, 1874-05-21
MILL ! RIVER.
Tho Disaster tho Result Of Criminal
Ignorance aud Neglect. "
Hunting for the Dead---Oanine Afeo-
ton and Sagaoity.

u1Vu UAu 0H6AoAHJs
The Story Of the aate.Keeper---Desorip-
ton Of tho Torrent by an
- Eyewitness.
oAusE OF THE D1sABTEn.
NEw Yonx, May 2o-A dispatch from North
ampton, MaHs., OF yesterday, says that when
the Legislative Committee visitod tho reBor~
voir, tho breaking Of which, on Saturday, waa
attended with such torriblo consequences, every
body descended to tho gap, and q careful oxarl~
ination was made Of tho bottoms, tho walls.
filing, and surroundings. Tho contractor, Das~
soft, ta1ing copy OF tho specifications con-
tanned In the original contract undor which tho
dam had boon built, called tho attention OF tho
members Of tho Committee to whit ho termed
tho evidence Of their fulfl1lment, aud tho con-
eoquont exoneratfon from blanc Of himself and
shoao who aoted for him. Col. Wilson, Of Boz
ton; tho onginoor who constructed tho Hartford
reservoir. twonty yoass ago, and who had no.
compsnied tho COMMITTEE III an export,
remarked, "Thfs dam WAS not built according
to the specifications Of that paper In your hand"
Tho Colonel then proceeded to point out TINT
tho specifications had called for tho building Of
foundation wall at loast feet below the bot
tom Of the reservoir, whereas it was only built
upon that bottom, botwoen which and the wall
the water waa found to paaa easi1y, created
loak, aud eventually spread tho latter against
tho embankmont protector. This wall tTas 4
feet narrower than tho contract specified that It
son, 'the specifications havc been entirely dia-
regarded, and tho accident was inevitable. Tbs
| only wonder is tbat 1t did not occur before. Tho
torrible neglect and gross ignorance displayed
and its recent evil consequences murder" In
talking OF tho evont lator, Col. Wilson said that
he could not regard Y as nn accident, because
the dam could not hold any body Of wate!r in, as
| the earth at tho bottom, under tho wall, waa
slowly but surely washed AWAY daily.
| Joel Hayden said that atoh had ever boon his
| fathers (the late Governors) opinion, and so
strongly lxed in Its bolief had ho been that ho
| issued standing orders In tho foundry to tho
! hands to leave tho benches and building the
| moment they heard the word u reservoir" shout
I'D in the strcots, and take refuge on high
ground. .s
Q. q. Bpellman, tho overseor Of tho reservoir,
| and formerly Secretary and Treasurer Of tue AB-
ISOLATION BY which tho dam was built. WAS pro-
tected In bin house On Monday night and last
| night by large number OF special police aud
| military. On Monday evening an Iriahu1au: who
waa formerly III tho employ OF Spellman. inform-
cd him that the lrlshmen and Canadians had de-.
torminad to ayenge tho loss OF their homes and
felt neea FOR tho police and military.
| HUNTING FOR THE DEAD.
| At tho first streak OF the dawn the villagers
wero at work among tho ruins. Az tho morning
advanced parties of men. equipped - nayvtes,
! continued to arrive from tue surrounding town
6lipB, 30 that by Z o'clock thousands were olear-
ing and casting on the debria: AL tho nay from
Northampton Meadows to Williamsburg every
eye sought body, and twenty-one corpBes Wero
found. Theao bodoa were difficult to recognize,
| because decomposition had SGT ill.,. They were
much diadgurad By bruises and totally nude.
nothing YVES done exocpt looking for the dead
[ under tho rubbish, which, experienced men say,
will not be cleared away, even at the present ex-
peditionH rate, in loss than a weo'.
| At HATDENv1LLE
the day WAS begun in q busineHs-like manner,
Joel Hayden employed hls hands, aud all wllc
wero able and willing to earn dollar, IN picking
up his patterns and brass-ware, several thousand
deilasr' worth Of which was stored in his out.
houses and barns boforo noon. To get n
these, Hayden finds it necessary to altar tht
courao Of the stream, and lia mon ore blowing =
new channel TOR It, beginning Al tue north sidt
ming south through tho valley.
An Incident OF extraordinary =,
| CANINE Af4EoTloE.
essty 70 os 5oo assSsa ons xa =
! sons Of the late Lieut.. Coy. Hayden, has dog
Of the st. Bernard kind. He has, for long Tins
been the village fayorite, and the pet Of tht
school children. Ira bryant: the fatior Of Mru
Col. Hayden, oyor 60 yoara OF ago, Yves grea
!! fayorlta with tho dog. Bryant was lost In tn
! disaster. On Sunday aftornoon, the dog etartot
out aud followed tho Hearohcrs for bodies in tn
nleadoW-1andH. He WAS seen on Mil1er'a fats
paving in the sapd, and when he was visited, |
was found that he had dug quite deep In tue dirt
the excavation in which discovered the lowe
portion Of Il mans Limbs. The next half-hou,
had been made for these remains, but it soomot
hardly poRslble that any human being could hay
, found the embedded corpHe
RESUMPTION.
williamsburg and BkinnorYile arc at a stand
still. not bit Ut work other than that necessar
in searching for tho daad being in progreaf
Even some Of tho manufaoturers to whom
majority Of the people LOOK for an incentive t
1ret: Skinner, it is stated, has aigniaed his II
tention not to rebuild his factory, and Mr.. spel
5 man certainly aaid that he would not erect hiI
Still, all the leading men Of williamsburg Al
I making an attempt as tue e.establshment Of Ii
> once pretty snd thriving town. They are read
to shake on ths apathy Of grief that is now pa
alyzing thom, aud to exert themselves mant,1ll.
if the Legislature and the large cities Mill onl
aid them. "a
New YonK, May 20.-O7er $4,000 have beo
already raised in this city for the relief !ot til
! sufferers BY the Massachusetts flood.
q BosroN, May 20.-Tho hill River relief fun
!. In Boston now amounts to $4,000. The Ireal
: urer Of the Relief Committee, at Northampton
tolegraphs tint tho necessities Of the sufferer
! will require over a100,000.
: Tho story OF the Gnte-Kcepcr.
a From ths Springfield taass.> Republican, AiaD 10.
. . A. little below tho reservoir on tho woater
- bank, but out Of tho range OF tho llood, stands
= : small, dismal-looking dwelling in which hyt
~ ~ the gate-keeper. Thls Is George Cheuoy, ma
Il Of about a5, apparently an honsst and well -meal
u ing individual, OF little education and no MOI
y than ordinary intelligence. He has held tt
PLACE nearly three years, his duty bong to atton
to tho opening and shutting Of the gatos, kee
close watch OF the condition OF the reservoir au
report to hia employers anything which SCENE
IT to demand attention. It has been his practit
ir upon rising In the morning to 70 out and inspe