Evening star., 1936-03-15
MAINE IS CENTER
OF FLOOD DANGER
Kennebec River on Rampage
as Waters Subside in
Other Sections.
Nv the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Convulsed by rain and thaw. New
England rivers swept great ice packs
toward the sea last night, threatening
coastal cities with the same flood
devastation that already has wrought
havoc among their headwaters.
Elsewhere in the Eastern United
States and Canada, fioodwaters began
slowly to recede after two-day
rampage.
Altogether 20 deaths have been at
tributed to the Spring floods thus far
and property damage in the New Eng
land area alone was estimated at more
than s50,000,000.
The highest casualty lists were re-
corded in the maritime provinces OF
Canada, where IS perished, and In
New England, where 10 died.
Bridge Buckles Under Strain.
Names historic Kennebec River
swelled and heaved in its effort to cast
of Winters icy shackles. Three spans
of the 100000 Richmond Dresden
Bridge. II miles south Of Augusta,
buckled under the onslaught of an ice
jam 10 feet higher.
The Androscoggin River, third larg-
est in Maine. also strained to deposit
| its burden of ice in the sea.
All along their paths buildings were
flooded and families marooned, COM
| munication lines broken and power
| plants put out of commission.
More than $4,000 workers were on
an enforced holiday as textile mills
and other plants shut down.
The Kennebec overf1owed into the
main streets OF Augusta, Hallowell and
Gardiner, Me. National Guardsmen
were called out at Gardiner to help
move residents out Of the danger zones
and to clear away wreckage.
Railroad Span Torn Away.
The Maine Central Railroad Bridge
between Topsham and Brunswick was
torn away by a huge ice jam in the
Androscoggin River. Destruction oi
the 750-foot span. railroad officials
said, cut of service on one Of its main
lines between Portland and Bangor
While the Merrimack River recedec
in New Hampshire. 1t rose above fiooc
stage in the Massachusetts, industrial
communities of Lowell, Lawrence and
Haverhill. Numerous washouts ham
pered railroad and highway traffic ir
New Hampshire.
The mighty Connecticut River
sweeping ice foes toward Long Island
Sound, was rising at Hartford. Its
waters backed up to Northampton
Mass, where some 200 persons wert
evacuated from adjacent lowlands
Menace in Harrisburg.
In Pennsylvania all the large rivers
we're gradually receding. but the Sus
quehanna continued to menace river
front streets in Harrisburg.
Rain forecasts threatened to ham
per relief work in the stricken Wyom
ing Valley. where an estimated 5ot
families were routed from their homes
The deaths Of Mr.. and Mrs. Gu,
Boop and their two children at Kings
ton. Canada, we're blamed on thO
food.
New York and New Jersey reporte'
one death each.
The Hudson Valley was the onl.
danger zone remaining IN New York
Mayor william P. Wright Of Rens
selaer said he would ask for Arm,
bombers to break up jams in tn
river If its waters continued to rise
State Highway Commissioner A. W
Brandt reported after a survey, how
ever. that there was not much hkel
hood of a further rise.
A sudden drop in temperature II
Canadas maritime provinces was be
neved to have ended the danger there