Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-05-22
TERRIBLE DISASTER

BURSTING OF A RESERVOIR IN MAssA-
cHUsETTs-A HUNDRED LIVES LOST
Four VILLAGES SWEPT THROUGH
100000 OF PROPERTY GONE.
&C., &C., &c.
On Saturday morning last, a terrible ac-
cident occurred i'll Massachusetts,, being
the bursting Of the ''Goshen" reservoir
above Williamsburg, one hundred and fifty
acres in extent and thirty feet in depth,
by which the villages of Williamsburg,
Leeds, Haydenville, and Florence, situa-
ted ON Mill river, were flooded and about
one hundred persons drowned. The fol-
lowing narrative of the disaster we get
from our exchanges:
THE CAUSE.
All accounts attribute the disaster to
the weakness and insecurity of the reser-
voir works. The walls were not thick
enough to resist the pressure OF one hum
bred and twenty-five acres OF water avera-
ging thirty feet deep, and moreover por-
ton of the wall at the time of building, in
1866, was hurriedly finished by the con-
tractor, owing to the approach of cold
WOoCiOAs oAAO ui!O WIS uaee .Aoc oooAs0 viz
careful supervision 1t required OF persons
interested in the structure.
The mill owner who depended upon it
for long time, felt it was insecure, and
much had been done to strengthen it. At
no time have the walls been free from
leaks, and sometimes the volume escaping
was so large as to cause alarm. But re-
pairs were made and the board of examin-
ers of Hampshire county have repeatedly
declared the reservoir safe. LatVerly more
confidence had been felt.
STATEMENT or aATrKEEpER
George Cheney, ,gatekeeper, VINO hrst
discovered the trouble, makes the follow
ing statement: he Went out as usual,
saturday morning about 9 O'CLOCK. Every
Jhlng looked all right. The reservoir was
1ull, as u mad been for several days
water was pouring out OF the waste way
on the west Slde, past ms mouse, the gaIe-
way having been closed for a fortnight
There was no sign OF impending catastro-
pne, ana cheney returned 70 the mousse.
Inc Iamlly, lnclndlng ms VIE, severai
chlIufer, ana hls laeIef, ga! GOWN W pleaA,
tasU. lhey were just nnlSniilg Ile meal u
Wllen grea5 noise was neafd, ana Jne olo
ihali, WHO WAS staileAlig az 0ile u Gae east
George look there y Ahout forty feet in
length OF the bottom OIL the reservoir on
the east sac, JUST peyoho the gate' was
SiU U aoWIi VIC SClean. 49,, a.,
Cheney seems 70 nave Iealize MN! me STU
atlon ana emergency st once. IN SIN,
sio oy1 W Gle ulSc'l"l se VI iiiS uu.y CIV t,'
almost WlthouG stopping 70 consiuer Tue
o.agef, ne rusned 70 IIle gave anu iet p, ~
MeCei az luil Heau' II cilo nopo t,a' sni'
might possiply feneVe anu aver ene u'. /
sel. Inns uohe' ny pauseu Mon,enS W
~ IIvesIlgaIe Tue cohuIClol " Inc wan Miiole
me Dleak 1au !shen PAGE , ~ giance :
showed nun tIlat ~ couiu htIuiy l"ii LII
lev minutes 70 give WY enIlley.
otiealis VI Wdlel DIS ldISc aO :. man t.l ~
were Forcing IlieIl way tlii9ugn, neM uno1
appearing every molhenI. lts utter uo"h-
Iall was only question OF mlnutes..
Cneney rushed 70 MS mouse anu ioid nus
Iaeher ne was gong 10 Inc Vlilage 70 war; y,
Tue people. IogeChei tney nulIieu ~ Iae
Darn q le" foas peioW, ana while Oheney
was throwing the pfidal upon MS morse ny
Iatnel CUT nm i SUCK. Leaplhg upon nis
morse Dack ana plying Vigorously ms lasll,
covering the three miles he thinks in fl.
Teen minutes.
THE WARNING,
~ was then ABOUT nall past seven O'Clock.
IRVING TO Jhe mousse OF MI. opellman, VINO
had general charge OF the reservoir, ne
summoned that gentleman from MS break
1ast Fable TO startle MN With 'Ihe fesef'
Vo1f IS gong :!
IL was Dut the night before that Cheney
had been talking to HIM about the reser-
volr, and both had agreed that everything
looked all r1snt 1of the summer Speilman
cauld not at nfse creult the statement. :.
ne Chought Iiie man Httie scared.
ana 70 his startllRg announcement replled3
''NOs 1t cannot ne possible" but Cheney
quickly told MN about the giving way OF
the earth, ana the streams OF water rush
Ing through, ana soon convinced nm THAT
Inc danSei was most Imminent.
Inc nrst duIy was TO warn tne people
further down the stream Cheney's horse
was exhausted, ana Spellman directed INN
10 go TO the hvery stable, where again pre-
clous moments were lost IN convincing The
lncredulous people tnat the messengers
STORY coul9 De tfue. lnaily morse :. was
nistue iesuy, anu !. fresh man gov OH u
hotiIy uWeliers lufther down the stream.
THE RUSH OF THE FLOOD.
:,
=, Inc vasG mass OF wafer IL continued
= ~ go 49, ~ " ~, ny
INTO me thrlylng manufacturing villages
OF WlI1lamsDufg, Leeds ana Florence,
lnIo Nor1llampton meadows, where
S SUI emptles INTO inc Connectlcut river.
Inc huge eorrent, dashlhg INTO Williams
q n,oAioao iii"iio."Ie oSIdoiaSilAeiIS
enormous destruction OF property and a
terrible loss OF human life. 1t strnck the
southeastern portion of Williamsburg vii
lage about two miles north of Haydenvllle,
carrying away a large number Of dwellings,
thence to Skinnerville, where it swept