The Portland daily press., 1898-01-24
A RECORD BREAKER.
SUNDAYS Combination Of Snow,
Rain aud Wind.
THE HIGHEST TIDE SEEN HERE
IN MANY YEARS.

Commercial Street Cellars Flooded and
Damage to Wharf Property.-Tide
Leaves Furrow of seaweed on Vaughn's
Bridge-Snow Drifts Make Work for
shoveiIers and Railroad Men.
Yesterdays storm is clearly entitled to
90 down in the records as the worst
thing, up to today, that this winter has
produced. First came a gentle hutter
of snow, which began Saturday evening,
and shortly developed into a squall that
was lust getting in dts Introductory work
when the theatre goers were homeward
bound. The wind kept increasing and
all night the big flakes came down.
Nothing escaped the white mantle, but
wherever the wind found unchecked sway
the drifts were piled high.
| The church bells rang out unusually
clear, but the PROFESSIONS of citizens who
responded to the call were rather limit
in size About church time the storm
changed, first to hail, and then to rain.
The rainfall continued at varying inten-
sity till along toward night. Then the
wind began to gradually shift to the
northwest and the report came in from
the weather bureau that colder weather
might be expected.
It was harvest time for the sidewalk
shovellers. Street Superintendent Staples
sent out large gang of men and kept
them at work all day, clearing cross
walks, and public thoroughfares 1t was
a hard night and day for the street rail
road men, but the plows were in-contin-
ual use and there was no hitch in the
running of the cars, though their traffic
was rather limited
/ An umbrella that was not stiff baok
and well ribbed was worse than no pro-
lection for the pedestrian was obliged to
brave the gale. The driving rain found
its way through the thickest kind of gar
ments.
| On the steam railroads the regular
trains were not much delayed. The COM
ing of the storm had been announced
a sufficient length of time for the railroad
men to be prepared for it. 1t was the
kind of a storm that the railroader
j breads, but the plows were we'll handled,
and the few passenger trains that run
Sundays were run very nearly IN accor-
dance with the regular time schedule.
The Boston paper train was about 20
minutes late when it reached the Union
station. The Waterville freight over
the Maine Central arrived at 4.SO, its
cars covered with snow and sleet, and
it's two locomotivesl putting and snorting
as if life was burden.
i An unusually high tide came as an ac-
compartment to the storm. At noon the
water reached the highest point recorded
in many years. All the low wharves
were flooded, and the water backed into
many of the cellars along Commercial
street. A great deal of damage WAS done
toswharf property.
4 There was excitement at the Maine
Steamship company's freight sheds when
the water began flowing in over the
| floor at the front end of the building
The freight handlers had to do some live
ly hustling to get the boxes, barrels and
cases out of harms way.
At Long wharf ice worked its way un-
ing gave way. At the lower end OF Widg-
ery's wharf some of the planks were lifted
bv the rising tide. Damage was also
done to the flooring of the steamer Merry
coneag's freight shed at Portland pier.
!. The cellars of Gait block and j. W..
Perkins company's wholesale drug store
were flooded.
!, Vaughan's bridge, which was never be-
fore known to be under water, had
ldepth of several inches upon its easterly
!, side and furrow of seaweed remains
on the bridge to mark the highest point
reached by the tide.
The freight shed of the Boston boats
escaped damage The Cape Elizabeth
ferry slip was flooded for time, but was
not damaged.
There was a big feet OF. vessels in the
harbor. A few of them dragged their
anchors, but no damage resulted.
The soreeching of the dredge in Back
bay called the tug Demarest to the res
cue. The dredge had gone adrift, and its
crew feared going out to sea, but the
prompt arrival of the tug dispelled their
fears. Shortly afterward one OF the
dredges in the front harbor called for
assistance. The mud scows attached to it
were vigorously pounding its sides.
threatening disaster. A tug went out
to the dredge and relieved her of her
troublesome lighters.
The life saving men out at the Cape
were on the watch all day for signs OF
distress, but a telephone message re-
ceived from them at the PRESS office
at night announced that all was well
out there.
SNOW PLOW BOLTED.
One ofLthe felectric snow plows of the
Portland electric company in charge Of
t Motorman Noyes, left the rails Sunday
, afternoon, near East Deering, and before
it could be stopped, plunged into some
, trees which were quite near the track
TheTplow struck with sufficient force