Item 25608 - Munjoy Hill Reservoir breach, Portland, 1893

Item 25608 - Munjoy Hill Reservoir breach, Portland, 1893
Contributed by Maine Maritime Museum
Item 25608
Munjoy Hill Reservoir breach, Portland, 1893
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At 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 6, 1893, Mrs A. M. Jones noticed a trickle leaking out of the Portland Water Company's reservoir on Munjoy Hill's North Street.

Soon thereafter, a 20-foot wave carrying 20 million gallons of water rushed down the hill, taking with it two houses and a barn.

Four people died when the reservoir wall gave way. The reservoir was soon rebuilt and remained in use until the 1970s.

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