Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1874-05-26
NUMBER 20.

burg, all OF which, together with four
dams, were swept away.
Just lhreo claps ef tho bell in the village
church OF IIayJen'illo were heard to
yarn the people. 1. was then about half.
past seven o'clock. The alarm had como
to them almost with the GOOD. The first
note oi warning was given by Mr. jerome
EIillmaR. who was on his way in his team
to his home in sEinnorsville. He was
driving leisursly along. whoa no heard
sound as Of tho rushing of mighty
Thislwind. Looking before sim he de-
scried what appeared more like clond
than al ything ss9. Il had thea turned
\ bend o( the stream, and Was strikn.
cut OF the channel acros5 what IS called
the Meadows. taking in large basin OF
Fats. lie felt what WAS coming. aud
turned his team about, directing his horse
with NIL speed along the rivor road into
The main street of IIaydenyill2, crying
aloud to Tho people TO leave their houses
and nee TO The hilIsidos. Mr. Collins
Graves Was one of The first to hear tho
alarm so given. He hurried to the chmch
man warned him to loayS, and so tho
bell alarm stopped with the royorborating
OF tho third stroke. Everybody looked
tor safety, and with terror fed from before
the monster
An eyewitness graphically describes
tho scene. lie had been in the house on
tae main road 5ul few moments when
he heard noise. Looking out he boheld
tho flood as it WAS about pouring over the
meadows. Here tho valley bcoedcnod,
with = sish, rrecpi,ous bank upon tho
vest side and the road on tho ca, sidO
guarded with stone wall The mass
looked ike q moving wall Of trees, bonl-
sucs. tirbcs and debris, and it,le water
was 10 be seen. Indeed. tho only signs
that any waj there werc found in . muddy
loam at It's base. and cloud Of vapor
arising igoM Il. Tue team Mr.. lli!lmaa
US nally driving was Oh the road,
Keeping but slightly in IT, advance. Is
oJked Ike = race for lie; for there The
water, which sal orcrIlowod the east
baDk, was tipping houses over and toss.
ing them like toy ships, and following in
the couricr's rory wake on came this mass.
1t was affected by the topography o! the
and sud mado lstour to the west side,
leaving ne wooded banks in mad fury,
swapping stout tres butts like pipe stems,
and adding them to tho cong'omoratcI
mass. 90 the meadow il picked up two
story housc and bore il away on i.s crest.
The reservoir was situated "a. n high
altitude above the factories which il sup.
piled with water, and was constructed
about seven years ago by company OF
capitalists styled the Mill River Reservoir
Corporation. Il covered IN area Of ono
hundred aud tour acroS, and al the tluIe
Of the disaster tho water was iJllY lhiIty
feet deep 1T the dam. Th5 foundation
was laid upon bed OF blue clay on
level win the bed # The river. aud Was
not sunk below it. Instead oil uOing built
Of solid ma,onIy, VAL ol .tono eoal-
ders 1T the bottom aad coV5ie stones
above stood forty lest sigh aad only four
feet thick at tIo base, Aperng wedge
like 70 ono foot in thic.nsss ~ Ihs top
Was supported above and below by en-
baukmen;s OF Garth paved on the lower
side with small boulders. \ stone conduit
some th..ty feet long, above LA1 dAH .!
the base. connected with an iron pipe u.
teen inches ia diamclor bsioU, il tie eEd
OF which Was located tho gate. Ga tic
right SIDE OF Ike d4G was waste Wy
which carried Of tho overflow.
Tho dam was in charge Of George c.
Cheney, who lived in snail house near
by, and who hes held the position of gate
keeper for two snd-a half years. llo
aycrs that ne has frequently called the
attention Of the President and Directors
Of the corporation to the condition Of the
dam, which be deemed insecure, ami on
several occasions pointed out loaks in ihc
embankment. The late Lieut.. Gov. Hay
den oltea expressed The fear that Tho dam
would DO swept away, and the water
standing ai so great height would inun-
date the village below. The Directors
made thorough inspection ol tho great
Goshen reservoir abou. ten days ago, and
had fixed upon tho coming week 20 visit
the one which has now spread devastation
below if.
About three weeks ago Mr.. Elias Che.
noy, father Of the gate tender, came TO
stop with his son. The family had taken
breakfast or Saturday morning, and MIR.
Cheney, Sen, looking out, observed
potion OF the embanknenL On The lower
and eastern side Of the dam slide ou, and
disappear in the stream. This wac i'm.
mcdialely followed by the caNins in OF
the upper portion oil the earIhera support
of the wall which was left exposed. Mr..
Cheney proceeded at once across tho
stream, followed by his son, who hois!ed
the gate in order to relieve tho dam OF
the pressure against il. n Tiny stream OF
water was discovered running through
The wall at the base, which was taken as
a sure indication that the dam was abont
TO give way. George Checney ran totkc
.-ll. -..LIlaL q ha,r.n nnI Lrnun With