Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-09
ICE WEAKENING.
The Penobscot Will Probably
Be Open, Today.
Damage to Shipping by Ice in Penob-
scot Bay.
Thick Ice May Make Trouble as 1t
Goes Out.

Bangor Me-, March 9.-(Special.)-
The ice in Penobscot river at and be-
low Bucksport is beginning to show
signs of weakening, the action of the
rain and warm wind having made it
porous ard rotten. 1t is predicted that
unless the weather changes suddenly
most Of this ice will go out within
|twenty-four hours. Farther down the
bay the conditions are remarkable and
1t seems that the ice must have been
stronger there than was supposed. II
is salt water ice and of course cannot
Withstand much longer the action of the
rain. but the latest reports from below
indicate that the ice pack is sufficiently
strong to form a serious obstruction to
navigation.
Private advices to the Journal cores
pondent this morning say that the pow
erful United States revenue steamer,
Seminole, broke a channel through the
ice pack in Eastern Penobscot bay
Sunday afternoon and steamed into
Castine harbor Sunday night, opening
the port to navigation. An attempt
was made to reach Belfast in the West
crn bay. Yesterday morning, but was
abandoned after an encounter with the
heavy ice which extended from Spruce
Head to Turtle Head. Yesterday the
schooner Catalina of Vinal Haven,
bound to Rockland from Vinal Haven
with grain and the schooner Annie
Bliss of New York, bound from New
York to Belfast, with cargo of ferti-
liZer, were found fast in the ice in
Western Penobsctt bay and at the re-
quest Of their masters were towed into
Rockland harbor by the Seminole.
| Generally speaking. the ice pack
varying from one to two feet in thick
ness. extends from Spruce Head to
Turtle Head, across West Penobscot
tbay and from Turtle Head across East
fRenobscot bay to a point two miles to
the south of Castine harbor South of
this line new ice has been forming but
1t Is not sArious obstruction to steam
ers in the open bay.
| The Calais schooners, T. w. Allen and
| 04neral Scott, which have been lyin.
| at Red Beach for several weeks await
ing the re-opening of the ports tC
which they are bound were carried
lashore by drifting ice Sunday. together
with the slOOp Rocky Mountain, owned
by the Maine Red Granite Co, of Red
Beach. The General Scott and the
Rocky Mountain escaped serious dam
age but when the r. w. Allen listed
her deck load of lumber slid off into the
water and she was badly strained. She
was lowed to Calais for repairs
Passamaquoddy bay, which alone OF
all the Maine bays. has been free from
ice during most of the winter has fol
the past two or three days been filled
with drifting ice cakes which formed
higher up in the mouths of the rivers
which empty into the bay. Considera-
BILE damage has been done to herring
weirs, several valuable ones having
been carried away and lost. The losses
have been most severe on the Canada.
side OF the bay.
So far as can be learned today con.
ditions at the headwaters of the Pc
lnobscot do not indicate freshet I'M
less the present rainStorm should con-
tinuc several days. The snow is now
about three feet deep in the hear
of the woods. about the usual amount
The small rivers and streams ar,
covered with on unusually thick coat
ing of ice and are very low This low
water means that the ice will go on
earlier than usual if other condition.
are the same. The first volume of wa
ter which comes down will lift the ic,
fields bodily even though they are very
thick. Such huge cakes Of ice if i'm
PEELED by strong current are Hkely
to do considerable damage along tn,
shores ard owners of logs and piers A.,
taking extra precautions to protect
their property.