Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-16

Boston. April 15.-Swollen by the
heavy rain Of yesterday and today, and
by the melting of the lingering rem
nant of the winters snow on the hill
sides, all the streams of New England
assumed freshet proportions today and
some of them caused much damage.
Railroad tracks were flooded, roadbeds
washed out, culverts carried away,
trains held up, and factories forced by
high water to shut down in various
parts of northern New England. The
worst conditions were reported in Yer
mont and New Hampshire, around tn
headwaters of the Connecticut, Merri-
mac and Androscoggin rivers. Some
apprehension as to the rapid rise OF
the water was felt also at points along
the lower reaches of the rivers where
great industrial plants are located, but
tonight the freshet seemed to have
reached it's highest stage and rivermen
thought that tomorrow would see
falling off in water depth
At Holyoke the water at 6 O'CLOCK
this evening stood at a height of l.
feet over the dam, but the rise had
been growing less, hourly. since noon
and no inconvenience on account OF II
was anticipated in the paper mill dis
trict there. In Brattleboro, higher Ir
the river, a good deal of damage was
done, and the water reached the nigh
est point ever recorded. This, now
ever was due, not to the size OF freshel
wholly, but to the fact that it was me
| first big freshet since the completion
of the power dam across the Connect
cut six miles below Brattleboro To-
night the water was running il Tee
over this dam, and the pond had back
ed up so that 100 feet of the West XIV
err Railroad branch Of the Central
Vermont, was washed away, and som'
| farm buildings were flooded. The
Brattleboro Electric Light Co. had 10
abandon temporarily it's main power
plant on account of the rise of water,
| and take power from an auxiliary plant
| in West Bummerston. Train service
between South Londonderry and Brat
tleboro was delayed by the washout On
| the West River branch, and passengers
had to be transferred around the break
| in the roadbed. ~
| Several manufacturing plants in 81.
| Adams. VT, were forced to shut down
and the trolley lines were put out OF
commission by the rise of the Lamollie
river, which stopped the operation OF
the power plant of the railroad IRAN
service from Hardwick to the north
was suspended.
Hirhways near the Passumsick riV-
er at St Johnsbury were under Walei
today tc a depth of three feet, SO that
| railroad tracks were the only means or
travel. The villages of st. Johnspury
Center. Linden, Lindenville and EAST
| Barnet were cut off from St. johns
bury and practically isolated.
one small dam at Linden went out
Railroad men have been keeping close
| watch at the Boston & Maine Railroad
bridge near the point where the Pas
sumpsic empties into the Connecticut
b,,r tonight it was said all danger 10
| the structure had passed as the river
was rising only slowly and woulo proo-
ahly coon begin to recede
Three washouts near Roxbury, W.
DELAYED through train service on the
| Central Vermont Railroad. A loconio-
| tive and two cars of another train were
ditched by a washout near the Rox-
| bury fish hatchery, and the engineer
| Burt Smith, was severely burned py
steam. He was taken to the Heaton
hospital at Montpelier.
All trains on the Maine Central ana
the Grand Trunk in the vicinity OF
Coiebrook, n. H.. were tied up by
washouts. and Colebrook WIS cut off
from travel completely, highways as
we'll as railroads being impossible on
account of the sudden rise OF water IN
| the Mohawk river and other tributary
streams of the Connecticut IN that Tar
| north section of the Granite state.
The Androscoggin and the Dead riv-
ers at Berlin, n. H. were at nooo
height, but the principal damage was
confined to the overfiowing of streets
and cellars No serious railroad wash
outs were reported in that vicinity.
The tracks of the Bristol branch OF
the Concord division Of the Boston 4
Maine at Franklin, N. H. were covered
with water today from the overflow or
the Pemigewasset river, and a hosiery
mill on the Winnepesaukee river In
Franklin had to shut down because OF
| water in the wheel pit.
great rise in the Merrimac river
was reported, but little damage was
caused and TO especial alarm was felt
at any point. Montpelier. VT, expert
enced much trouble from the Winooski
river which reached it's highest point
| of the spring The Lane Manufacturing
CO. Rad to be closed and nearly all bus
mess places in the city suffered by the
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