The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-07-22

! Middle6eld. stream enters west, a
wooden mill, formerly used as a shod-
dy mill, and at Chester, there Is the
Hampden Emery mills. From Mid
dlelieId switch the food passed down
toward Chester, here il did very
serious damage. The waters swept
over farms, gardens and woods, aud
several houses were w3yed some dis
lance. The heaviest loser al Ches-
ter is DR.. Hewans Lucius, who estl-
mates his loss at ten thousand dol
lars by the partial sweeping away Of
his emery mill. The water went
through the lower story, carrying off
about $4,000 worth of emery. The
water also did considerable damage
to the Hanum Edge Tool Company.
The water power of this company is
entirely destroyed. The Lucius Farm
of fifty acres, was badly damaged;
also a large farm of Newton Cowles.
Nearly all of the valley residents in
the vicinity of Chester have suffered
more or less by damage to farms and
gardens. Bradford Palmer's barn
and Samuel Otis shoe shop were
moved some distance, and William
Fay & Sons furniture warehouse was
badly flooded. An out-building was
undermined and turned partly around.
High water continued at Chester
for about an hour. The town of
Chester suffers heavily in loss of
bridges and damage to roads. -Four
bridges were carried off, and to re-
place the bridges will cost about ten
thousand dollars, besides several
thousand dollars to repair the roads.
The Boston q Albany Railroad is
very badly damaged for a distance Of
nearly twenty miles. Every bridge
between Middlefeld and Huntington
is wholly or partly destroyed. The
road bed is also washed out in many
places, and travel between this city
and Albany will be suspended for
several days. The wires are still
down beyond Chester, and no def
mite information has been received as
to the loss of life at Blush Hollow,
which, it is now thought, must have
been considerable.
SECOND DISPATCH.
SPRINGFIELD, July ia special
dispatch to the Union, from Chester,
gives the following additional partic-
ulars of the flood: About twelve
years ago q second reservoir was
built about three miles further up the
stream, by the Church Brothers.
This was smaller than the lower one,
and covered from fifty to sixty acres.
The upper reservoir broke away first,
and swept ove the lower reservoir
with on immense volume of water,
making a break of about four rods in
the Highway dam of the lower res
ervoir. The upper reservoir was
built of earth, and the whole dam
suddenly gave way. Harry Meach-
an was at the reservoir at the time,
and made haste to warn the people
at Blush Hollow. His warning, and
the fact that but part of the lower
reservoir dam gave way, prevented
the loss of life and also very much
lessened the damage done. The Bos-
ton and Albany Railroad Company
suffers heavily at Middlefeld switch,
the long two-arehed stone bridge, I'M
der which the Middleton brook and
turnpike run, was swept away and
also a considerable length of tracks,
amounting in all to about two hum
dred feet. 1t will cost about one
hundred thousand dollars to repair
this break, and will require a consid-
cradle time. Between Middlefield
switch and Chester depot, there are
eight railroad bridges, five of which
are either unframed or but slightly
damaged. Two ofthese are Of stone,
costing each 49, GOO. OF the three
bridges which are so badly damaged
as TO need to be entirely rebuilt, n
is a stone bridge, costing $4,000.
The two others are those next west
of Chester, one of which was to have
been replaced this fall by an iron
bridge. The loss on these bridges is
about fifteen thousand dollars each.
The bridge nexs east of Chester
station, which is soon to be replaced
by an iron structure, is--damaged by
the loss of one of the abutments, but
it will be repaired by noon, so that
the trains can III between Springfield
and Chester. The track is washed
out in many places west of Chester,
but little or no damage ofany amount
is reported west of Middlefeld switch,
Work will be prosecuted on the
bridge as fast as possible, but the
Superintendent says it will be several
DAYS before the road will be passable.
1t will probably cost $I50,000 to re-
build the bridges and repair the road,
while the loss by the interruption Of
business will be very heavy, particu-
larly as this is the week Of the col
lege races at Saratoga. The mills Of
Church Bros. are standing, but it is
reported that their new mill is partly
undermined. The wOOlhouse and
barn belonging to them were carried
away, with their contents, among
which were several valuable car
riages. Oliver Blush's old wooden
mill and William Blush's barn were
a~lso-carried away. The barn con-
tanned a new $500 carriage. Several
other barns and outbuildings were
carried away, and three or four
houses are reported destroyed OF bad
ly damaged. The highway between
Blush Hollow and Middlefeld was
entirely obliterated, and six bridges,
two of them private ones, and four
belonging to the-town, were carried
away. 1t is not known at this time
that any lives were lost, but several
narrow escapes from drowning oc-
Cured. Three or four persons are
reported missing, but it is hardly
probable that they are drowned.