Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-08-23

IHE FREsHET ON CONNECTICUT RIVER
The Springfield Republican says that the
treshet III some respects exceeds that on the
first week of this month From four feet
above low water mark on Tuesday night. the
river was pushed up to nineteen above on
Thursday, or six feet higher than it reached a
fortnight ago, and nearly as high as in the
great spring freshet OF 1854. The military
companies on the island between the Con-
necticut and Agawam rivers, were driven off
on Thursday morning by the food. The loss
of property is large. One farmer has thirty
acres of crops under water. About one hun
dred feet of the embankment OF the Western
Railroad, mile west of Huntington, was so
washed that the trains could not pass. The
track OF the Connecticut River Road is threat
ened in some places
Winthrop Atwell, Esq, in a letter from
Greenfield, gives an account of his journey by
the cars, from Burlington to that place. All
the way to. Brattleboro' the ravages of the
treshet Were visible. At B. a rumor prevailed
that the up-riyer train had fallen through
bridge. The conductor run his train down
and found that an accident had taken place.
"Ihe railroad bridge crossed a wild noun
tain stNam scarcely the width of tive long
cars 1t was full of angry surging waters,
almost up to the sllls of the bridge On the
lower side the land was high and even with
the track; on the upper side the banks were
low, and an embankment of twenty feet
thrown up. AT the foot of this embankment
lay the train in dire confusion, the baggage
car on Ito side, and the first passenger car
nearly bottom upward.
On the bridge hung the last passenger car,
threatening every moment, bridge and all, to
be engulphed in the angry stream. The abut-
ment on the upper side had given way; the
bridge had partially fallen before the last pas
senger car could pass over. The sudden bring
ing up OF the train had jerked back the for
ward passenger and mail cars and thrown
them head over heels down the embankment.
The locomotive was just off the track, but was
easily replaced.
How it happened, don't know, but all the
passengers were in the second car and went
over with it. There were about twenty, and
with the exception Of some bruises and lit
tie blood letting no one was injured. They
were all taken out Of the upper car windows,
and never were there such banched cheeks,
or more grateful hearts. The passengers were
carried around the break in the wild storm,
and in three hours each train was again in
motion.
Before we left, the bridge was rapidly set
Ting, and one, if not two cars, are before this
time, with the bridge, on or at the bottom of
the Connecticut river. Had the bridge yielded
with the second car instead of the third, it
probably would have been literally upset. with
its contents, directly into the wild stream, and
not an individual could have escaped almost
instant DEATH
Halfthe cut grain and fodder in Vermont is
now probably on its way to market via the
Connecticut. At Brattleboro'~the bridges are
inperii and buildings undermined Deerfeld
river is full, and it is feared the great passen-
ger bridge will go. Mr.. Atwells postscriptis
as follows +
NOon.-The train is just in from Brattle-
boro'. No more large bridges gone, and the
one near Brattleboro with the car on it, they
still hope to save, as the water is subsiding in
the small streams, while the Connecticut is
still rising. The officers of the Connecticut
Valley road are active and vigilant, and will
keep everything moving"