The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1874-05-21
DISASIE R.
Several Hundred Lives LOST ana
Immense Destruction OF
Property.

HAyDENNILLE. MASS. Nav 16.-The
larrc reservoir about four miles north
of this place burst about eight o'clock
tins morning. and the water came rush
ing down the hills carrying everything
before il. The food struck the south
eastern norton of Williamsburg. two
miles north of this place carrying away
large numbers ofdwellings and sweep
iny along. and at Skinnervilie II de-
molished SINNERS large silk mills and
his boarding aud dwelling houses:
continuing on, the wafer struck a large
brass mandatory of Hayden, Gcrc j.
Co.'S, sweeping il away in an instant.
Large stores and machinery were
swept through the streets at a fearful
rate. Wcl.-built houses were instant
" crushed. not giving the inmates a
moments warning.
The food caught the village OF Leeds,
where large numbers of shops. dwell
iugs, etc, were swept away. The loss
of life is very heavy in killed and
drowned. Whole families have been
carried over the dams ana it is impos-
sible. at this time. to give the number
of lives lost. Twenty-three bodies. so
| far. have been taken out of the rubbish,
on the shores Whole blocks of tcnc-
ments houses filed with women and
children who were swept down the
stream and all the inmates, of course,
| were lost. At noon bodies were con-
stantlv being brought in and laid in
the church. Most of them can be re-
cognized.
The reservoir which broke through
| its cmbankment this morning, causing
such havoc. was constructed to supply
the manufactures Of Williamsburg,
Leeds and IIaydenville. These towns
have been nearly destroyed. One hun
bred lives are supposed TO have been
lost
The damage done to property must
be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
While il is impossible to estimate ac
curatcly the loss of life, the number
drowned at Williamsburg was very
great, but the reports give still much
larger number at Florence. The Nan
atuck silk company's works and the
Florence manufacturing companv's
works are damaged to the extent Of
S25 900.
The flood swept away SINNERS fac
tory with several women operatives
who had just begun work at Hayden
vile. Samuel f. Miller lost his wife and
three children. and Hayden. Gere &
Co.'S factory including their effects
and Vaudeville savings bank with a
large amount of funds. and also the
Loomis hotel was swept away. AT
Leeds. Warmers butter factory was
swept entirely away in the flood, which
took the canal and railroad bridge
i'm its course. the flood is now subsid-
ing.
The Goshen reservoir covered one
hundred and fifty acres of ground and
had an average depth Of thirty feet.
1t was drawn upon at dry times TO
supply mills at Williamsburg, Hayden
vile and Florence: il was constructed
about twelve years ago to secure sufii-
cicnt water for various factories Oh
Mill river, which is one of the most
uncertain of streeIns, liable to flood and
almost utter drought; it was built by
capitalists interested in various manu-
featuring interests on the stream and
caused them apprehension of disaster
last wear. The reservoir was repaired
at a heavy expense; it was supposed
to be perfectly secure although it has
seemed to be leaky.
kilograms received from Northamp-
ton estimate the loss of life by the
food at sixty. At Leeds, twelve hous-
es were swept away. At Haydenvillc
and Leeds the dwellings are not de-
stroycd. but are turned into charnel
houses and hospitals. A train on the
canal road has gone out to Leeds with
provision.
Twenty-seycn bodies were discover
ed at , o'clock, three of which arc at
Northampton, fourteen ut Florence.
Select men Stark and Burr
have organized a force of twenty men
at Leeds and twenty at Northampton,
TO search the course of the flood for
bodies,