Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-04-23

lHE GREAT FRESHET.-THE RIVER Dis
TRlCr SUBMERGED.-The Connecticut river
is now last reaching the extreme figures of
the flood Of 1854, when the water stopDed rls
ing at ireshet height of 20 feet 10 inches.
During Saturday, the rise was steadily two
inches an hour. Sunday it rose at an average
OF one inch and half each hour. At noon.
1t was about y feet above low water mark.
At that Time, all the territory in this city east
OF Front street was inundated.
The flood arose so surely and steadily thar
damage to the dyke around the South Mead
ow was unprecedented One thousand men
with the requisite force OF steam, and the re-
CURED number of plOws, spades picks, etc
were engaged and stood ready to spring to
tile rescue at any moment. The fear was
nurtured and encouraged by the fact that a
leak was found near the base of the embank-
ment at the windmill The trouble appeared
to have been caused by rats which had made
subterranean passage for themselves, and
tins small opening was growing larger when
men went to work and closed it so that the
damage was averted II this avenue Of the
flood had not been discovered in season, the
water would have found an inlet there, and
the damage arising theretrom would have
been counted by hundreds of thousands of
dollars ; more than all the rats in town are
worth.
The Granite State, Saturday, unloaded her
cargo upon the platform of the railway Mt
Morgan street, but this poor privilege was
denied the City Of Hartford when she came
up on Sunday morning. The City was obliged
to go down stream below Colts Armory and
then came up to the dyke III front of tile fac
tory, where she will discharge her freight
upon the top of the embankment, today
Her journey down stream was made without
the assistance of steam. The current was
strong, and she may be said to have gone by
water all the way.
All day yesterday, there was a crowd of
visitors going and coming from the lower
streets where the difficulty lay. On Windsor
street, raft set off among tie fleet of similar
crafts, en- route for Pigville, and had made half
the voyage when it went to the bottom.
There were several passengers upon it, and
there was the alternative of going with the
raft, or swimming ashore With a degree
of unanimlty which is seldom seen in
so large party, they all decided upon
the latter course, and followed it. On
Morgan street, vehicles were employed in fer
rying passengers from near Market street to
the bridge for the trifing sum OF i've cents
per head. Everywhere RATS and boats were
darling about, a fleet of dirty gondolas in
very dirty Venice, with gondoliers not the
most musical in the world, though their gaiety
auu leSuNlly mas Deen seldom surpassed. a
funeral took plrce on Front street. Sunday
noon, and the corpse was taken from the
house to the shore in a boat. Even at that
distance from the natural boundaries of the
river it was necessary to make entrance to
and exit from the dwellings by means of boats.
All the merchants in State street had plenty
OF work on hand tor the two days, and sugar,
molasses, beet, wool, cotton, and lard, all took
a rise TO the floors above. In the store of
Ives, Hooker. & Co, a piece of hydraulic
work was performed in a very satistac
tory manner. Several empty barrels were
stored in the cellar, and as the water came in
they were raised 10 the floor above. The re-
Sstance here was great, but the floor gave way
finally, tearing the joists from the beams and
making clean work Of it ut that A small
frame building went down the river in the
morning, and numbers took occasion TO saw
that the treshet was well received and took
down the house.
The people in the flooded district will suffer
much, though oil eXertionS have been made
to modify the evil Mayor lIamersley or
dered the City Hall opened and warmed, and
provisions supplied TO those who were driven
out by the water Saturday. Last night, sew
eral families avaed themselves of this con
venience, and hundreds were provided tor by
friends in more favorable locations in the city.
In one OF the houses on Water street, a cOored
woman and six children were taken out yes
terday, hungry and destitute. They were
taken to the CITY Hall and Sunnlial with fond