The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-10-12

severely threatened, stood the test I'M
harmed, so far as is known; but the up-
per bridge is considered unsafe. Bridges
in all directions are gone, and great dam
age is done to the roads everywhere.
In Guilford it is estimated that it will
cost $25, 900 to repair the roads and re-
build the bridges.
In Newfane and Townshead, great
damage is done to the crops of corn and
other vegetables, and the land is badly
gulled in some places and covered with
sand in others.
Yesterday it was thought that trains
would commence running on the Bennng-
ton & Rutland road to-day.
In Addison County the food was most
disastrous.
In Ripton, where the storm was severe
| ly felt, ten bridges were swept off, with
some eight mill dams. At "Ripton Hol-
low" barn owned by Mr.. N. Lewis con-
tanning good wagon, harnesses &C., was
moved down stream, while his house was
undermined and but just saved.
The grist mill in Ripton was shattered,
and, indeed, about ruined. The single
mill of Mr.. f. Matteson was cleared ofits
machinery and saved in dilapitated con-
dition. Hundreds of logs were carried
down the river to East Middlebury.
Additional particulars of the East
Middlebury losses are thus given in the
language of a correspondent.
Owing to the steady rain of Saturday
and Sunday night, the streams emptying
into the Middlebury River were very
much swollen, but the river itself had not,
on Monday morning, risen to such hight
as to cause any apprehension of danger.
Between eight or nine o'clock, however,
it began to rain very hard, and continued
to literally pour until about noon, The
river rose at the rate of nearly a foot
every half hour, causing great anxiety on
The part of the inhabitants below the
inill-dams. About half past eleven o'clock
the north wing of the dam at the Board
man mill gave away, and near half the
the stream came down directly against
the barn upon the place occupied by
, John P. Champlin, and another barn be-
longing to Mr.. Dunklee, both of which
, were swept away. About this time a
r portion of the Aume, of the peg and clothes
, pin factory of Saddler & Rogers, gave
way. Then followed the sweeping away
E of the north half of the bridge lower
, down the stream, that crosses the river
to the grist mill of Lewis Russell. The
north end of the bridge rested on the wall
or break-water built by the town in 1850
, which was thought to be impregnable, but
, the great number of logs constantly
, striking against the wall, directly under
, the bridge, caused it to give way and let
the north half into the stream, and the
, entire wall for six or eight rods was car.
! ried away as easily as though it was built
of cork. Through the gap thus made in
E the wall, nearly half the water found its
I way directly into and down the main
street of the village; first over the prem.
. Uses of A. p. Upper and the widow Need.
ham, in front and rear, sweeping away
8 fences and outbuilding, multilating and
, tearing up fruit trees and vines, and wash.
, ing away the soil, leaving large piles Of
a logs and drift-wood, and from thence foi
9 nearly three-fourths of mile, washing
/ the streets as bare as the river bed. The
r fume at the sash and blind factory of A
P. Upper was swept out, and the bridge
: near the Town House, lately repaired, i,
a a complete wreck. The farms of f. A
y Leland, William Nancy, H. c. Sessions
and the Town farm have suffered severe
, ly. Damages estimated at $4,000.
New Haven river is always sensitive
p stream to the influence of freshets but il
9 this instance the damage done along its
course exceeds any supposable possibility
q The freshet caused great destruction o
f property in Lincoln. The Thayer brother
i saw and clapboard mill e. W.Cain's STAY,
factory, and O. Butterfeld's saw mill, tn,
y sawmill of Azarias Cove on Blue banl
:, brook, and Messrs. Lincoln, Cain & CO..
r railroad bridge over New Haven Rive
were swept away by the swollen, rushing
>. current.
;. Nearly every mill on the River wa
/, damaged more or less. Mr.. o. Butter
g fields gristmill although not carried away
was moved from its foundation and near
+ ly destroyed.
d Only two bridges spanning the River are
passable, five were swept away. Al
4 along the banks of the river, machinery
h and lumber, of demolished mills, ant
bridges lie scattered about or piled up il
d wild confusion. In many places the rive
q road was washed away. Several field
- were very much damaged, and many
bushels of corn and potatoes carried
n away.
a The damage in Lincoln caused by thi
- terrible freshet will not amount to les
h than twenty thousand dollars, go, COY prob
% ably much more than that.
e Although there were no lives lost yet
c there were several providential escapes
1t from death, by the rapidly rising river.
d In Bristol We hear of some damage t.
o Bartlett's pillow mandatory, the destruc
a ton of the small dam forty rods above tn,
: stone gristmill, dam at gristmill, Howden
Bosworth & Cos sawmill, d. Stewart
d gristmill containing 5000 bushels of oat
g and a car load of corn, also the dam, TIVE
$ bridges, and the chair factory tippcC
d over and badly damaged, Howden, Bos
q worth q Cos sash and blind factory gut
$ ted and much damaged. Mcintyre
blacksmith on the island, lost one year
stock of coal. 1t has made clean SWEEP
;, Of about all the bridges on Baldwin
- creek-nine in number, we think. Oh
i one of the bridges man and boy
whose curiosity got the better of thei
= judgment, stood watching the rising food
y when the bridge was lifted from the abut
= ments, and with its freight, was carried
, mile down stream before the unwil
- ling passengers could effect safe land
% ing.
: The apparatus in the New Haven Mill