The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1850-05-28
TIE DAILY SPY.
WORCESTER,.

TUESDAY, MAY %, 1850.

THE LATE. IlSASl Al titSE1bC
Never, within the County, it is believed has any
thing occurred so deploable in its consequences as
that of the breaking of the Reservoir Dam, near the
village of Ashbarnham. So destructive has 1t been,
to property and every thing relative business affairs
that many have left the place. and many more are pre-
Darinp to leave, while others who remain are so far
discouraged with the prospects before them, as to be
paravaed for any new efforts. Such wide spread ruin
in the very heart of once thriving village, is awful
All along for miles, in the track of the torrent the
rains of buildings timbers, boards, plank fragments of
machinerv chair materials, broken wagons, sIeighs,
bedstead tables, doors, window sashes, hides bark
cord-wood stoves aud stove-pipe, ee-tops. stumps,
brush rocks and turf all heaped up in proniscuous
mass Meadows and fields, roads and bridges, ARE torn
up and much of the best land bordering the stream
now covered with such depth of rocks and gravel,
to forbid any attempt them, with the view to
recover the lands for cultivation hereafter.
Twelve dams, all built of stone and gravel, within
the distance of two and half miles, were swept away,
These dams varied in height from six to wenty-four
feet. Not single dam remains upon the stream
Marshas Mill, near the reservoir, was not seriously
injured, excepting the loss of his dam. The cotton
mill of the Naukeug NJ. Co. was so far injured as to
compel suspension of business which will continue
for some time to come. The dam is gone. The barn.
store, and wood-house, and 100 cords Of wood were
carried away.
Fletcher s. Newhall's Tannery, valued at SIP 000,is
mass of ruins. Though they are men sf wealth and
enterprise the sight is sickenng that they cannot
think of rebuilding and have determined to abandon it
Caldwell s EIliS's Tub and Pail Factory dam is
gone.
Days Grist and Saw Mill is complete wreck.
Caldwell s Stimson's Chair Mandatory and dam
are gone-the building so feet square, was lifted from
its foundations and, and less time than it would take
to relate the incidents, not vestge remained to prove
that there had ever been such an establishment.
Wilde & Blake's Cabinet Mill, 20 rods below. of
about the same size, shared the same fate. Blake's
dwelling house undermined, C. NJ. Procors Black
smiths Shop, on the opposite side
Several small lighthouses, store-houses, wrecks Of
buildings all damned up against the stone bridge
and causeway Of the County road. For moment thu
issue seemed doubtful, but it soon decided in favo
of the food-bridge, causeway, and the whole mas
above were swept onward to swell the gathering a
the Winchester Chair Mandatory, the next object
resistance below; the armies of Napoleon and Wasf
ington had met The ''firm squares of the centr,
unlike the usual results attending the operations of ba
tledom only saved by total waste of both fanl
the mill is there, though awfully shattered, while Il
right wing (dam) and or three store houses on tt
left flank entirely demolished by the terrible charg
The meadows below now afford a wide range for Il
waters. Cumps of Alders, trees and woodlands hay
interposed to arrest large quantities of the foatir
Piled up in strange confusion there is the san
general assortment, heap after heap for mile or NOR
sufficient, one would think, to employ all the teams
the neighborhood to drag off for months to come.
Blackburn's Cotton Mill was hard pressed-whe
power and wheel torn off, buildings submerged and u
dermined Knights's Saw Mill toppled over into Il
rocky basin below with as little ceremony as the Loo
motive would clear paddy from its track. Adams
Tannery badly injured. Amos Whtney's fin
fields and grass lands oyerspread with rocks, swan
ploughed and torn-fruit trees uprooted and barke
and the same general scene is presented four miles
ward to Rockville. Hundreds from the neighbour
towns have been here to witness the destruction, al
the general remark is that everything is far more di
astrous than they had anticipated.
From four to five hundred persons were probab
connected with the business of these various shops
manufactures, all of whom are thrown out of emplo
or If employed in some way in the reconstruction
them, still their labor will, for the present, amount
but little more than bare subsistence, unless SOM
thing can be done to revive and encourage the peop
Here is dead loss-no Misunderstanding to sta
with The sum total Of the injury in ali its bearing
cannot fall short of one third of the Towns valuation
$4l4,O0O. Under these circumstances, is it not ncun
bent upon the public to to the relief Of these su
ferers G. s