Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-03-25

GREAT FLoop.-The first chapter of Spring
freshets opens "strong.' OF the storm and
thaw of last Friday and Saturday, it was lit
orally true in many places that 1.-THE winds
blew and the foods came" the heavy rains
being accompanied by a heavy gale. In the
upper Connecticut valley the thaw unlocked
the winters accumulation of ice and snow
in that region, cleared the river of ice
throughout its length, swept off the toll
bridges at Walpole and Charlestown, n. IL. g.,
and portion of the bridge at Northampton,
and raised the river on Sunday in all its
course to height only exceeded in history
by the three memorable floods of 1901, lS43,
and 1854. The toll bridge at Charlestown,
n. II. was carried away by the ice on Satur-
day. and coming down stream struck against
the Sullivan railroad bridge at Bellows Falls,
and threw it out of place several feet, and
rendered it temporarily impossible. The
loss Of the bridge over the river at Walpole,
N. II. is mainly attributable to the wind;
which, as the bridge was in course of recon-
struction and still unAoored, sucked up be-
meath it, and blew it off up stream. At Bel
lows Falls, on Saturday, the river was 90
manned foot of snow on the ground in all
that region. he great dam at IIolyoke
stood out its severest trial, and saved the
town from disastrous overflow. The
Springfield Republican thus describes the
sight in that quarter
The food stretched away opposite Springfield
to the width of some two miles, dotted thickly in
some portions of its waste with orchards ant in
others with lone and lorn dwellngs-their inhab-
itants enbargoed in the upper stories while the
current of the main stream ran furious and rapid,
bearing down huge masses of ice, interminglcd
with which, but unapproachable by the skils of
the eager fishermen for fuel, that were watching
in lar re numbers from the shore, were frequent
logs, boards, and smaller bits Of timber, the
wrecks of lost bridges or captured houses, broken
to pieces in passing the lIolyoke dam.
narrow escape of railroad train is thus chron-
icled
when the constantly accumulating mass of
heavy ice reached lIolyoke, the up afternoon train
of the Connecticut River road just passing
around the curve Of the pond by the river bank,
and was stopped midway by huge masses of ice
it, and piling themselves above the other,
tearing the track to pieces and twisting the rails
up like so many willows. Fortunately the spot
where the train stopped escaped this extraordinary
attack but when the flood passed by, it found its
retreat and advance both cut off. The passengers
were relieved by stages which carried them around
two miles TO the track above"
A terrible avalanche occurred at Troy, on Thurs
day evening, involving the almost entire destruc-
ton of splendid structure in process of erection,
known as St. Peters College. The College was To-
Gated large plateau at the foot Of Mt. Ida. and
was to have been FIVE stories high, and two hundred
feet in length. Only two stories had been COM
peted, and this entirely destroyed. 1t is sup
posed the building cannot be rebuilt upon the
same spot. Tho accident occurring in the even
ing, it wa, not accompanied with loss of life or
limb.