Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-03-14
Summary i Of Damage BY
the Recent Big Storm.
Y lllIgHl!a!.ala oTa! oTasl!eas e! Co.
Susisls Loss Of 100000.


tho steamer Portland was lost, and rail-
road telegraph and telephone facilities
were out of commission for several
days. The New England Telephone
and Telegraph Company estimates the
damage to its lines in the last three
days to be above 100000. but despite
the great extent Of territory covered by
the storm, communication has been re-
esta blished this morning everywhere
except east Of Augusta, and a small
area at the end of Cape Cod. The COM
pany's officials expect to have all their
lines working within two weeks. but 1t
will take six months to make perma-
nent repairs and restore the plant to
its former perfect condition.
Most of the damage to the telephone
wires was on the trunk lines. Local
service was practically uninterrupted
in most places, though one or two
towns in Maine were hard hit. Alto
gether sixty miles of pole lines in the
New England company's territory were
laid fiat, bringing 1890 miles of wires to
the ground. Besides these. at least
1900 miles Of wires were put out of
commission by breaks. Maine was the
worst sufferer; IS circuits, or two
thirds OF all the trunk lines in the
State. were rendered useless for Serv-
ice
The manner in which the lines have
been restored is probably one Of the
most remarkable pieces of repair work
ever done in New England. AS soon
az the storm abated, during Friday
night, the construction and repair de-
partments began laying their plans and
at $50 o'clock Saturday morning their
men began reporting or duty. By
seven O'Clock % miles of the lines haG
been ratrolled and reported on and
within two hours after that the men
were returning over the lines closing up
temporary circuits. In addition to the
local forces attached to each exchange
all the company's construction men
were hurried to the wrecks, 600 men al
together being put on emergency work.
400 of them in Maine.
Special cars were arranged for with
the railroads, and all over the territory
materials were distributed by express
as far as possible to secure speedy de-
livery. Not only the main StOrehouse
Of the supply department in Boston.
y
department in Portland. White River,
Burlington, Bangor, Springfield and
Worcester were drawn on. Altogether
some 800 miles of covered paired
| wire and 90 miles of emergency cable,
| containing 20 pairs of wires have been
distributed over the field. Yesterday
the company began shipping poles for
the permanent repairs from its pole
yards at Costigan. Leeds Junction, and
Brownville, in Maine.
One of the interesting instances of
emergency repair was the reestablish-
ment of the exchange at Old Town,
Maine. which was Quilted by fire Fri
day night. The switchboard, in which
the fire was started by mix-up of
wires with a high tension current, was
totally destroyed. Communication be-
ing temporarily cut off. it was some
hours before headquarters in Boston
knew of the disaster; but during Sat
ulday and Sunday a new three posi-
tiCn" board. accommodating several
hundred subscribers, was built up in
the company's workshop. and Sunday
night shipped to Old Town, arriving
there in time to be installed as soon
as temporary quarters were ready for
lie.
In Maine the storm took the form of
a heavy fall of damp snow, accom-
panied by high winds. The force of the
gale was SHOWN near Rockland, where,
| in one place, a pole with 80 wires at
tached to it was carried nearly 80 feet
| from its original position after it had
| | cen uprooted. In several places the re-
pair gangs were obliged to break out the
roads in order to get to the damaged
lines. some of the crews being able to
make only five or six miles a day on
this account. South of Cohasset,
Mass. and on Cape Cod, sleet caused
the damage. Many Of the wires were
coated to the thickness of an inch and
a half, and the heavy pole lines that
reach down toward Provtdencetown
carried from a ton and a half to two
tons Of ice, Friday night, between
poles.
i The course Of the storm, which came
i from the northeast, was somewhat pc
culiar. 1t was about 40 miles inland
till it reached the neighborhood of
Portland, end from there south stuck
to the coast line, cutting a swath aver
aging 16 miles in width. The tele-
phone lines from Ellsworth to Bar Har-
| bor. Maine, and from Ellsworth to
Machias. Calais, and Eastport, which
are ordinarily considered in very expos
ed positions. suffered hardly any. Be-
tween Ellsworth and Bangor the poles
stood up. but scattered wire breaks ap.
peared. There was a similar condition
between Bangor and Belfast; but be.
tween Ballast and Rockland. from
thLre to Bath, and thence to Brunswick
land from Brunswick to Portland. grea,
sections OF pole line were blown to the
ground. and the wire circuits were
broken in many places.
) In the Portland district, which include.
the lines as far as Yarmouth and Cum
berland. 10 poles fell Toll line servic,
was completely cut of here for a time
but communication with Boston was re
stored about noon Sunday. Though tn,
storm was specially severe about Port
land. and the system there suffered ac
| cordingly. service was practically en-
ttrely restored in that city last night
Between Portland and Lewiston ther
We're a number of scattered breaks an,
| gangs were set to work in both directions 9
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