High tides at Medford.
Under the head of ‘Distillation,’ Mr. Brooks mentioned one Blanchard, whose first plant ‘was east of the bridge. There rose a tide so high as to overflow all his vats with salt water. This ruined him, as entirely as it did his rum.’ He added, ‘With courage he kept his spirits up,’ etc.Times have changed—some keep courage up with spirits—still the tides ebb and flow, and occasionally run very high. In 1851, at the destruction of Minot's Light, Medford Square was flooded, and transit was had in boats, but the square has been raised since. Stories are told of numerous boulders then rolled upon the canal aqueduct to weight it down. No tide, since, equalled it, not even in the ‘Portland storm.’
On December 26 last, after a raging storm, the tide rose almost as high as in '51, flooding the wharves and rising on old Ship street. The new dam proved its usefulness and stability. The upper Mystic remained at its normal height, and perils by flood, such as Chelsea had, were not added to blockade by storm. [p. 25]
