Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-09-12
WINSLOW BRIDGE
Continued from Page One)

Big Volume OF Water
Such a volume Of water was COM
ing down the river at noon that the
height of water above the dam was
scarcely lowered by the break The
railroad bridge is being rebuilt by the
Maine Central and traffic has passed
over the bridge all the time during
the reconstruction. Falsework con-
sisting of 40-foot posts with cross
bracing on top of which are what is
known rs Gambler strigers, which run
lengthwise of the top of the bridge.
On top of the Gambler stringers are
open wedges on which rests the old
steel structure and the new sections as
they are replaced. The old bridge,
which weighs Az tons, was found to
be insufficient for the amount of traf-
fic passing over the road and is being
replaced by structure weighing $50
tons. The process of reconstruction
consists of raising the old structure
and placing beneath it the falsework
to support it while the bridge is being
rebuilt piece by piece.
Heavily Loaded Train ON Bridge to
Hold It
The work of reconstruction was 60
ing on rapidly up to the time of the
flood and all but one section of the SUI
perstructure had been torn away and
many of the new Orders put in place.
Until the water subsidies very little
work can be done. When the water
began to rise. nine flatcars loaded with
granite blocks and scrap iron We're run
out onto the bridge to help hold it
down. All day long scores of workmen
were about the bridge but were unable
to make much progress.
oil @,,tI b.,
fic over the road will be resumed the
first of the week if the water goes
down at once. Until that time through
trains between Bangor and Boston will
be run via TIE hack road which passes
through Lewiston. and local. trains be-
tween Portland and this city will &c
as usual over the main line between
Winslow and Portland via Brunswick
Passengers will be transferred between
Waterville and Winslow by automobile
Freight trains will run over the bacl,
road. Passenger service was interrupt
ed very little by the food. practically
all Of the trains arriving on time yes
terday. ,r,.t,..t
NO Great itusn Logs
About 1870 this morning the re-
port reached the city that another
boom had broken above the Shaw
nut dam and that when the loys
arrived at Waterville the railroad
bridge was sure to go out. Hun
oTed3 of people Swarmed along the
upper rail of the Ticonic road bridge
in anticipation but the logs did not
arrive for they were halted by crew.
of men working at the Holdings
worth and Whitney boom above rho
city. AS it was only a few logs es-
capped from the Shawmut boom be-
fore repairs were made.
1t was the first rush of logs from
the boom above the city that did the
damage and the water alone did MI
Damage the falsework under the
bridge to any great extent.
During high water a great strain
comes On part of the piers of the
Lridge due to the fact that the east
ern end is Just below the Ticonio
dam while Western end is above the
dam. Both the dam and the bridge
pass diagonally across the river.
Tie logs passing over the eastern
end of the dam gained tremendous
speed and when they crashed into
the falserork the roar could ne
heard for some distance. Some of
the supporting thinkers were snapped
off and in a few seconds a great gap
was torn. The bridge held on a
level until about 945 when the
east ,rn end crumpled and dropped
back onto the old pier buckling
hugh steel girders and swapping
timbers more thar a foot square. At
this time it looked as though The
west span OF falsework might give
away due to the fact that part of the
lase OF the falsework had been
washed out.
Sudden Rise OF water
Although the flood was expected
nv rivermen the average citizen was
amazed VITA the suddenness with
which the waters lose but it was a
very short time before the news of
the fresl.et had spread about the
city and all day. long thousands OF
citizens lined the bridge rail and
tiafiic was tied up by interested
spectators who stopped their cars to
take look at the raging torrent.
To make matters worse work WIS
started today rebuilding the surface
on the Ticonic road bridge and
teams were engaged all day long
hauling heavy timbers onto the
bridge.
The city was swept by one Of the Sc
verest storms of the season all day
yesterday and several inches of rain
fell. The effect on the Kennebec river
was little in evidence last night. Yes
terday morning at 9 o'clock, according
to the readings at the Bangs power
station. at Ticonic dam 10 inches of
water was going over the flash boards
At 3 o'clock this morning the water
hnd rsc
the river had risen Is inches and at 8
o'clock Is inches more. 1t was be-
lieved that the 1S-inch fiashboards were
carried out during the morning and at
3 O'Clock IS inches Of water was going
over the dam. At noon IS inches was
the measurement, taken a rise Of al
most four feet in less than nine hours.
While this was not as high as the
freshet year ago this spring when the
lower part of the town of winsIow
was Hooded and more than II feet of
water passed over the dam at the
height of the food. the rise of the Ken
nebec did more damage this time than
1t did year ago. A year ago the wa
ter was the highest that 1t had been
for many years. but the river was the
highest for the time Of year yesterday
that it had been for several years.
Hot Looked for
One reason for the damage yesterday
was the fact that q freshet is not ex-
pected at this time Of the year, while
In the spring preparations are made
to cope with rise in water. But a
Few days ago anyone could have walked
almost up to the underside of the IT,
comic dam at times the water was so
low. and the reason for constructing