The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-17
Thousands of Dollars Worth of
Damage Done, Railroads Tied
Up and Mills Shut Down, as Re-
suit of FreShet
THE LOSS TO MADISON
Is HALF A MILLION
Water, ReCeding in Eastern Penn
syIvania and Railroad and Tel,
egraphic Communication Be-
ing Slowly RestOred-Property
Loss viii Be Enormous

ing Slowly ReStored-Property
Loss viii Be Enormous
Portland, Me-, Dec 16.-This state to-
night is suffering from one of the
most severe storms in its history, hour
ly reports telling of disaster that adds
thousands of dollars to the aggregate
damage. The three principal rivers
and innumerable smaller streams have
overlooked their banks, submerging
vast areas, washing away bridges,
buildings and great quantities of logs
and lumber, and flooding factories,
mills ard dwellings The Maine Cen
trail Railroad has moved no trains
since early yesterday, and the eastern
section is entirely cut off from the
western part Through trains between
Portland and Bangor are not expected
before Thursday
The Bangor & Aroostook Railroad
and the Canadian Pacific Railroads.
lines are in nearly as bad condition.
With few exceptions the great mills on
the Androscoggin, Kennebec and Pc
nobscott Rivers were unable to start
their machinery this morning because
of high water, and thousands OF men
are temporarily without work Many
cities and towns report great damage to
streets, families driven from their
homes. street railways imperative
through food and districts inaccessible
because of bad roads Telegraphic ana
telephone communication, though IN
terruDted between many points, has
stood the strain well.
Up to tonight only one death had
Keen reported a fireman named Pat
ton. whose engine on the Canadian
Pacific Railroad plunged into wash
out. A similar accident on TIE Maine
Central resulted n the injury of three
persons, one OF whom may die.
Madison, on the upper Kennebec
River, sustained the greatest damage
of any place, with money loss of
fully half a million dollars. One sec
ton of the town, in which are the big
mills, for hours was at the mercy OF
the roaring river, logs and ice crush
ing buildings and overturning others.
The f1ume at Inc pumping station was
carried away and the towns water
supply was cut off
The water at its greatest height was
three feet higher than the record Of
the great Pumpkin freshet" in 1859
When the river was highest today
pile of logs, containing a million feet,
went down the river, carrying away
a bridge, crushing in the end of the
Madison wooden mill dye house, the
east and south walls of the new annex
to the Indian Spring wooden mill, and
tskinnl ut the machinery to be lost
III the river bed
The Great Northern Paper Co.'S loss
is very heavy. Logs demolished the
brick walls of the generator room, de-
stroying the expensive electrical ma
chinery, swept clean its filter room and
ruined Is carloads of finished paper in
it's Storeroom.
A large quantity of sulphite pulp
piled outside the mill was carried away
and the immense electrical switchboard
has disappeared. Weeks will be needed
to make repairs and during that time
scores of men will be out Of work.
In the streets Of the town tonight
there is destruction on every hand, for
nearly all the frame buildings which
were flooded either collapsed or were
moved from their underpinning.
Philadelphia, Pa, Dec 16-Advices
from all sections of the eastern half of
Pennsylvania, over which area Satur
day nights storm ragged furiously, are
to the effect that the waters covering
the flooded districts are receding and
that railroad and Geographic commu
nlllOn are SLOWLY pelllB TtSlCIGu.
From Towanda tonight comes the
announcement of three deaths caused
by the flood near that town, and the
additional statement that two others
will die from the effects Of exposure.
The damage to property and the pecu-
MARY loss from enforced suspension of
many industries will reach many hun
dreds of thousands of dollars. Dozens
of coal mines are flooded, as are hun
dc Of industrial 1paq ad
along waterways 1t is estimated that
more than 10000 persons have been
rendered idle.
The Susquehanna River, which rose at
some points % feet above low wa ter mark,
is going down gradually, except in the
lower end of the state, where 1t is re-
ported to be rising two inches an hour.
The good reports from up-river points,
however, have allayed fear, and the in
dications are that the southern end of the
state will suffer little from the swollen
river.
The railroad situation is gradually be-
coming better. Up to 5 o'clock tonight,
when the Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western Railroad started a train for New
York. direct communication with New
York was cut off from Scranton and
Wilkesbarre. and trains were sent via
Sunbury, Harrisburg and Philadelphia, a
3 distance of $50 miles. The direct route is
only 145 miles.
The Central Railroad of New Jersey is
still tied up as far as through service is
| concerned. The Lehigh Valley Railroad
tonight opened its through service be-
tween Buffalo and New York by making
a detour over branch lines Other rail-
roads that are running trains have their
schedules disarranged, which is causing
considerable inconvenience TO travellers
Tales Of narrow escapes from drowning
come from all the flooded districts Hun
dreds Of families in little hamlets have
been deprived of their homes for the
time being by swollen streams and the
extremely cold weather that has set in
adds much to the suffering AT Newport
a small village near Allentown 500 ItaI-
ians were surrounded by water and were
prisoners in their homes for Sc hours
At Jersey Shore 200 Italians working on
the railroad there were driven from their
shanties by the overlooking of Pine
Creek