The Portland daily press., 1900-02-14
for aupply ON the lower levels.


The pipes cross Little river over Q
bridge constructed without regard to ex-
renss, but with view TO making 1t as
safe and free from floods as possible.
The bridge over which these pipes are
carried 10 Of iron, and the joints Of the
pipes instead OF being fiiled largely with
oxkum, are filled solid with lead. The
ends Of the pipe ara laid In a solid stone
abutment built out into the river for
some distance. Whom the river COM
msnosd to riss yesterday large quantity
Of ice that had beon held back. came
rushing down the river and lodged itsslf
In the channel OF the river some seventy
five feet from the bridge.
The river then forced a new channel
for itself, running over the low lands In
the field OF the late Richard Willis. The
field was covered over for width oil
about two hundred feet. Had the water
followed the natural channel the large
amount OF Zoe that is now in the Willis
field, would have been forced down
against the pipes of the Portland Water
company, and as q result serious trouble
would probably have ensued. AS 1t Is one
piece of Ice fully fifty feet in length Is
resting against one end OF the pipes
while just lack of the pipes, held by
masses OF Toe, Ia large cake Of ice about
eighty feet In length and of considerable
weight.
MIR. Byrne made careful investiga-
ton OF the condition of affairs ana de-
uided that on account OF the fact that the
natural course OF the river had been
turned. that no serious trouble could
come to the water pipes. 80 ne went lack
to Westbrook to his Office to watch the
condition Of the water gauges that indi-
cate at once when and where troubles in
the water supply may exist. Soon after
his arrival at his otlioe he noticed that
the water gauge fell down to a twenty
five pound pressure. Mr.. Byrue thought
at cnce that the main at Little Falls had
gone, and so went at once to cloie the
gates located on the Stroudwater road. so
that the supply OF water In the Portland
reservoirs ana the stand pipe at the Cape
would not run back into the broken
main. de soon discovered, however, that
the trouble was not at Little Falls, but
that the two-eighth inoh mains at Cum
berlsnd Mills used principally for the fra
service Mt the pager mills had been
broken by the heavy floods Of water. and
logs that came down upon them from the
river above Cumberland Mills. AS a re-
suit OF this break and the floods the ma
chine shop at the paper mills was quite
badly flooded and con siderable of the ma
chinsry will be damaged as result Of
the watsr.
Mr.. Byrne says that he has every conf
enos In the strength Of the water main at
Little Falls to stand the strain. He re-
manned 10 his ofiics all last night and
kept his eye on the water gauge. SO that
In the event the Little Falls main shoald
break, he would be able to close the
Stroudwater gates and thereby save the
city OF Portland supply of water for
several days. Mr.. Byrne said that In the
event a break had come the company
would have had large crew Of men at
work and the mains replaced In short OF
der, at least as soon as the water In the
river rsosdfd sufficiently. As result OF
the OVERLOOKING OF the river, at Little
Falls, the road just above the bridge was
flooded and large quantities of ice are
strswn about the street and cutters.