the help Of these lines
saved every log Mr.. Milliken has crew
at work rebuilding the village boom.
The steamboat wharf was treated in
rough fashion by the freshet. The large
freight house was twisted off its founda-
zion, its back broken, and the south end
collapsed. The waiting room and office
was also damaged. Ice and debris is
piled many feet deep all about the wharf
Harlow's coal shed was not badly dam
aged, though the stages, scales and sleds
are not in the best of condition. The loss
will not exceed $500.
The pumping station had five feet of
water above the pump room floor. The
floor was burst through and the brick
walls injured in places. The big store
house stood its ground. Supt. Pushard
worked early and late to locate leak that
shut off the water supply. When every
thing is cleared away and the damage
repaired, it will have cost the company
$500.
Ames' blacksmith shop was swept away
and the roof now lies near Farnham' 8
store Loss, $500 or $500.
IA boat house owned by J. G. C. Farm
ham punched hole in the rear of his
store. and the water also did about 800
damage to goods in the basement
Haynes hardware store was wet down
in the basement, but the damage was not
heavy The other stores on the river side
had the lower parts flooded but no dam
age done.
Hagar's coal sheds We're badly wrecked,
as before reported, and his loss will he
heavy, probably $1,000.
The Southland Mills sustained the
heaviest loss at this place. The ice swept
away the coal shed and waste house. and
piled the wreckage in great heaps about
the engine house and below, while the ice
and logs are many feet high about the
whole. One great log was forced end Oh
into and about the whole length of the
machine shop, bursting the doors like
paper The lower floor Of the mill was
flooded and the loss is hard to estimate,
hut cannot be less than $4,000 or $1,000
1t is thought that it will be at least two
weeks before the mill can be started up,
and this will cause an additional loss to
employees of about $1,000 in wages.
The next chance the jam had to vent
its spite was at the Navy yard" Just
above Southards shipyard. Here are
hauled up every winter number of
yachts, boats and scows. The boat houses
were all swept from their footholds, and,
with Rowe's old blacksmith shop swept
100 feet to the southwest to the high bank
Rowe's new shop stood the test in great
shape The ice is piled up nearly to the
tops of the windows, but the only damage
done was to move it about Is inches. The
building and contents were worth at least
$1,000.
The steam pile driver Eureka owned by
Capt Rowe. and large skow owned by
Lawrence Bros, were banged about. The
Eureka was not extensively damaged, but
the skow was broken in two. 1t will take
Continued ON pagea.l