Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1857-02-16
From The New Haven Journal.

Disastrous FLooD-IMMESsE DESTRUCTION OF
PRoPERrY.-On Sunday night the town of Der
by was visited with the most disastrous Hood
ever experienced in the Housatonic Naugatuck
vallies So sudden was the rise, that the inmates
of the houses near the rivers had barely time to
escape with their lives, leaving everything they
possessed to the mercy of the food.
The Housatonic Bridge, which connects the
village of Birmingham with the town of Hun
tinSton, was entirely swept away, not vestige
of it being left standing. The bridge cost about
| $4,000.
benefits and "Downes" bridges are also
reported to be carried away; and the Naugatuck
bridge, which connects the village of BirIning-
ham with Derby, is so badly damaged by the
| flood as to be impossible. A portion of the
bridge over the Naugatuck, at AnSonia, is gone.
In the village of Birmingham, all the factories
sustained much damage, aud it will be q num-
Der of days before operations can he commence
ed The ''Old Copper Mill" was flooded up to
its second story, and all the Outbnildlngs con-
nertcd with it were swept away.
| The hardware and grocery store of Messrs.
Downcs and Sanford was covered with water
| above the tops of the counters, and many arti-
Giles in the store were wet. They estimate their
loss about $4,000.
The building occupied by the Manufacturers
| Bank did not escape the flood. The water rose
to the top of the vault and after it had subsidized,
the officers could not find dry note or paper of
any kind on the premises,
The Hawkins Manufacturing Co.'S building
| was nearly buried out of sight in water; they
suffered great loss. Their Office was swept
away, but they were fortunate enough to save
their books and valuable papers. The Nauga-
! tuck Valley Co., which manufacturers stump
Joints, lost between two and three thousand dol
Slars' worth of coal, besides the damage sustain
| ed in their factory.
The floorof the depot Of the Naugatuck Rail-
road Company, was covered with water to the
depth of four feet and large quantity of goods
stored therein were badly damaged The dwell
Hing houses near the railroad track, were lifted
by the flood. One of them, in which there we're
| u persons, was thrown over and rested against
large elm tree, which alone prevented it from
being swept down the stream with all it con-
tanned. The large house occupied by AIRS. Stone,
on the bank of the river, was struck by the ice,
and a portion of it carried away.
A large quantity of building material, owned
by the Derry Lumber and Building Co., was
swept away, and their Office building was c ,p-
sized, and landed on an embankment more than
| 100 rods from its original foundation Their.
loss must be from $4,000 to $4,000.
| 1t is impossible at the present time time to
estimate the amount of loss by the food, but it
must be at least 100000. ltcould not have
occurred in a worse time for the manufacturers,
as all of them had large quantities of goods on
hand, which they were prevented from shipping
| on account of the suspension of navigation on
the sound. All the factories will have to
suspend operations for a number of days, in
order to repair damages and wait for subsiding
of the water, which now prevents their wheels
moving.