The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-08-20
Tho Heavy Rims.

records of his generation for its heavy
rams and their serious effects in New
England. There has been no cqueal to
it in the annals of many years. ln Spring
field, during five days, 6 and ono half
inches of water fell about and one
half in the rain of Tuesday and We'd
nesday, and 2 in that of Friday. Mr..
Wethorhcnd, who has record of his
rain.guogc for nine years, finds in it no
correspondent fall in such brief time.
In the ten days of the great freshet of
April and May. 1854 an equal amount
&c and one half inchcs) fell and this is
the nearest approach to the rain of last
week In Boston, during the week.near-
" Q inches fell, or more than one.fif,h Of
the average ANIMAL fall in that latitude.
At Brattleboro. the fall, during the
storm of Tuesday and Wednesday. was
no less than eleven and four-ffths inches;
and in the towns to the north of that,
the report is Of eighteen inches in that
single rain storm alone. These and
other particulars of this storm, from the
upper Connecticut valley, where its Sc
verify was the greatest, fully account
for the remarkable and sudden rise in
the Connecticut throughout its length.
From low water mark on Tuesday, it
rose up here to 8 feet above on Thurs
day, ard after remaining firm there for
over "a hours began to fall. a, Hart
ford i; attained its highest point rs
feet inches) on Friday evening, and
began to recede on Saturday. Tho wa
ter is now falling rapidly.
The results in damage to crops, to
railroads, bridges, roads, mills, etc, all
along the Connecticut valley, and partc-
ularly in its upper portion, are very Sc
rious. Tho accounts from Vermont and
New Hampshire represent that the wa
ter has not been so high since 1923 or
1880. The upper valley of the Mcrri-
mack shared the same experiences, and
all the low lands in the two valleys we're
covered with water, at Wentworth,
N. H.
In the town of Hebron, Rev, Mr.. Co.
pant, in returning to his residence dur
ing the storm, had occasion to pass over
II bridge, but before he had gained the
opposite bank the foundation of the
structure had given away, precipitatng
him with the fragments into tue water,
but fortunately some of his practitioners
deserted his condition aud rescued him.
The Tuesday storm. so terrible as this
In the localities named, was not expert
oncsd at all so miles southeast of Bos-
ton, and was light in nearly all eastern
New England. Fridays thunder and
lightning showers were, however, pariic-
ularly vigorous in eastern Massacbu-
salts, but seem not to1avc pervaded to
any extent the upper Connecticut val
ley. On Friday, aud Friday night, We
have the record of some fifty cases of
the lightning striking, mostly in eastern
Massachusetts, but including Worcester,
Hartford, New Haven, sc. Though
they include many cases of Dwellings,
and several of fires resulting. there is as
vet no mention Of the loss Of human life.
The orthodox church at Maiden and
Rev. Mr.. Pixies in Rowley were struck;
n fishing party from the Gladcs, Cohas.
set. had their schooner struck, and Mr..
Cozzens Of Boston. one Of the company,
had terrible shock and was senscless
for two hours similar experience Wis
lied fishing party from Newburyport,
near the isles Of Shoals the eastern
light house on Plum Island, was struck
and burnt, with 200 gallons of oil in
Worcester. houses of Ira Bryant, Ed
ward Lamb, and Charles Paine were
struck, and damaged two hundred dol
lars worth; large house. erecting at
Hartford by Francis Gillette, was struck
and considerably damaged number of
animals were killed in various places,
and hog frightened to death. In one
case of the lightning striking tree 10
door yard at Dedham the fluid divided
on the roots of the tree into five distinct
streams, which, after burning the grass
and blowing the ground for about Is
feet, united again Into two streams and
entered the cellar in two places through
a solid wall Of mnsonary, removing in
one place large block Of stone four
feet in length here the lightning explo.
dcd, shaking the very foundation Of the
house, bursting open doors, and shatter.
ing fifty panes of glass tic fluid then
divided itself on the aqueouct pipe, and
part of it went up to tho SUPPLY spring,
rolling the water the remainder follow
ed the pipe that supplies tie cattle yard
throwing all the water completely out
Of large watering trough.
In its relation Of the effects of the
last rain in the ncighborhood of Boston,
tine Traveller says. In many places
whole acres are submerged to the depth
Of from six to twelve and fifteen inches
A large amount of hay lying cut upon
the ground was ruined. Under Presi.
dents bridge, near Quincy, on the Old
Colony railroad the water accumulated
SO rapidly from tie surrounding embark.
ments, that it became at least three feet
deep, and ran in upon the floors OF the
cars as they passed through it. The
fire under the boiler Of one of the loco
motives was also extinguishedn