Connecticut western news., 1874-05-29
THE RESERVOIR BURSTS,

A Graphic Picture of the Breaking of
 the Massachusetts Dam and the
 Rush of Water.
 In order to find out from a reliable source how the reservoir broke, says 8 correspondent of the New York Graphic, l took carriage and rode up to see George Cheney who keeps the Will liamsburg reservoir. MT. Cheney is about thirty-seven years of age. He lives on the edge of the dam wall. His business has been to raise the dam gate and let out the water in quantities to run the mills below.
 George Cheney had hardly recover ed from his excitement when I asked him to tell me how the reservoir came to break.
 "How did the reservoir look early in the morning, George?" asked.
 We'll, said George, as he stood in his shirt sleeves and chewed the ends of his fiery beard, "Ill tell you all about it. You see, it had been raining all Friday night. The water fairly poured. The ground was soaked through and through. Hundreds of little streams were pouring into the pond. About half-past six Saturday morning we heard the water rushing from the dam. We were at breakfast.
 Father said I, something is go- ing wrong with the dam. It don't sound right
 "'Run out and see, George said father.
 1T ran out and saw small stream rushing out alongside the big iron pipe where we let out the water to supply ths factories. It had worn out around the tube. The tube is four feet in diameter. As I stood there the stream kept growing larger. I shouted :: My God, father the dam is going to break p
 "'Then jump on to the horse, George, quick, and ride down the stream. Tell 'em to fly! Quick ?
 "Quick as lightning" said George, " l strode across horse, took 8 lath- stick in my hand, and ran towards Will iamsburg. I ran for my life. Behind I saw the stream grow larger, 1t roared like train of cars. Then it rumbled like thunder. l turned my head around and saw in the distance the bank of granite, like big hill, move out. On I rode, pell-mell, for Williamsburg, three miles. It was about half-past seven when I struck the town. As I galloped in I saw George Sellman, who has the button factory in Williams burg.
 "Sez I, George, she is coming-the reservoir
 "No; it can't be so, Cheeney,' sez George.
 "'But twenty feet of the bank has slid out already sez I.
 "'My God ? sez SeIlman, ( if that Is the case, start right off for Leeds. Tell lem to fly for their lives. Run P
 Collins Graves, the milkman, stood there, and, jumping on to his horse, he dashed off towards Skinnerville. It was race with the flood, but Collins reached Skinnerville five minutes ahead.
 "Run Save your lives The water is coming l" shouted Collins.
 At Haydenville Collins was two min utes ahead, but he shouted and gal loped through the village. Now came came the race between Collins and the flood for Leeds. But twas no use. The flood leaped by him like a train of cars, and Collins ran up the bank and rested.
 "How did the flood look, Collins ?' I asked the hero milkman an hour after wards.
 6 It was great sea, sir, thirty feet high. It boiled over the top of the trees. Houses were riding on the top of the foam. People were shrieking and screaming. Horses and cattle were struggling and sliding out of sight. It made noise like thunder. I ran my horse up the hill to get away from it. As it passed it was a tornado of water. The big trees fell over and slid out of the ground or dove under the water. Houses bounced up and jumped off on the waves or smashed up like paper boxes. In front was a column of steam. It looked like smoke as if the water was burning some thing. It took up the houses, twisted them, warped them, and dashed them about like so many checker-men."
 "Did it speed out, Collins, or ad- vance in body p asked.
 In body, sir-a hill of water-a moving hill. If it had come gradually the houses would have stood. The water would have filled them, and they would have been anchored down. As it was they were hollow. The water didn't touch the insides. | They hoated like boats."
 "Did you ever have any previous fea1 | about the reservior hursting?" asked the milkman.
 "Why no though good many peo pie did. After every big rain some people would get scared about the dam They would run to town and gossip around the post-office about the unsafe dam but I didn't think there was any danger"
 ''What made the dam break ?'' asked MT. Cheeney, the gate-keeper.
 "Why, simply because there was too little dirt and stone and sand to hol6 the water. The dam wa'nt big enough sir; that's all. They will all hay, theories about the dam now, but tel 'em that the dam want big and heav, enough that's all. They will go ol telling how the base wasn't wid' enough for the top, and how the sane was on the wrong side, and how tn stone work wasn't fixed right, but tell you it was because they had abou ten thousand tons of dirt to ten million tons of water, and the water bursted out-that's what is the matter" anc George took quid of tobacco.