Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-03-26
FRESHET.
UNION RIVER AGAIN REACHES
DANGEROUS HEIGHT.
NOT QUITE UP TO LAST YEARS RECORD
SOME DAMAGE-DEsTRUCT
WROUGHT AT BANGOR.

| Union river nave been SUBJECT TO the
strain OF fr,shet which at its height
Sunday was about two inches short OF the
high water record established last year.
On the five saw dam, owing to changes
made In the dam since last year and an
obstruction at one side OF the dam, the
wster was a little higher than last year,
but at the railroad bridge 1t lacked two
inches OF last year. Even this difference
might have been due to the better vent
afforded by the new Bangor bridge, as
last year the old bridge was submerged,
and with logs jsmmed against IL doo btless
backed up the water to some extent. Con-
sidering these things, 1t is probable that
there was little II any difference in the vol
ume OF water last year and this.
The principal damage from the freshet
was, as last year, at the lower dam. Here
on Sunday afternoon one fume of the
Boston Reduction Co.'S mill burst, and
the water, gaining this advantage, soon
ripped out piece OF the flooring OF the
mill, about twenty FIVE feet square, carry
ing with II several tanks.
To relieve the pressure on the mill and
save II from further oamsge, II was decid-
ed to blow out section OF the horse dam
built last year to replace the buikhead
that was carried away last spring. Two
charges of giant powder were put In the
dam Sunday evening, the last one opening
q hole IN the dam about ten feet wide.
This did not relieve the pressure on the
mill materially, and Monday forenoon
4 two more cl argos were fired.
The first shot hurled q column OF water,
spray and large pieces OF legs eighty feet
into the air, and started the little jam of
logs that had formed on the dam. The
second shot did no great execution, but
weakened the dam SO that during the
| afternoon another section gave way, and
there 10 now a break forty feet wide in
| the dam. This has lowered the water SO
that there is no further danger to the
mill.
| The loss to the reduction company on
mill and dam will be someth hing over Il 600.
| Great anxiety was felt at one time for
the Reeds brook dam, which had shown
signs OF weakening. With the great vol
ume Of Green lake behind 1t, the break
4 ing OF this dam meant serious trouble for
all bridges and dams below 1t. The dam
has held, however, and with the water
rapidly falling as 1t is at present, no
further anxiety Is felt.
/ The water has caused some ge to
| was again submerged, and was held In
place by rocks and chains. The water
was over the road for some distance each
side OF the bridge, and the roadway
doubtless will be found badly washed
out. What damage IL any has been done
to the bridge cannot be sscertained until
the water falls to its normal level.
Simon Garland, the mail carrier between
Ellsworth Falls and Lakewood, had mar
row escape at Brimmer's bridge Friday
morning. Mr.. Garland was on his regu-
lar trip down. He forded the river safely
on the further side, and crossed the
bridge, but In fordiDg the submerged
roadway this side of the river, he drove
out of the road, and horse, wagon and
driver were swept into deep water below
the bridge.
The horse was drowned and Mr.. Gar
land was almost exhausted when beued
out OF the water by Herbert Salisbury,
who went to his assistance In boat
which fortunately happened to be near.
On the Shore road, near the fge-ssw
dam, small bridge was washed out, and
the road is impossible. All shout the city
roads and cuiverts are badly washed, and
the city will be put to considerable tx.
pc nse to repair damages.
DESTRUCTION AT BANGOR.
The destruction wrtusnt by tue ireshet
| at Bangor is he greatest since the disas-
trous flood OF 1916. The damage which
most concerns Ellsworth is the carrying
away OF large portions of the railroad and
toll bridges across the Penobscot, but the
property loss In the flooded district is
estimated at from goo, 900 to $500 900.
Tue real beginning OF the trouble goes
back to the formation of the anchor ice IN
the river several months ago, and many
OF the expert river men have been proph-
| esying trouble to come since that time.
The jam, " hose rush down stream carried
| with it the two bridges, was composed OF
an immense quantity of ice,given strength
and soiidity by many huge logs that were
frozen in the mass.
1t was a little after o'clock IN the af-
teruoon Thursday that this jam began to
move, aud down the stream it came until
ii brought up against the jam at High
Head, where it was held, although the
force OF the impact drove the High Head
dam something like half mile down tie
river.
The water in the river rose steadily ali
| Thursday afternoon and evening, and
gradually 1t had its effect upon the mass
OF ice aud logs. Farther and farther to-
wards the channel worked the mass, un-
til at little after O'Clock, 1t had worked
out until IL had caught the current ane
swung free from its moorings. Then,
slowly at first, but with increasing mo-
mentum, it fioated down the river on Its
tour OF humiliation. The first OF the
mass swept 40 around the piers of the