Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1856-08-16

marked week in the records Of this genera
iion for lis heavy rains and their serious effects
in New England There has been no equal to
il n the annals Of many years. In Springfield,
during Eve days, and one half inches of wat
er fell, about 4 and one half 10 tho rain Of
Tuesday aud Wednesday, and in that of Fri
day. Mr.. Wetherhead, who has a record Of
his rain-guage for nine years, finds in it nv cor
responding fall in such a brief time. In the
ten days Of the great freshei Of April and Nav.
1854, an equal amount &c and one half iuches)
fell and this is the nearest approach to the
rain Of last week. In Boston, during the week.
nearly inches fell, or more than one.ifh Of
the average annual fall in that latitude At
Brailleboro, the fall, during the storm Of
Tuesday and Wednesday, was no less than
eleven and four-6Iihs inches: and in towns to
the north of that, the report is of aghfee, inch
Is in that single rain storm alone. These and
other particulars of this storm. from the upper
Connecticut valley where its severity was the
greatest, fully accom-, for the remarkable and
sudden rise in the Connecticut throughout lis
length. From low wafer mark on Tuesday. it
ruse up here to - feet above on Thursday, and
after remaining firm there for over 81 hours
began to fall. At Hartford it attained its high
est point (lS feet nches) on Friday evening,
and began to reccdc on Saturday. The water
is now falling rapidly.
The results in damage to crops, to railroads,
bridges, roads, mills, etc, all along the Con
neciicut valley, and particularly in It's upper
portion, are very serious. The accounts from
Vermont and New Hampshire represent that
the water has not been so high since 1928 or
1880 The upper valley Of the Merrimack
shared the same experience, and all the low
lands in the Two valleys were covered with wa
ter As specimen Of the flood, we extract
ftom an account Of lis character and effect at
Wentworth, N. II. -
"a dam at the outlet Of the 'Orforl ponds
so called, gave way and the ponds, once at lib
erty, came rushing upon US, overran the dam
near our village, and, undermining, carried
away the grst mill belonging to Mr.. David
Harris, dwelling house aud barn Of Mr.. liar
ris, dwelling house and barn of Mr.. Jonathan
Judkins, shop and dwelling house of Mr. Enuch
Clark. Goods and furniture were saved. For
tunately no lives were lost. The mad torrent
cut down 10 the depth Of from Is TO 90 feet,
and washed away over an acre Of land. A
milestone which was taken from the mill and
placed in barn, which afterwards went. is 10
be seen abou, two miles below where il went
IN Sob . see"v 'he people sf this secIluu
never before witnessed, and pray that they may
never be called TO witness tho like again.
Damage to roads, bridges and all, estimated at
from 5000 to $4,000"
In the town of Hebron, Rev. Mr.. Conanl, in
returning to his residence during the storm,
had occasion to pass over bridge, but before
he had gained the opposite bank the foundation
OF the structure had given away, precipiiaiing
him with the fragments into the water, but for
tunaIely some OF his parishioners deserted his
condition and rescued him.
The Tuesday storm, SO terrible as this in the
localities named, was not experienced at all SO
miles southeast of Boston, and was light in
nearly all eastern New England. fridays
thunder and lightning showers were, however,
particularly vigorous IN eastern Massachusetts,,
but seem not to have pervaded to any extent
The upper Connecticut valley. On Friday, and
Friday night, we nave the record of some fifty
cases of the lightning striking, mostly in eastern
II,
ford, New Haven, &c. Though they include
many cases of dwellings, and several of fires
resulting, there is as yet no mention Of the loss
Of human life. The orthodox church at Maiden
and Rev Mr. Pixies in Rovley were struck
fishing party from the Glades, Cohassei, had
their schooner struck, and Mr. Cozzens of Bos-
ton, one OF the company, had terrible shock
and was senseless for two hours a similar ex-
perence visited fishing patty flom Newbury-
port, near the isles of Shoals the eastern lph,
house on Plum island, was struck and bnrni,
with 200 gallons Of oil in Worcester, houses
of Ira Bryant, Edward Lamb, and Charles Paine
were struck and damaged two hundred dollars
worth large house, erecting at Hartford by
Francis Gillette, was struck and considerably
damaged; number Of animals were killel in
various places, and hog frightened to death.
In one case Of the lightning striking Tree in a
door yard at Dedham the fluid divided on the
roots oiIhe tree into five distinct streams, which.
after burning the grass and blowing the ground
for about 10 feet, united again into two streams
and entered the cellar in Two places through
solid wall of masonry, removing in one place a
large block Of stone four feet ia length here
the lightning explored, shaking The very foun-
datlon Of the house, bursting open doors, and
sha.lering fifty panes Of glass the fuid then
divided itself on the aqueducl Pipe, and part Of
it went up to the supply spring, rolling the wa
ter the remainder followed the pipe that sup
plies the cattle yard throwing all he loGtsr com
pieteiy out Of large lpatering trough
In lis relation Of the effects of The last rain in
the neishborhood of Boston, the Traveller says:
"ln many places whole acres are submerged to
the depth of from six to twelve and fifteen in
ches' A large amount of hay lying cut upon
The ground was ruined. Under Presidents
ordse' near Quincy, on the Old Colony railroad
Inc water accumulated So rapidly from the sur
rounding entertainments. that it became at last
'hree 'ee' Deep and ran in upon the Goors oflhe
cars as they passed through it. The FIRE On
der the boiler OF one of the locomotives waaal.
so extnguished."
We have an exception to the conOratnla-
ton above that no loss of life had been renor,-