MIGHTY WIND - The story about the big bad wolf who huffed and puffed at the three little pigs' house must have seemed all too true to Mrs. Kenneth Duncan a week ago Sunday when wind blew off the roof of her barn on the Wade Road in Washburn. (Photo by Eva Crawford)

Washburn: Windy City?

Jasper Umphrey works to remove a storm-topped tree from the lawn of his Main Street home in Washburn Monday, July 9 [1973]. A neighbor's car was barely visible under the crown of the tree, which had just fallen short of a nearby garage. The severe storm swept the area for less than 30 minutes Monday shortly after 2 p.m. It felled more than 50 trees in the town proper, interrupting power service and damaging several buildings and the roof of Taterstate Frozen Foods. Minor washouts were reported in potato fields in the area.

Buildings, Land, Trees Damaged In Brief Storm

WASHBURN -- One of the worst storms in memory struck Washburn and surrounding areas for less than a half hour July 8, during which time it blew down an estimated 50 trees in the town, interrupting electrical services and damaging outlying potato fields.

According to Town Manager Sheldon Richardson, the worst structural damage occurred at Tateratate Frozen Foods. Bill Lasky, accounting manager of the firm, said winds which gusted to an estimated 70 miles an hour tore the roof off the company cafeteria and blew it onto a lower roof where it damaged or destroyed ventilating systems and blowers.

Lasky reported that 40 square feet of the-roof of the cold storage building were destroyed. Rain which entered the cold storage area froze and the company was in the process of removing the ice and the processed frozen product stored there to investigate the damage July 10. The roof on the cold storage building had been temporarily replaced, he said. The company had not formed an estimate of the damages at press time Tuesday.

Some Washburn homes were slightly damaged, Richardson said, including homes owned by Mrs. Preston Maynard, Mrs. Leslie Libby and Mrs. Lillian Drost. Four trees fell on unoccupied parked cars but none were badly damaged, he noted.

Richardson estimated that the greatest monetary loss was in potatoes. Jim Carter of Washburn, member of the Maine Potato Council's executive committee, reported minor washouts in the area, and that most growers had received some damage to their fields.

During the storm, the town tore out the gates in the swimming pool dam with a backhoe, Richardson said, in order to avoid repetition of the damage that occurred during the spring floods this year. He noted that, because of heavy rains in the last week, some of the gates had been removed previously.

The swimming pool has been closed until a new set of gates has been placed, Richardson said.

Electrical service crews and town officials worked overtime to repair the damage and clear the streets after the 2:45 p.m. storm. July 10, Washburn crews were still assisting residents to clear away more than 50 fallen trees.