Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1869-10-21
The Catastrophe at Broadbrook, Conn.,
Seven Lives Lost.

Seven Lives Lost.
The Hartford Courant of the 9Th gives
the following graphic account of the ter
rible scenes at Broadbrook, Conn:
At about q o'clock Monday afternoon,
the breaking away Of Bslchers Pond, just
this side of Ellington, sent terrible Hood
of water down upon the Beaseley dam, half
mile below, which was :instantaneously
swept away, and the roaring torrent thus
formed soon struck the upper dam of the
Broadbrook Company, tearing out one side
first, and gradually sweeping around the
outer-works, brought mp against the stone
bridge, which was torn FROM ts sound foun-
dations, and then carried OF the lower dam
and the machine shop dam still further
down. Just below the lower dam stood
what waScalled the old factory building,
which was occupied below as a shoe shop
and above for tenement purposes. The wa
ter, which had passed around the outer
portion of the lower dam, flooded thenorth
side of this building before any of the in
mates were aware Of their danger. So sud-
den was the breaking Of the dams that no
one in the neighborhood apprehended dan.
ger till the deluge with its overwhelming
force! came fdshing jrnAdly down upon
them; and there was no spare time
to provide for the safety of anything which
stood in the way Of tho torrent. In the
tenement-house were Albert Sheppard, a
young man; Charles Davenport. Mrs. Kill
conners, and two children-one q girl of
eight years and the other babe; child of
Mrs. Watkius, asleep In the basement; also,
child Of Mrs. Fitzgerald in the: second
story, two boys in the lower part of the
building, and two mon-eleven in all. Mr..
Sheppard, MI. Davenport. Mrs. Kilcon-
ners, with the latter's children, stood in
the doorway Of an Ell. and several men got
into shed near by and threw q rope to them,
Inside. SHEPPARD then started to cross the
rope by going hand over hand, and had got
about half way over when the main part of
tho building went to; pieces, being crushed,
q spectator says, ;'.ike an egg shell" and
the conclusion was so great, though the
rope held to it's place, that he lost his hold
and fell into the gulf below, and passed
from sight. His body was found in the
pond, about ten rods distant, yesterday
morning. Dayenport was still standing in
tho doorway when the shock took place, and
he fell into the water, but swan ashore.
Mrs Kilconners and her children won't
down with tho ell. aud their bodies were
found in it when the food subsidized. The
child sleeping in the basement and the one
in the second story were drowned. A man
in the third story escaped. About five
minutes aitor the building was demolished,
q spot of bare ground and a portion of the
foundation appeared, and, to the surprise
of everybody, two man appeared, having
crawled from beneath . mass OF broken
timber. One was German and the other
an Irishman, and the latter, though
but just escaped from death, and
still perilously situated, took out his pipe,
and in one minutes time was quietly smok.
ing as II nothing had happened Beyond
the tin shop, a man, woman and child were
overtaken by the flood, and swept away,
but fortunately lodged by fence and wore
saved. All the bodies Of those drowned
seven In nll--were recovered yesterday, ex-
cepting tho child Of Mrs. Fitzgerald, and
the daughter OF Mrs. Kilconners The lat
ter's husband was ut work In the mill, and
Witnessed the sad calamity. His case is
peculiarly distressing one. He came to
this country last year, aud commenced
work for che Broadbrook Company in
August, and, having saved little sum of
money, sent to Ireland for his wife and
q little girl ia left to him: she was at play
when the building was surrounded, and
TINS was saved. When the water first be-
gan to make in the ell of tho building, two
boys-the. eldest sixteen years Of ago
were ON the first floor, and got on to
hieher as tho wutor gaincii. till they had
reached the upper shelf Hero it was life
or death with Thorn, but the eldest, making
a desperate effort pushed his head through
tho ceiling above, and both were enabled
10 work their way to the upper floors. where
they remained about two hours till taken
off on a raft. Each received considerable
injury; ono having bad cut in his ankle,
and the other severe bruiso in his wrist
The damage to tho property of tho Broad
brook company will be considerable.