A detached piece of the Richmond-Dresden bridge floated downstream in the ice-choked Kennebec River. Bridges along the Kennebec, unable to withstand the pressure of thousands of tons of water backed up by ice jams, tore from their foundations during the night of Friday, March 13, 1936.

Gannett's Portland Flying Service conducted multiple flights over the flood-ravaged area, possibly spanning several days, with a focus on the plight of the Richmond-Dresden bridge. The Kennebec Journal’s pictorial review featured photographs of the bridge before, during, and after its upheaval.