Litchfield enquirer., 1874-06-18
THE DEUCE.
LAKEvILLE, Jnne Stl..

MR. EDITOR :-To-d.y We arc suffering
 from the worst fool this part of tine coun-
 try ever knew. Ou Saturday last occur
 red the hardest shower ever known iicre,
 lasting two hours, and raaing as t nev
 CT rained before. Water feii net Ill drops,
 but in sheets In tw., hours the greater
 part oi Lakevile vas s,-a. af wat-r. The
 small streams utilized by the Porter and
 Davis ore beds for washing their ore, over
 leapt their bounds and both pits are full
 of water, doing large amount of dam
 age. The Porter's pump is thirty feet
 under water, and 1t will cost thousands of dollars and be months before the beds
 will again be in working order. In Sails
 bury the Washinee Go. s dam gave way, talk
 ing with it also the old furnace dam, and the accumulated water In Salisbury Center tore away the iron sidewalk bridges and washed great gully through the railroad embankment delaying trains several hours.
 Yesterday men were working all day re- pairing the track, but how fruitless were their efforts ! Last night the most pow erful showers of rain accompanied by vivid and incessant ightnings, literally deluged this country. Whole gardens in Walton avenue were washed away, and the cellars of half of this village are full of water. Lanterns were seen going in all directions all night. The Holley Go. s Knife Shopbell was rung about one o'clock reilroad bridge over the Burton Creek is completely destroyed, and no trains have passed or can pass to-day or tomorrow. A monstrous gully is washed through the fill across the swamp below the Salisbury crossing, and another wash just below the Salisbury depot, repaired yesterday. is washed again much more than by Satur- days rains and the road is fearfully dam aged. The railroad bridge at Salisbury over the Washicastinook is greatly dam aged; the highway bridge over the same stream is washed entirely away, and trav- el is wholly interrupted. Great fears were entertained that the Mt. Riga reser- voir of the Washinee Go. would give way, and watchmen were station there all of Saturday night, as they were also at Wo- nonscoponoc Lake ill Lakeville. The heavy rains of last night completed the fright of the citizens of Salisbury and many took their families to the high ground. This Mt. Riga reservoir is about 2I miles from the village of Salisbury and 700 feet above it, 3 miles in length, and from to mile in width, and of an aver depth of from ten to twelve feet. Its en- tire surface is 1,60O acres. If this body of -watar- -ahnuld -hnrst its bounds and come down upon thA xillaae of SaIis- bury it would make sad havoc, it's fall is so great and its path so narrow; and 1t is by no means presumed to be safe. The damage to roads, bridges, sluices, &c. throughout the town Is immense, while private damage is great.
 In Lakeville Mir. Fred Cleveland's saw mill dam IS swept clean away. The water 
 in that stream neUer was known to be so high. The. railroad track at the depot stands at a frightful angle. the overflow ind of the Holly Manufacturing Go. g dam having washed the embankment away. The dam itself was saved only by the most strenuous exertions. The railroad bridge oKer the Moore Creek just at the northern extremity of the village of Sails bury, is also 8 wreck, and if the road is damaged as much in its entire length as in the three miles mentioned. travel can- not be resumed in weeks. All the bridges in Lime Rock are gone, and three barns ara washed away; also the furnace and grist mill dams. The mail carrier left Salisbury on foot to-day, arrived at Lime Rock, found the bridges gone; no mail from anywhere except Salisbury, to-day in this village.