A slight problem at Washburn
Ice At Washburn BridgeAn ice jam and high waters of the Aroostook River threatened the Washburn Bridge and forced the evacuation of about 20 homes on the River Road the weekend before Christmas. The river depth was estimated to have increased about 14 feet in the previous week, jamming ice from bank to bank of the river for about six miles. The two-year-old Washburn Bridge was closed for about five hours Sunday, Dec. 23, [1973] after an Army engineer reported that the ice had slightly raised one end of the bridge. No damage to the structure was reported. Washburn town manager Sheldon Richardson met with Army engineers Monday to determine what to do about the ice jam. "They're basically going to let it go" Richardson said, "And hope the water will go out from under the ice and then it will just drop." The left-hand photograph is a view of the bridge from the Mapleton side of the river. The Washburn Search and Rescue team bus is stationed at the far end of the bridge. The team kept watch at the bridge part of Saturday, all day Sunday, and Sunday night. Wilburn Scott, leader of the group, said the river waters began to lower at 5 a.m. Monday. Scott's entire family was involved in the operation, with Mrs. Scott coordinating calls on a radio at home. The photograph on the right is a view of the bridge from the Washburn side.
Capricious temperatures and heavy rains combined to create an estimated six-mile ice jam, which extended on each side of the two-year-old bridge. The ice jam and high waters threatened the bridge and forced evacuation of approximately 20 homes along the River Road.
The bridge was closed for about four or five hours Sunday, Dec. 23, Town Manager Sheldon Richardson reported, after an army engineer at the scene believed the ice had slightly raised one end of the bridge. Although the ice was up against the end of the bridge, Richardson said the bridge had not been damaged.
State police, 18 firemen, civil defense volunteers, the Search and Rescue team and about a dozen National Guardsmen kept watch on the river Sunday. The Search and Rescue team remained at the scene overnight, sheltering from below zero temperatures in their bus and fortifying themselves with coffee from the bus canteen. The river had been under watch for several days, Scott said.
The swollen river reached an estimated depth of 19 feet over the weekend, compared with a depth of 4.7 feet a week earlier. It was packed with ice and debris from bank to bank for a mile and a half above the Washburn Bridge and about five miles below it.
"If the ice had moved out it would have endangered everything south, everything downstream," Scott said.
He noted that army engineers were scheduled to meet with the town manager Monday.
"I believe they're going to say everything's alright now," he commented.
Richardson, who has already weathered two severe storms in the Washburn area since he took office early this summer, met this latest problem with equanimity.
"I'll chalk it up for experience."
The army engineers "may come up with something" to prevent a recurrence of the jam, he said as he prepared to meet with them. He expected the engineers to arrive at a decision about what to do with the ice jam sometime Monday.
In his opinion, Richardson noted, the ice jam was "too huge to blow up."
Temperatures moderated from the numbing, cold, windy weather of Sunday and Monday.
An estimated 20 families had been forced into emergency evacuation quarters by the flooding Aroostook River and local tributaries.
"I would say only eight or nine families still are not back at home," Town Manager Sheldon Richardson said Tuesday of the River Road and Gardiner Creek Road, townspeople who were displaced Sunday when the invading Aroostook River rose approximately l9 feet beneath an ice jam that extended for almost six miles.
Only a week before, the Aroostook River had measured 4.7 feet.
Richardson estimated Tuesday that the river might have dropped about 20 inches in the cold weather since Sunday.
Men of many of the evacuated families had stayed behind at partly marooned homesteads to operate basement water pumps, while the women and children faced a bleak Christmas in crowded quarters with relatives and others.
A reported one dozen saddle horses from the Winston Farm on the River Road Tuesday remained in a local warehouse, having been roped and hauled to safety by firemen who became northern Maine cowboys in waste deep water.
Meanwhile, the River Road and the Gardiner Creek Road still were blocked by water and ice at several places.
Richardson said the National Guard and Civil Defense volunteers at one point Christmas Eve had to help a Woodland man, wife and child who became marooned for some time in their pickup truck on the River Road.
The Washburn Bridge Sunday became pressed with ice on its underside and was closed to all except emergency traffic. Richardson said Tuesday that the ice under the bride had dropped about two feet. "If the ice lifted the bridge any, it went right back down again," Richardson said.
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National Guardsmen who had arrived here Sunday; two Guard trucks, and reduced crew of firemen and civil defense workers. Two standby guard trucks in Presque Isle had been released.
Pumping was going on in a number of basements.
"The fire department is helping this morning," the manager said. "So water was reported to have gotten into the main part of any houses, not that I'm aware of."
Washburn had received an allocation of $2,500 -- to help clear the two blocked roads -- from the Federal Disaster Assistance Agency through the state and Washburn civil defense offices.
Richardson said he had no idea as to the amount of damage inflicted by the flooding here, including some flooding at Taterstate Frozen Foods property.
"The water has receded and work is progressing to clear the roads," he added.
"The only thing we fear right now is the prediction of rain for tonight and tomorrow.
A slight problem at Washburn
Heavy slogging through Washburn's flooded and ice - packed River Road, Christmas day still was for tractors and trucks only. Some vehicles that tried to "swim" across the flooded and clogged road were hauled out by the National Guard. About $2,500 in federal funds had been granted to clear two Washburn roads. The Aroostook River there crested at 19 feet Sunday and was down about 20 inches Tuesday. (NEWS Photos by Dean Rhodes)
Approximately 15 families and a dozen saddle horses had been removed earlier along the River Road as the swollen and ice-packed Aroostook River reached an estimated 19 feet depth.
A week ago here the river measured 4.7 feet.
Officials were investigating reports that a large ice jam that could spell more trouble might be headed here from the Ashland area.
The Aroostook River was packed with ice and debris from bank to bank for a mile and a half above the Washburn Bridge and for five miles below the bridge.
Town Manager Sheldon Richardson blamed unseasonal flooding of this farming town on rainfall and thawing this month, and on ice catching on islands and sand bars in the Aroostook and jamming the artery.
On duty and keeping a wary eye for possible new ice jams from upriver were state police, 18 firemen, civil defense volunteers and about a dozen National Guardsmen.
Richardson said that about 6 p.m. the Washburn Bridge was closed to all except emergency traffic.
"Did you ever try to catch horses in deep water?" asked Fire Chief Jasper Umphrey. Umphrey said the animals had been lassoed and taken to a local warehouse Saturday and early Sunday from a River Road farm.
Richardson said the Gardiner Creek Road and the River Road were closed. The River Road apparently was covered by water and ice in at least three places with four feet of water across one of the flooded locales and at least one of the
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Taterstate Frozen Foods had to remove many packing cartons because of the flooding.
With ice near their house, the Clayton Corey family evacuated their River Point residence a half mile above the bridge.
Stephen Canders of the River Road said he had two feet of water in his basement earlier, but that the level had gone down to about eight inches at 5 p.m., and that he had been pumping around the clock. Canders had filled-in the partly exposed basement dirt.
The Camille Charette basement next door was reported flooded to the ceiling, with water having poured in through basement windows. Charette and his family reportedly evacuated their home Sunday afternoon.
Cleaning up
"If it doesn't get any worse from now on, we'll survive." Flood victim Camille Charette of Washburn's River Road, summed things up that way Wednesday after moving back into this house. The Charette family were driven out Sunday when their basement was filled to the ceiling with water. Charette said Wednesday that he was still pumping. "When I don't pump, the water comes in" he said.