Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-08-30
The Gr~a, Flood AT the West.

The flood at the West was the most
remarkable all through Minnesota. At
Sonora, fields OF grain that We're stand
ing Were soon swept to the ground, or
torn out by the roots. Oats that were
cutl aud put in shocks We're tloated
against the fences, damming up the wa
ter till force enough was gathered to
sweep everything before it. Barns filled
with hay were taken from their founda-
lions. Stables, with horses, farming
tools, threshing machines and reapers-
mills and dams were all swept down the
stream with whole families, most
of whom were drowned. The bodies of
seven persons were found and buried.
they all lived within six miles OF this
place. There are still five or six persons
missing. There were several very mar.
row escapes One lady-Mrs, David
Weisel-whose' husbsnd was drowned,
together with three other persons that
were in the house at the time, Clung to
the bed-stead, and after footing five
miles through the woods, and through
acres Of floating DRIFT wood o. every
description, was driven to the shore by
the current without scratch, got out,
and after walking all night and part of
next day through woods and grass, got
back to one of the neighbors, near her
own dwelling, where she started the
night before at ten o'clock. One woman
by the name of Wellington, was found
in the drift wood, under the fallen roof
Of her house, in her bed, with her little
grand child in her arms, sleeping that
sleep which knows no waking until the
last trump shall summon all 10 stand be
fore the great Judge. Collins Hall had a
narrow escape. He was the owner of a
grist mill. He is nearly sixty years OF
age. He generally slept in the mill, and
had very narrow escape from drown
ing last Spring when the snow went Off
He was sleeping on the main floor of the
mill, and did not wake till the water
reached him. On the East side of the
mill, there is high bluff that reaches
to within twele feet of the mill at its
base. Through this gap he escaped last
Spring, the water then being three feet
deep, and forming a perfect cataract
Here he looked for passage to escape
this time, but the water was now eight
feet deep, forming q boiling Cauldron
1t would have been perfect madness tC
try to escape through this gap On thu
West, there was one boiling sheet o
water for twenty rods. There was NJ
escape. He retreated to the upper par
of the mill. At this time the whole mil
began to move, slowly at first, but soor
attaining the speed of horse. The ole
man Clung to the bolt chest. Whel
about eighty rods below where it start
ed, the mill struck q large elm tree
which broke the mill in two. The Dol
chest separated from the rest of the mill
He, still clinging to it, was carrie,
down the stream, through the top of /
thorn tree. He now let go Of the Dol
chest and caught hold of the tree from
which he escaped to the land, wher
he stayed till daylight when he mad
his way back to view the desolation
which seemed complete. To give SOM
idea Of the suddenness of the rise.
gentleman who lives above town inform
us that the first intimation he had of tn
flood was, he heard roaring, and oil
stepping to the door, he discovered ;
wave rolling down over the bottom q
least two feet high. The road between
this place and West Chatfeld was rem
dered impossible within twenty flv
minutes after the rise had commenced
The water was one inch and half high
er at this point than it was during tn
great freshet of 1850.