Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-05-27
The Mill River Flood.
INCIDENTS, COMMENTS, ETC, ETC.


man Quigley's iamily y, who were clearing
up their breakfast table when the waite
burst in at the cellar door, Mrs. Quig
ley and her two handsome, sprlght.,
daughters, and a school ma am visitin!
them, rushed up stairs to the second story
OF the l. part, in which they were, anC
thence watched the tremendous spectacle
They had hardly reached their harborage
when the front part of the house wa.
wrenched of as swiftly and easily as onc
would tear paper ;and the floor capped
widely beneath them with the iere
strain. They saw the great brick mill
tremhle and collapse like chilI's hous,
Of blocks, and the chapel rise and sal
like boat around the point, just below
there strike and fall to pieces, They
saw a ncighbor floating past on roof,
extended their hands from a window anC
aided him to escape to their refuge
What emotions they felt in that hour ot
waiting they can never very clearly tell
except that they thought that the next
moment they too would 90. They did
not talk very much, nor did they sing,
and their prayers were not uttered aloud
1t was season Of mute expectancy, and
not so much resignation as stunned and
deadened acceptance of fate. The fate,
however, passed them by; the wave that
so lightly tossed the heavier main portion
of the house, ana dashed into splinte.s the
great barns, with all their contents, spar-
ed the slighter structure, and left them
safe. When, shorty after, they We're at
work in the mud-heaped confusion of
their house, the girls were almost hyster.
ically gay with reaction from the fearful
strain upon their nerves Mr. Quigley
from the bank, few rods off, watched
the destruction of his home and property
and the environment Of his family, in ag-
ony Of anxiety impossible for those who
read this TO appreciate.
One OF the most striking Of the numer.
Gus instances of almost utter ruin was that
of Pierce Larkin of Haydenville. BY
careful. patient industry he had accumu-
lnted some $4,000 worth of property
all invested in two stores and his dwell
aug. He had barely time to escape with
his wife, two children and two horses,
when the on-rushing food swept away
in an instant his stores and house, and
with them all his other earthly possessions.
Like others, he will have to start anew,
with no.capitel but his own name.
IL. l.. James, owner of the woolen-mill
at Williamsburg, was in New York on
Saturday, and received news Of the disas-
aster but few hours before the time at
which he was to sail for Europe. He
fastened home immediately, aud will de.
fer his anticipated journey for the present.
He had, but few days before, placed in
his stock houses a sufficient amount Of
wool to feed the, factory during the entire
summer, all Of which was destroyed.
Hardly any more convictiag evldo nee
of the violence of the food is furnished
than by the fact that but two bridges re.
main along the 10 miles, course which
tho waters swept and these two--the
Connecticut River railroad bridge and
the old Travelled bridge at Northamp-
ton-are at the very end of his path.
But one dam, that of the Nonotuck silk
factory at Florence, is left upon the
stream
The extent to which the sensibi,ities Of
persons who lost friends by The flood
we're bluuted, owing to the suddenness of
The catastrophe, was well illustrated, a
Few hours after the waters had subsidized,
IN the doy Of the food. A man, after
,numerating number Of his minor losses,
vas asked if any Of his friends were
lmong the lost when he looked up sud.
lcnIy, viewing the qucstioncr with va
,ant stare for moment. as if hardly com.
'rehending him, and then answered, alb
ent-mindedly that he did loose mother
nd son.
The whole community was pcrvaded by
dread and premonition of u catastrophe
rom the reservoirs hung over their
eads. Not long ago, Conductor Chan.
Ter, whose family were lost, asked u cap.
Ia!ist Of the village TO build and rent to
i'm house on higher ground. He was
afraid of that river
1t is merely a moderate estimate of the
ota' loss to place it at one million dol. 7
lrs, ofwhich S650,00O falls upon the
manufacturers, in the destruction Of mills c
nd reservoir, and the diversion of the
tream; probably Sl50,000 will be re-
uired of the towns Of Williamsburg and |
northampton to rebuild the highways and q
ridges; and $2o0,O00 scarcely covers s
le destruction Of homes and smaller in. C
ustries and the utter devastation of fer. ?
lie meadow The loss in Williamsburg
illage is about $l00, 1000, in Skinnervllle $
l43, 900, Hayaenville $500, 900, reser, b
Dir $4,000, roads aud bridges from II
$4,000 to 100000; total in town $
ON $3.50 600 to $675,0o0. In North b
npton, the loss was fully S15O,OO0 at e
eeds and $4,000 at Florence; the {
amage TO roads is less than in Williams v
lrg, but that to meadows is much more. t
Two Florence boys 0 and Is years Of
re, the only children of their parents, i
rangely escaped falling victims to the t
ia! flood. They had asked and obtain Il
permission Of their parents, Friday n
'ening, to 60 up the river fishing on Sat
day morning, and made preparations for :
9 excursion accordingly. On Satur- q
y morning it ralned heavily, and, de. ic
ite their entreaties TO go, their mother P
evailed upon them todefer the anticipa- IL
d amusement till another time, and they
cordingly kept away from the river. II
nd thnU bnnn ynnrn,itloI ,,o tf,Y II