Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-08-22
Hllslellanp.
For the Freemau
Ehe Great Flood of 1880 In Onion
River

High floods n Onion Rver have ever been
eveaIs OF frequent occurrence, but none any
thing near so nigh a. Inc | have here un-
dertaken 10 describe, since the first set' leAent
OF Montpelier. One or Two years before that
settlement, however, there appears TO have been
8 hood o1 such al extraordinary chartcter, that
T. would be iuexcusaoe not 10 advert 10 II 10
connection with tGst OF 1880, which is gener-
ally believed TO lave been the greatest that ev-
7r occurred the river. But 1t was not lie
yreal wilderness food, TO which l nave just al
Iuded, must nave been a. least tour iest higher,
a. the evidence once existing conciuslveiy dem
cf.straL-u- lie late Thomas Davis, who, wI,h
his father, Col DAVIS, others, feIied the
forest on SAFE street meadow, told me that
on cutting down Inc timber, oD the knoll where
the Pavilion Hotel subsequently, erected,
he found ks OF muddy wafer and sand IN
the mosses On the four feet from the
ground, witch evidently the effect OF d
previous Hood and as the natural level OF this
knoll vas not aJered IN laying the foundaio
OF the hotel, ard as the water did not rise 10
hat level IN 1880 Dy nearly foot, 1t shows
lh4t his former flood must nave bsrn four or
five feet higher than the latter. And II fur
ther and more direct proof of this fact
needed, We have in the testimony of Judge
Seth Putnam, VITO had just come into
M.ddlesex wnen the food occurred. and who,
N his llf- time, used point out a rock on his
farm which the water then reached, but which
vas never afterwards reached by more than
four teet in the general depth of the stream.
The week previous to the food of 1880 was
among the very hottest ever experienced IL
Vermont, the thermometer, through seven con-
secutive days, ranging from 81 to 100 degrees.
This unusual heat was then followed by an un-
usual rain, which continued with short intervals,
through four days, and wound up with its heav-
lest fall during the night of the 26th and 9th
Of July, when it poured down as if the win
doWs Of heaven were indeed opened on TO the
earth The whole amount of rain falling dn-
ring these four days accurately measured at
Burlington and found to be between seven and
eight inches, and much larger amount was
afterwards ascertained to have fallen here
among the mountains than fell at Burlington,
It is probable that the fall at Montpelier and
vicinity was more than ten inches, Dearly one
enrd Of our yearly average of rain !; and what
was still more surprising. nearly one-half OF that
extraordinary quantity fell during the last night
of the rain. The result was might have
been expected. The morning OF the 9th
broke upon Montpelier to disclose to its aston
ished inhabitants one broad, unbr oxen lake ex-
tending from hill to hill around it, and sub
merging to depths of from three to ten feet
the entire site of the village, excepting only
the locations of very few houses stand ing on
the rising ground adjoining the hills. Not
only wers the cellars completely filed, but the
water rose on the floors of the houses .everal
feet deep in the greater portion of them, and
IN many OF them the sills Of the lower win
dows. and, in some of them, even to the up
per sash, setting all the furniture ahoat, and
driving the alarmed inmates into the upper
stories of their nabitations to escape the invad-
ing element.
The water continued rising till towards noon
when the flood eliminated, and, to the grea
JOY OF the inhabitants, 500 began gradually te
suoside, and, for the safety OF the town, 1t wal
nigh time II should do so. Three small build
ings had already hoated into Onion River
others were trembling and tottering on the
scarcely retained foundations, and had the va
ter continued TO rise much longer, no on'
could tell now many OF even the larger class o
habuaions with their helpless inmates woult
have been swept away to destruction and death
Ihe bridges over the branch we're gone. Hog
other domestic animals were drowned ii
Their pens or yards. Sleds, sleighs, fire wood
lumber and everything movable about The house
aud barns mad been Carried away, and vhs
Was still more alarming, large inroads along tn
soft meadow banks began be made, new ami
dangerous currents formed, producing dee