Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-03-30


Point, Bowdoinham, in letter
to the Cathance Breeze, published at
Bowdoinham, has the following in re-
gard to the great ice jam in the Ken
nebec from the foot of Swan Island to
Ieeboro:
Mr.. Editor:-You ask me to give
some account of the&work now being
prosecuted to relieve the Kennebe'
from the ice jam at Swan Island, also
nv opinion OF the pfobab BILE result of
this undertaking. e
The first seems almost an old story.
while of the latter | feel just a little
delicate about expressing myself fully,
as / do not wish to pose as an expert
in such matters. although my expert
enee in matters pertaining to the Ken
nebec through a long series of years
might be looked upon by some as pos
sessing some value.
The situation is briefly this The
inlmense mass of ice, logs, lumber.
buildings, and the general debris Of
Fthe4late freshet in its clean sweep from
Fairfield down. is lodged in two in-
mense jams on either side of Swan
Island; on the west side, the foot al
Pork Point and on the east at Dram
Rock extending up the river to tn"
head of the island. and still on to leo
boro, a distance of from five to six
miles.
have examined the lower end of the
western jam and find it a rare and Gu
rious sight AS this has been written
upon by several others, | will not at
tempt minute description, but will
say this butt end, SO To speak, of thu
lam. did not stop at this point. as many
people-I am inclined to think a ma
iority up the river suppose. by the re-
sistance of the ice below. although OF
course this had some effect,-but be-
cause by the mad rush of the water it
had piled under and over until a com
plete dam had been formed, filling the
entire river from shore to shore, from
its bed to many feet above the surface
of the then swollen current, shutting
off the water almost as effectually as
though there had been flood gate
closed, and the current only found re
lief by cutting a new channel on the
west side.
This channel is said to be from II to
Is feet deep, running close to the
western shore and occupying the space
formerly flats. virtually bare at low
water All this took place while the
water was higher than ever before
known, so when the freshet fell it left
these hills. you might almost say
mountains, of ice resting on the bot
tom OF the river. so that to it would
have to be higher rise by many feet
than the former one for this vast pile
to float.
The reason of this jam stopping at
this particular point was that this is
the shoalest place in the river. there
being at mean low tide only about
eleven feet of water. OF course as you
this jam it is not so deep, but l should
sayAthis depth extends up for one
eight of a mile or more.
This is the situation off the site of
I1arward's former ship-yard, and l am
informed that the conditions at Dram
Rock on the east side of Swan Island
is much the same. Now it is pro-
posed to cut wide canal through the
ice from the Chops to the eastern jam.
This work. at the present writing, has
been nearly completed.
When this artificial waterway shall
have been finished, it is proposed to
start the jam by the use of dynamite,
blowing it out piecemeal. and sluicing
the debris down through the canal on
its way to the sea, thus relieving the
waters. in case of another freshet be-
fore this jam should melt away. and so
preventing the water from backing up
again, to the imminent danger of all
exposed property up the river
Will this scheme succeed? AS | said
before, do not wish to pose as an ex
pert, neither to throw cold water on
the enterprise, for there has been too