The Portland daily press., 1874-05-26
Testimony of the Gate Keeper and
others, Etc.

NORTHAMPTON, May 25.-The jury of in
quest into the cause of the Williamsburg reser-
voir disaster met to-day at the court house in
this place by adjournment from the first SEES
body of John Atkinson of Williamsburg, one of
the victims of the flood. Ansel Wright, sheriff
of Hampshire county, was the coroner. and the
Hon. Charles Delano conducted the examina-
ton.
Abner Miller testified to the identity of the
corpse of Atkinson and his brother-in-law,
Thomas Brazil, employed by III. L. James's at
Williamsburg, testified to Atkinson's leaving
the mill Saturday morning and going to the
aid of his wife and child.
Henry Cragin testified to finding the body Of
Atkinson.
George Cheney, the gate-keeper testified that
he visited the dam shortly after six o'clock
Saturday morning, and saw nothing unusual.
He went into breakfast, and as he was showing
away from the table he saw the earthworks
moving off on the east side for a distance of 40
feet from the bottom to point about two thirds
the way up. He ran down and opened the
gate The water was then coming in small
streams and a heavy slide of earth occurred.
He got his horse, mounted it and started for
the village as tight as he could go; was about
ten minutes getting there. He spent three or
four minutes in talking with Mr. Spelman,
who at first did not believe the report. When
he did he sent him to Belcher's livery stable.
There he met Collins Graves Belcher said
down and let them know it." Graves turned
and started in his buggy at once to warn Hay
denvile. Cheney mounted at once and drove
after Graves but did not overtake him. The
flood cut him off within two hundred yards
and he turned book.
Cheney further testified that he had been
| gate keeper for two and half years and has
seen small streams of water running through
| ever since he has been there, throughout its
| whole length, mostly at the bottom. There
| Off m, wifi hin u rod two
| the pipe, the outlet as big as mans arm. He
| had spoken to Mr.. DeniOck, of the reservoir
| company, and agent of the Nonotuck Silk COM
| pany at Leeds, during last summer, and Mr..
| Deniock had said he thought it was nothing
| more than spring. He had often spoken to
| Mr.. Spellman, Secretary of the Reservoir Com
| pany and button manufacturer at Williamsburg
| about these streams. Two of these had cayed
| off year ago this spring and had never been
| repaired. The reservoir had been full two or
| three weeks. Mr. Spelman had employed him
| for 5000 year to open and shut the gates. He
| had few directions. He was to give notice
when anything was wrong He worked at
farming when he could get job. The Reser-
voir Company made no requirement az to what
substitute he could have at the reservoir while
gone. His wife was in charge at such times.
None of the owners have visited the dam in
time of danger. Mr.. Deniock had examined it
last year. He had not called any special at
| tenton to it this year.
Elias Cheney, father of the gate keeper, tcs-
| titled to the circumstances of the discovery of
the break the essential point being that his son
| made haste to relieve the pressure by hosting
| the gate and then started down the valley.
The witness followed him in order to warn a
neighbor to save his cows. In about fifteen
| minutes from the time he saw the slide he
heard the roar and knew the dam had broken.
| He described the visit last summer of Mr.. Den
| lock and the discovery of a leak where the wa
| ter was rushing out nearly taking the earth
along. The witness described the condition of
| the dam as left and said that part Of the f0un-
| dation near the penstock was still standing
| but for a long distance no more foundation was
| left than when the earth was made.
Elizabeth Cheney, the gatekeepels wife AND
Mrs Elias Cheney gave their testimony cor
| roboratIve OF the preceding witness.
| SPRINGFIELD May 25.-Robert Land of Will
| lamsburg began in the afternoon with his very
modestly given testimony to seeing the break
] in the reservoir from his house on the hill, a
mile oft, and running down to Williamsburg t.
| give alarm.
