Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-04-08
AT FRESHET PITCH.
The Kennebec Shows no Signs
Of Subsiding.
Heavy Rains Keep it Out Of Bounds
and it is Still Rising.
Jut Eight Feet on Dam at Midniqht. BIT
Little Damage So Far.

soon give way and many were watch
ing the river, Saturday afternoon.
waiting to catch sight of the ice which
they felt sure must appear some time
| during the day, and they were not dis
appointed. for late in the afternoon
several telephone messages were re-
ccived from Waterville that an ice jam
| had just broken above the city, caus-
ing rise of water at that place of
about six feet. Common report said
that we should get the same rise about
, o'clock. and little after noon rco-
pie began to gather at the bridge and
at all the available places for a good
view of the river.
| Most of them hardly knew what tnev
were expecting. but there was some
sort of vague feeling that when that
6-feet rise of water which had been
reported at Waterville reached here.
| there would be something worth see
| ing, and nearly all were more or less
| disappointed when they found that all
the rise they were to see was one that
| they could scarcely distinguish and
then only by noting some mark and
then seeing Il few minutes later that
the water was Il little higher, for there
was no sudden rise.
Evidently the effect rise at Water
VILE was decidedly spread out when Il
| reached this city. and it also arrived
considerably before it was expected,
for the highest water for the day re-
| ported from the dam was a little after
noon. when there was reported to be
| feet and s inches on the dam. The va
ter fell very slow from that time on
the dam. but did not reach its highest
point below the dam for perhaps an
hour later. The first ice from the ice
jam put in it's appearance about l
O'Clock. when a few stray cakes were
seen. but in a short time the river vas
well filled with ice which continued
running nearly all the afternoon.
There was n large amount of wood,
logs, and also many planks. boards.
etc. with bolts and spikes still in them.
which showed that something had been
smashed somewhere above. and this
evidently was the, foundation for the
many rumors current in the city about
what had happened up river. One man
was sure that a part of the paper mill
at Skowhegan had been carried away.
was floating down stream. and would
reach there some time that night. Vari-
Gus others had heard that one or more
dams had gone out. and every dam
from Waterville to Moosehead lake vas
named.
No matter how incredulous the stO-
ries might sound. all that was neces-
sary was for some one to start one and
it would spread with marvellous rapid
ity. You might say to the person tell
ing you the yarn. who told you that?"
and he would tell you that he had for
gotten, but II was on good authority.
or someone had Just heard it at the
telegraph office. but it is scarcely nee
essary to state that none of these
stories had been given out at the tc'e-
graph Offices:
The telephone messages from Va
terville OF the 6-feet rise, while causing
little apprehension here. did cause con-
siderable work. for some of the bust
ness firms IN the east side of Water
street reraOvkd large portion OF their
goods from their Easements up stairs.
Very fewSof them really expected a
6-foot rieG but they felt that it was
Best to be on the safe side.
The water reached it's highest point
below the dam. Saturday. in the after
point till late in the afternoon, when
| it began to fall with the going out of
the tide. 1t seemed to fall steadily I'M
| til yesterday morning. when 1t was
about two feet lower than at its nigh
est point on Saturday. The heavy rains
caused 1t to come up again. however.
land. Sunday noon. it had come up over
| a foot, and from that time until about
> o'clock it rose nearly another foot.
| bringing it up to about the highest
| mark of Saturday.
| Very little damage was done here. or
course the Edwards mills were unable
| to start. and some of the cellars had
more or less water. but as the owners
were prepared for high water 1t cld
very little damage. The railroad SUI
| fered considerably. however. Owing 10
a bad washout at Riverside. the lhoo
p. M. train Saturday. was sent to PORT
land by the Back Route" via Lewis
ron hut the road had been SO far re-
haired that the 135 A. NJ. train sun
day left this station on time. ana the
rest of the regular trains. yesterday
wore sent over the road, but were or
dered to- slow down in passing
the washout locality at River
side The conductors on the
trains. yesterday, reported t"e
road to be in bad shape. but they "eie
nearly on time.
From 5 o'clock yesterday Afternoon
the water rose steadily about an i'icil
per hour till 10 o'clock when IL was
about inches higher than at any u'ne
Saturday. The rise on the dam w"s
about the same as below rising from
feet. inches. at about 8 +. NJ ~
feet Z inches, at 10. The rise at III.
dam was very steady for the ne
three hours. but was almost iiipe'
ltib,e from $50 till 1915. When spean
ling of the high water flowing o,e. ~.
dam it is interesting to cons'ue rio
record heights for years pas.' ars
highest point ever reached was ..ch.s
lago when there was IL feet II
Ion the dam and five years ea,ous
slightly exceeded II feet in the ial nnm.n
freshet when the ice jameo IN
river bringing the water up ~
precedented height. evening,
The rise in the water. last 81
alarmed many people so that so Font
tho business men on Water SUI" a., n
mon in their stores. all night reaa. IN
..o,,o goods from the baseme"'S 90