Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-10-20
The Catastrophe at Br0adbrOok, Conn.
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 Belchar's Pond, JUS
this side of Ellington, sent terrible hooG
of water down upon the Beaseley dam, hal
a 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 up against the stone
bridge, which was torn from its sound fOun
dations, and then carried off the lower dan
and the machine shop dam still further
down. Just below the lower dam stood
what was called the old factory building
which was occupied below as shoe shop
and above for tenement purposes. The wa
ter which had passed around the outer
portion of the lower dam, flooded the north
side of this building before any of the IN
mates we're aware of their danger. So sud
den was the breaking of the dams that nc
one in the neighborhood apprehended dan
ger till the deiuge with its overwhelming
force came rushing madly down upor
them; and there was no spare time
to provide for the safety Of anything which
tenement-house were Albert Sheppard, 6
young man; Charles Davenport, Mrs Xii
conners, aud two children-one q girl O
eight years and the other a babe child o
Mrs Watkins, asleep in the basement; also
child of Mrs. Fitzgerald in the second
story, two boys in the lower part of the
building, and two men-eleven in all. Mr.
Sheppard. Mr.. Davenport. Mrs. Kilcon
tho 1offar'c ohilipQ.1 stood 1T
the doorway of an ell. and several men go
into shed near by and threw rope to them
which was caught and fastened toa partition
inside Sheppard then started to cross the
rope by going hand over hand, and had got
about half way over when the mann part o1
the building went to pieces, being crushed
a spectator says, "ike an egg shell, anC
the conclusion was so great, though the
rope held to its place, that he lost his hole
and fell into the gulf below, and passed
from sight. His body was found in the
pond, about ten rods distant, yesterday
morning. Davenport was still standing IL
the doorway when the shock took place, anC
he fell into the water, but swan ashore
Mrs Kilconners and her children Wen
down with the ell, and 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 maj
in the third story escaped. About five
minutes after the building was demolished
spot of bare ground and a portion of th'
foundation appeared, and, to the surprise
of everybody, two man appeared, having
crawled from beneath mass of broker
timber One was German and the othe
an Irishman, and the latter, though
but just escaped from death, ant
still perilously situated, took out his pipe
and in one minutes time was quietly smok
ing as if nothing had happened Beyond
the tin shop, man, woman and child were
overtaken by the flood, and swept away
but fortunately lodged by fence and were
saved. All the bodies of those drowned
seven in all-were recovered yesterday, ex
cepting the child of Mrs. Fitzgerald, anG
the daughter of Mrs. Klconners. The lat
ter's husband was at work in the mill, an(
witnessed tho sad calamity. His case is
peculiarly distressing one. He came tt
this country last year, and commenced
work for the Broadbrook Company il
August, and, having saved little sum o
money, sent to Ireland for his wife anC
children, who reached here last July. Onl
a little girl is left to him; she was at pla,
when the building was surrounded, AM