The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1907-07-25

the Norridgewock circuit for time
and the current supplying the lights
at Lakewood for a longer period.
For intervals during the worst peri
DDS of the storm the current supply
ing the residence section of Skowhe-
gan was discontinued The display
of electrical energy at the station was
of nature to terrify any one not ac-
customed to the business, but the
damage done there or at other points
on their system was comparatively
slight.
The Kennebec river was quick to
show the effect of the storm and by
nine O'Clock on Sunday morning it
had risen six feet. There were TWEEN
ty million feet of logs in the river
above the piers, extending to the foot
of the island. AS the water rose
these crowded down into a space of
a quarter of mile, filling the river
to the bottom and piling up more or
less above the surface. The water
was just about level with the tops of
the piers and it was feared these logs
might go out but the jam held and
the water commenced to subside
later in the day SO that the danger
was over. In the large quantity of
lumber thus in peril there were two
million feet for the Skowhegan Pulp
Co. and one and one quarter million
for the Skowhegan Lumber Co. If
the jam had gone out it would have
also taken the logs which these COM
panies had in booms along the shore.
Thomas Demo, who is in charge of
the sorting at the piers, sent men,
Saturday evening, to open the peck
cts, as the retaining booms extending
between the piers are called. Under
ordinary conditions these booms
must be in place to hold the logs, but
they are not strong enough to stand
the strain of high water and they are
usually opened at such times, letting
out such logs as are held by them be-
low the piers, those above jamming
and remaining in place as in the
present instance. The men opened
two of the pockets and the third
broke. The few logs in them went
down river and this, with the extra
cost of sorting from the jam as it now
exists, represents the loss TO the lum-
Der interests at this point.
Among other losers by the storm
are the Maine Spinning Co. They
had large quantity of wool stock,
in the form known as tops, stored in
their easements, under the Kidder
and Abbot mills. The water accumu-
lated in the mill yard faster than it
could run off by the sewer and flood
ed the basement floor to the depth of
five or more inches. The amount of
tops on hand was the largest the
company has ever had. The amount
of damage resulting cannot be deter
mined until the stock has been put
through the machines At Written
pond, owned by F. G.. Danforth, the
florist, the water overflowed the dam
and washed out large portion of the
bank and roadway on the west side
OF the stream.
In Madison and Elsewhere.
Madison got its full share of the
storm and the damage to all kinds OF
property is large. 1t is estimated
that ten thousand dollars will be re-
quired to repair the highways and
bridges. At Madison Bridge the Hill
ton House was struck, also a house
at No. II, Madison street. The light
ming also struck Silas Hobart's barn
and killed an OK for Chas. Barron.
houses of James Weston, Bert Hilton
and William Livingstone were dam
aged by lightning, and at No. Arson,
the Universalist church, the Collins
block, the old depot, and the resi-
dence of Benjamin Berry, were all hit
by the electric fluid. Among the other
places struck in the town of Madison
were the farm house at the David
Rowell place and barn at the G.. d.
Holbrook farm, about three miles
above Lakewood. At the latter place
fire occurred which was extinguished
with great difficulty. A tree was
struck at Henry Merrill's, not far
from Mr.. Holbrook's, and over on the
river road, few miles above Patter-
son bridge, the farm house of A. d.
Doolittle was struck and the family
stunned by very heavy bolt. Other
buildings struck and burned in Som
erset county were those at the Levi
Bean place in Hartland, barn owned
by Llewellyn Eaton at So. Scion, the
Melvin White place in Palmyra, barns
owned by Otis Fletcher in Starks, and
the buildings on the Henry Luce farm
in Arson.
From all sections of the county
COHe TopOTUh VI udindBe ny luo uoOu :
ed and overf1owing streams. The
stream which runs through the grove
at Lakewood into Hayden Lake over
flowed, washing away the bridges,
surrounding the cottages and giving
the inmates the impression that they
were to be swept away. Geo. Young,
captain of the steamer Margaret B.,
in answer to appeals for assistance
from the frightened cottagers, cross
ed the stream before all the bridges
had been swept out and was return
ing across the last one just as it gave
way. He was carried down stream
some distance, finally grasping tree
against which he was thrown by the
current and working his way to a
place of safety.
There were washouts all along the
line of the Somerset railroad but all
had been repaired and regular SER
vice resumed by Tuesday night.
The streams and water-courses and