Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-03-22
GREAT FLOOD IN THE CONNECTICUT VAL



The Bridges at Charlestouon and WalpoLe, ". II.
Carried Aaruy-The Meadows Flooded-Ih,
Railroads Inapassable-Ihe RiUer Cleared O
Ice; but one foot Of Snow still LEFT IN Vermont
Heavy rains on Friday and Saturday in the
upper Connecticut valley unlocked the winter;
accumulation of ice and snow in that region
cleared the river of ice throughout its length
swept off the toll bridges at Wapoe and Char
lestown N. H., and raised the river on Sunday
in all its course to hight surprising that o.
last week, and only exceeded in history by
the three memorable floods of 1901, 1913 and
1854. AT Springfield, the water rose continu
ously through Friday, Saturday, and till Sun
day morning, when it stood 20t feet above low
water mark. Here it remained stationary till
Sunday evening, when it began slowly to re-
cede. The water came up within two inches
of the flood of 1S43, within about a foot Of
that Of 1901, and within two feet and one inch
of 1854, which was the highest flood known
The high banks, which Springfield presents to
the river, prevents great damage here from
such floods. Several shops and houses on the
river bank were undermined and their occu-
pants flooded out, but the affectionate entrea-
ties of ropes and stakes kept them from en-
barking on a southern voyage, and numerous
cellars in all the center of the city, along Main
street and adjoining were filled with water,
by the setting back of their usual drainage.
The Longmeadow meadows were flooded
and the entertainments of the Hartford railroad
washed so badly, in various places on the river
side, that all its trains were driven to the inside
track. Hartford, of course, suffered severely,
as she always does on such occasions. The
water was 26 feet above low water-mark all
Sunday, covering all the thickly settled por-
tons OF the city between Front street and the
river.
1t was above, however, that the more serious
results followed this freshet. The toll bridge
at Charlestown, N. H., was carried away by
the ice on Saturday, and coming down stream,
struck against the Sullivan railroad bridge at
Bellows Falls, and threw it out of place seye-
raj feet, and rendered it temporarily impassa-
bic. The bridge over the river at Walpoe,
N. H., was also carried off; but this is mainly
attributable to the wind, which, as the bridge
was in course of reconstruction and still UNI
hoored, sucked up beneath it, and blew it off up
stream. AT Bellows Falls, on Saturday. the
river was about 20 feet above low water mark,
but there still remained Il foot of snow on the
ground in that region.
AT Northampton, on Sunday, the river was
within one foot of the great flood of 1854 A
number of buildings in the lower part Of the
town were flooded. The track of the Connec-
ticut river road in the meadows, one mile be-
low the town, was disconnected by several
breaches in the embankment, and an extra en-
CINE, sent up from Springfield late Saturday
night, coming Unexpectedly upon one of them,
was plunged off into the water. AT Holyoke,
also, the water came up over the track, on
Sunday, all along by the pond of the great
dam.
The river presented fine sight, either from
its banks, or the hills back, when the water
was at its height on Sunday. The flood
stretched away opposite Springfield to the
width of some two miles, dotted thickly in
some portions of its waste with orchards, and
in others with lone and lorn dwellings-ther
inhabitants embargoed in the upper stories
while the current of the main stream ran furi-
GUS and rapid bearing down huge masses of
ice, intermingled with which, but unapproach-
able by the skitfS of the eager fishermen for
fuel, that were watching in large numbers
from the shore, were frequent logs, boards, and
smaller bits of timber, the wrecks oflost bridges
or captured houses, broken to pieces in coming
over the Holyoke dam.-SprinUied Republican.