Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-07-15

SCIaiHoicu anu IOuSut lOI luc lOdNoS an
fishes, have done the things they said the
wonld MT do, and left undone those the,
said they would do.
Another Flood.
Western Massachusetts, has been afflict
ed with the rush of another runaway res
ervoir. Saturday, Berkshire County wa
visited by heavy rains which kept pouring
all night and Sunday. Sunday afternoon
a reservoir above Middletield gave way
There were two reservoirs on Middlefielt
brook, that empties into the west brancl
of West River. The lower one covered
nearly 100 acres, and was built about thir
ty years ago by Uriah Church, the father
of the present owners, who started the
business carried on by his four sons. The
reservoir was made by raising the main
travelled road from Middlefield Centre tc
North Beckett, the hills on either side OF
! the stream forming the sides of the reser-
vOir. The road dam was raised about
twenty feet for a distance of from thirty to
forty rods
The reservoir was used for the storage
of water for the Church Brothers, running
two broadcloth mills, for William Blushs
felloe, thill and stave factory, and for a
mill owned by Oliver Blush, and formerly
used as wooden mill and lately as a grist
mill.
About twelve years ago u second reser-
voir was built, about three miles further
up the stream,by the the Church Brothers.
This was smaller than the lower one, and
covered from fifty to eighty acres. The
upper reservoir broke away first about
half past three, and swept over the lower
reservoir with an immense volume of
water, making break of about four rods
in the highway dam of the lower reser-
voir. The upper reservoir was built of
earth, and the whole dam suddenly gave
way. Harry Meacham was at the reser-
vOir ut the time and made haste to warn
the people of Blush Hollow. His warning
and the fact that but a part of the lower
part of the dam gave way, prevented loss
of life, and also very much lessened the
damage done.
All the mills situated on the Middletield
branch, below the reservoir. were swept
away. Between Middletield Switch and
Chester there is upon the west branch of
the Westiield river, into which the Middle
field stream enters, Vests wooden MILL
formerly used as Il shoddy mill, and at
Chester there is the Hampden emery mill
From Middlefield Switch, east. the flood
poured down toward Chester. where it did
very serious damage. The waters swept
over the farms, gardens and roads, and in
distance.
The high water continued at Chester for
about an hour. Had it continued long the
damage done would have been much more
severe. The village of Chester owes its
escape from an almost entire destruction
to the fact that there were so many stone
arch bridges above that place, by which
the flood was stayed for time, accumulat-
ing in little ponds, to be let down in in
stallments on the village below. The
second cause was the considerable width
of the valley, 4 mile above the village,
where the waters spread out somewhat rs
they did in the Mill River food, on the
Florence meadow.
The places that suffered w e Blush
Hollow, or Middlefield factory village,
Middletield Switch, Chester, Huntington
and Westford, and the whole loss is over a
third of million dollars
The Boston and Albany Railroad suffers
heavily. At Middlefield Switch the long
two are he'd stone bridge, under which the
brook and the turnpike run.
was swept away, and also considerable
length of the track, amounting in all TO
about 200 feet. 1t will cost about $780,
900 to replace this break, and will require
time Between the Middle
field Switch and Chester depot there are
eight railroad bridges, five of which are
either unframed or but slightly damaged
Two of these are $4,000 stone BRIDGES.
OF the three bridges, so badly damaged as
to need to be entirely rebuilt, one is of
stone and cost $4,000. The other two
are tho Sc west of Chester, one of which
was to have been replaced this fall with
an iron bridge. The loss of these bridges
is about $4,000. The bridge next east of
Chester Station, which was soon to have
been replaced by an iron structure, is
damaged by the loss of one of the abut-
ments, but will be replaced by noon, so
that trains can come from Springfield to
Chester. The track is washed out in many
places west of Chester. but no damage of
any amount is reported west of Middle |
ford Switch. The boom holding an i'm |
mense drive of logs in the Connecticut |
river at Thomas Falls, gave way Monday
Deacon Harry Meacham. who acted the |
part of Collins Graves for this flood, is an |
elderly gentleman who has been member
IF the Massachusetts legislature He
ives about quarter of a mile from the
upper dam, and, thinking anxiously on the
ong continued rains, he went to the dam