There was an electrical stir and thrill through
the audience as Collins Graves was called to the
| stand He was going his rounds in his buggy
peddling milk when he noticed Cheney ride int
Belcher's stable yard with such an anxious lool
matter was. He asked Cheney-"George
what's the matter?" Cheney answered, ''Tht
reservoir is giving away" 'sDo you mean it?'
said Graves-"Yes," replied Cheney, Il do ;
Then Graves said, "Well, if that's SO some
bodys got to let them know it. You, George,
alarm the folks here and III drive down ths
| river" and with the word he started. He gave
the first alarm at Mr.. James wooden MILL tell
ing Tom Brazil the reservoir had broken away
and he must alarm the hands; Hunt up Mr.
Birmingham and warn him He drove on tt
j Skinnervlle met MIR. Skinner and told him.
l He cried aloud as he passed every house but
| met no person on the road between Williams
burg and Skinnerville. He met Nash Hubbard
at the door of the silk factory and called out
"The reservoirs giving away and is right here
all you can do is to get away.
He also met George Smith and told him,
Thaddeus Bartlett Mr.. Kaplinger and a boy in
breath the same news. All this while he had
not seen or heard the flood. On ne went. A,
Hayden and Greer's Office he left the same
word as at SINNERS. Drove on to Hart's
barbar shop and thence to Deacon Elan
Graves store, where he turned around sand
went back. He first saw the flood as he 60
into the dugway above the brass works, bear
ing down upon him and again turned down the
river. Drove this time to the hotel and tolt
LOOMS, the landlord, who then got his horses
out of the barn, and had hardly done so whel
the dam was gore. Mr.. Graves was here
questioned as to his meeting any person on tn
way, and said he met none all the way t.
Haydenyille, but met Jerome Hillman on hors,
back coming from Skinnervlle just he en-
tered the dugway to 60 thither; that he caugh
sight of Hillman and the great wave at the
same time, heard him call out turn round
the reservoir is right here" He escaped the
flood by driving up over the railroad track, b.
the church, and saw the houses and shops e;
gown, and when he once more reached Capt
| Kingsley's, near the dugway, everything ha(
been swept away, the time being, he SHOULD
think, some six or eight minutes. He gave tn
alarm all along his way, but he could not tel
whether all the people heard him. The genel
al alarm at Skinnerville was given by ringin
the factory bell, which struck as he starte
away.
Mr.. Day, the forerunner of the flood t
Leeds, excited nearly as much interest q
Graves, as he took his place to testify. III
was driving to Williamsburg on his expires
wagon that morning and was before Waite
store in Haydenville, On the west side of tn,
river when he saw great rush of men from
Hayden's Brass Works across the stree
thinking there was great fire he started TO
the bridge when man motioned HIM to kee
= back.
AT this moment he saw the water rush b
the savings bank Immediately he wheele
his team around and dashed toward Leeds
hallooing as he went. AS he passed Hayden
tobacco works he cried fire thinking the
would take alarm at that quicker than at WI
ter. He called out to a man at the cotto
mil, as he turned on the iron bridge and theI
noticed water coming over the cotton mill dan
He drove as rapidly as possible to Leeds, alarm
ed the silk factory and emery wheel works
|
tbrouph the street to the button factory an
Lunesy's house at the foot of the street. an N
, then turned back and intended to cross IL
bridge to the west side again, but the watt
was up to his horses knees, and he wheelt
sharply and drove up the hill by Ross stor
!, where he stood while and warned back Il
girls of the silk factory, who were making Il
the bridge which in another minute was swe
away. He thought he was seven or eight mi
!. utes between Haydenville and Leeds, and kne
I ne musl have gaided ON the water in that dl
lance OF he could not have done what he d
+ a1terWard, On suggestion that some OF
should go to Florence he drove down there b.
+ the water had lost much of its force by tn
time.
e %, q. Gardiner of this city, who was the co
sultng engineer at the time the dam was buil
d brought out some diagrams of that structu
made partly from recollection and partly fro
specifications, and explained them to the iur
d One of the most important witnesses from d
. West then stepped upon the platform in Ii
L person of MIR. o. G. Spelman, Secretary al
r Treasurer since its organization of the Wi
iamsburg Reservoir Co.
l. He told the story of Cheneys riding swift