Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-12
THE RISE OF WATER
While Not Yet Alarming, Causes Peo-
pie Some Anxiety.

! The kennebec is just now the cente
of attraction. The ice is going out
and when the ice goes out, everybod!
is interested, especially those who have
| places of business along the street. Of
property within possible reach of the
water, for the staid old waterway
sometimes becomes possessed of whim:
in the early springtime that transforms
1t into raging torrent, which carries
destruction in it's path.
That is what people have been ex-
pecting since Monday night. 1t had
| rained more or less all the time since
Saturday night, until Wednesday noon,
and as the storm extended all along the
river it was felt that it must surely
result in the breaking up of the ice.
And this has been the fact in different
places along the river.
Fed by the rain and melted snow, the
river has risen slowly but steadily until
at $50 last evening, the water on the
l<ennebec dam indicated feet and II
inches. This is the highest point that
it has yet reached.
The ice below the dam, which lodged
at a point opposite the arsenal, Tues
day night, moved down river soon af-
ter noon, Wednesday, and damned at
Halloweu, abreast the old town land
ing, where it remained, last night The
ice is also broken up where the ice
fields We're at Farmingdale and other
points down river. and but a small
rise would be necessary to carry it all
away.
The water has risen slowly in the
river until all the wharves are covered.
Last night at $50 there We're about
three feet of water on steamboat
wharf, and the water came just to the
iron fence east of the post office.
A great deal of apprehension was
felt, Wednesday, on account of the
heavy rain which fell in the forenoon,
and number of merchants on the
street moved their goods to place of
safety. Reports of a jam OF ice at Wa
terville did not tend to allay the anx-
iety any, and it was confidently eX-
pected by many that the breaking Of
this jam would be followed by flood
which would sweep everything before
it.
Put the breaking of the jam has not
been noticed yet. A part of it came
away and went as far as Vassalboro
but it is still there, and from that point
to the dam is solid ice. There are 5
feet and II inches on the dam, and it is
said that Z feet are necessary under
similar circumstances to those which
now exist, to float the ice high enough
to start it over the DAM
1t was generally thought that the
water would reach much greater
height, Wednesday, than it did, and
preparations were made in different
places to avoid possible loss At the
Edwards mills the looms in the base
ment were stripped, and everything re-
moved that would be damaged. Staples,
Smith & Moody, Trouant & Bates,
Brooks Hardware Co. and F. l.. Web
Der got their goods out of reach of the
water, and the Journal removed it's
stock of paper from the basement to
the other ifoors in the building.
But the water didn't come It was
just inside the cellar OF r. L. WebberS
store, but no farther. However, the
danger is not over Reports from
Greenville, yesterday, announced
heavy rain there, and as it would take
IS hours for the effects of rise to be
felt here, it is possible that there may
be a flood with us before the day is
done.