THE PORTLAND TRANSCRIPT, January 13, 1886

                                                              IN GENERAL
          Steamer Katahdin had a fearful experience in the storm of Saturday. She was en route
     from Winterport to Boston, with 26 passengers and a light cargo and at midnight, Friday
     night, was caught by the tempest off Boone Island. A sea stove in port bulwark and
     poured into her hold, making seven feet of in the hold, and it became necessary to
      throw over coal and most of the freight. Whatever was inflammable in the cargo was
      retained to feed the fires, hams shoes and meat. For two hours the steamer breasted the
      tremendous sea, making little progress.  The passengers, including several ladies, were
      cool and cheerful. As the wind shifted, the steamer was  made to head the sea, and
      finally  sighted Boar's Head, Hampton Beach, N. H.,  Saturday night the  steamer got
      into Portsmouth harbor, and the passengers were sent to Boston by rail. The steamer has
       never lost a passenger. The loss of the cargo will not exceed $10,000, and the steamer
       not badly damaged.
          The flood in the river of the State occasioned much damage last week. Large
     booms of logs were swept away, C. McKenney of Bar Mills losing about 100,000
     feet. Considerable damage was done at Biddeford by flooding of  basements, and
     small buildings were carried off. Some bridge damage on the Sandy river. The
     most serious damage occurred to the ice fields of Kennebec, in which accounts
     are given elsewhere.
          Patents have been issued to Hiram S. Johnson, spring connection for bed
     springs and spring beds; Henry A. Robinson, Foxcroft, postal packet; Paschal
      J. Abbot, Dexter, carriage jack.
          Fires In Maine.-Moulton & Pendelton'a mills, Unity, loss $5000; some talk
     is made of erecting a steam saw mill in its place.-House of Charles Ross, Avon,
     with contents. Loss $600, insured $400. House of Millard Thing, East New
     Sharon, insured.

                                                        MEMORANDA.
           Steamer Knickerbocker, arrived at Rockport, Mass., Thursday morning with
       automatic scows. They left the mouth of the Kennebec at 7 a. m. Sunday, but were
       obliged to put in at Portland and Portsmouth on the account of head winds. These
       scows greatly facilitate work on the breakwater for the harbor of refuge.
           Schooner Empire, of Wiscasset, which went ashore at Cape Elizabeth 26th ult.,
     was sold yesterday as she lays to Thomas Towle, of this city, at $150.00. This
     includes sails, rigging, etc. She will be broken up.
          At Bath, Deering & Donnell have contracted  to build a fishing schooner of 150
     tons for parties at Gloucester, Mass.
          Captain S. S. Nickerson, of Provincetown, is having a 70 ton steam fishing
     schooner built at East Boothbay.
          Captain Bragg, of steamer Eleanora, at New York from Portland, reports that the
     whistling buoy at the foot of Nantucket Shoals is out of position about a mile S W of
     its proper place; also the buoy on the northern end of Stone Horse Shoal is gone from
     its position.