The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-02

I
which was still rolling in from the out
side. Scattered all over the harbor and
firmly incased in the anchor Ice were row
| heats, yawls, wrecks of scows, debris
| from the wrecked Wharves and here and
there schooner. Should cold weather
follow the big storm there will be several
vessels frozen in this ice hard and fast
and it will take great amount of work
by the tow boats in the harbor to break
this ice foe up
The ferry boat Elizabeth City running
from Portland to South Portland offered
the only means of communication with
the Cape as the electric cars were buried
very large number of people awaiting her
first trip to the city, and when she made
this trip her captain had about all he
could do to effect landing at the ferry
slip on the Portland side. It was SO
rough that the boat could not be brought
very close to the landing stage and people
had to take their chances and jump at
favorable time in order to get on shore.
The ice bothered the Elizabeth City not
little and right in her course were
sunken soow and schooner which she
had to make long detour to avoid.
Taking it all in all the Elizabeth City
got through the day very well, and this
was due to the efficiency of her COM
mander as much as to.anything else.
Late in the morning the Harpswell
steamboat the Aucocisoo, arrived here
from Orrs Island. She reported that the
bay was rougher than 1t has ever been
known to be before for many years. On
able to make all of her usual landings,
but she did manage to bring to Portland
the mail from Orr's island and Harp
swell.
The Casco Bay line made the first trip
in the forenoon and found Peaks island
roofs of the cottages there to be seen.
During the afternoon the Forest Queen
made two more trips to Peaks and one to
Long Island
The Forest Queen reported that the
lobster pound of E. S. Willard on House
lSldIlQ utl pCCh DldlJ ooluoSOu ny plC
heavy sea and that $500 would hardly pay
the bills Of repair.
The waves were SO high during the
night and morning that they went COM
pletely over the end of the brsakwater
and the lantern of Bug light and the
ice. The Spring Point Ledge light had
also been swamped by water and the
whole side of theatower was covered with
ice and snow. The men in this house
passed an exciting night. The heavy
waves made the tower tremble from its
very foundation. But they kept their
signal light burning brightly through the
storm.
Up at the Grand Trunk wharves the
morning found the piers banked up with
snow, the tracks blocked by snow drifts
The Grand Trunk officials had a big
crowd of men at work on the very start
and in trice the snow was shovelled off
the wharves, and the big mass OF snow on
the decks of the five steamships in port
were soon cleared away. Then at about
the usual hour the hum Of the steam
wenches began to resound through the
big shed and the loading of the steam
ships began. There was an immense pile
of freight stored away in the sheds and
this was rapidly disappearing before the
crew of men who were at work. Appar-
emily the big storm did not delay the
work here atlall.
About the middle of the forenoon the
Grand Trunk officials sent out three big
engines and snow pillow. These engines
pushed the pillow down through the drifts
on Commercial street and opened up the
track. A few freight cars which were al
most completely covered with snow at
various points on the street were soon
hooked on to and hauled away and big
main track for use. Then the three en-
gines were sent up the spur tracks which
run out on to he wharyes and by after
noon all of them had been opened for
traffic and long lines of freight cars dug
out of snow drifts in the Grand Trunk
and the work of unloading their freight
and piling it into the big cargo boat went
merrily onward. Surely the energy of
the Grand Trunk knows no set backs and
| there is no obstacle too great for the
| efficient management to overcome.
| Commercial street was filled chock a
block with snow. Until noon not team
appeared on the street and had one come
out there is doubt whether or not it
would have been able to get through the
big drifts. The clerks in the large whole
sale establishments busted themselves
during the forenoon by clearing off the
sidewalks and getting the drifts away
from the front of the stores. By afternoon
there were some teams at work, but bust
ness was for the1most part at q standstill
on this street.
The wharves were also badly drifted
and some of them it was impossible to
reach on foot owing to the immense
drifts Any man who wanted work did
| On 70 cxo 10 Grd ~ %baro