The Portland daily press., 1896-03-03

Auburn street department., 1900
Anhurn Water works, 1850
TeIephone company, 300
I,ewiston Gas Light comI,any, 5000
Light Co, 1,5oo
Fire Alarm Telegraph, 100
Maine Central Railroad company, 500
American Light ana Power COM
many, 1000
River f' fronts, Lewiston and Au-
burn, 1900
Household furnit ure, Lewiston and
Auburn, 300
Miscellaneous loss es 5000
Union Water Power company 1000
Grand Trunk Rail- DAD company 800
Little Androscoggin Water Power
company 1000
= Total $10620O
Lewiston and Auburn have been con-
nected by four bridges, two for carriages
and foot passengers flnd two for rail.
roads. Tonight the Grand Trunk bridge
is sound, the Maine Central is injured.
but will probably hold, and the two 9TH
ers have gone to Merrymeeting Bay and
the sea
THE SOUTH BRIDGE
broke away and went out first. The ice
had been piling against it since midnight
and q largo pool of waiter had bacelzd up
to the North bridge. The under part of
the South bridge was lower than that of
any other i'll Lewiston and Auburn, and
for this reason caught the ice sooner
There were six men on the Lewiston
shore of the river close by the bridge
when at O'clock this morning cthere
came crash on the Auburn end and the
most terrific groaning of timbers that
was ever heard about here. The Au-
burn end sank and swung off into the
current, taking the Lewiston end with it
and lifting it high into the air. The
bridge swung out into the current and
crash Of timbers and the strain of the
wires when the break occurred was
echoed by
SERIES OF SCREAMS
ON the island where twelve hundred peo-
pie jumped up from bed to see the dark
and irreuglar mass OF broken timbers
| float by ON the breast of the current.
| The North bridge went quarters
| of an hour later. The warning came
with big booming chasr way over in
the centre of the bridge. The watchers
on either end straining their eyes in the
darkness saw great section of the
| groaning structure go down in the yell
low waters. The bridge appeared to break
directly in the centre, and either side
| swung away down stream with a loud
crashing of timbers as the rushing logs
and tossing ice cakes pelted and battered
against it. Almost instantly the Au-
burn end swung off flush with the paving
land is appeared into the darkness. AS it
did so the front of the. barber shop at the
end OF the bridge was smashed beyond
recognition and the rest of the structure
that stood on piling was badly twisted.
Many of those Watching Immediately ran
down to the
GRAND TRUNK BRIDGE
expecting that the timbers of the North
bridge would sweep 1T away. but the frag-
ments of the structure swept under the
frailroad bridge. The only damage ap-
parently was ''skewing" of one piece
presumably by part of the North bridg
! ffoa ting timbers.
| OF course with the bridge went the gas
main and electric wires and Auburn citi-
zens are hustling for kerosene and lamps
in anticipation of nights of darkness to
come.
| 1t was reported early in the morning
that the Maine Central railroad bridge
had started from it's piers, but it proved
unfounded. Policemen were stationed
at the ends of the bridge and people were
| forbidden to cross. 1t is thought, how
ever, that it will hold. The mostserious
damage to the Maine Central in this vi
entity is at the
BRIDGE OVER FURNACE STREET
in Auburn. Furnace street forms the
easterly boundary of the franklin gully
in Auburn. A small brook runs down
this gully and ordinarily one can jump
across it at any point. The water is used
to turn an overshot wheel at the Tibbetts
grist mill just below Turner street. The
outlet has been n small culvert under
Turner street, where the Maine Central
overhead bridge CROSSES. The capacity of
this oulvert was not equal to the demand
made upon it Sunday and the water
backed up the entire length of the gully,
making it a veritable lake. At its high
est point on Turner street 1T came within
| three feet of the top of the bank wall.
The water was nearly to the top of the
| first story windows Of the large c. T.
| Nevins storehouse on the corner of Sum-
mer and Union streets The water was
| over the tops of the highest carriages on
| the first floor.
THE BREAK CAME
at a. m. Monday, opening up valley
in the street two hundrsd feet wide and
extending clear across. 1t left the Maine
Central overhead bridge IN a preoarious
condition. The only supports for the
bridge upon the south end were the big
| loose blocks Of granite on the corner
nearest the Auburn Motor company's
shop. The rest Of the foundation at the
| end had rolled down into the gully. As