Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-05-20

~ ,bupder Of the coming food, but net tuly
-.-a.iatin- its extent he turnei 10 60 Rack To-
TaTd Williamsburg. AT the "Dug-ray me
disaster which he had predicted burst upon his
sight. and he had just time to turn on ihtos
hank near Capt. Kingsley's, when II erashel
mast him. InSeed he was not 2Oseeonds TOO soon'
and as il was he had almest despaired OF reach
ing a place Of safety, and had thought oil aoan-
doning his tired steed 10 his hte'
,uy APPEARANCE OF THE RUINS SHORTLY AFTER
THE BREAK.
The eastern section Of the reservoir, on which
Tho 6rst b-,ok occurred, has disappeared from
,on 10 base with the exception Of a few rocks at
NJ bo,tom. almost to the eastern bank, near the
centre of the stream. The stone wall, which in-
closed the iron tube, remained almost intact on
the upper side, but on the lower side a eonsid-
cradle mum Der Of stones have been carried away
nv the fore e Of the water. Much more OF the
base of the stone wall, however. remain on the
west side, so one can walk on the remains OF II
70 Inc very centre Of the stream. OF the whole
tent Of The reservoir, as it stood on Saturday
mor,inq. IL is safe to say that o~ne-sixth now re-
mains. The features that most impress one about
tho rnins is the smallness of the stone wall when
comnar,dwith the immense extent OF water which
,he reservoir held. This wall was understood to
bo 8 feet thick at the base. Upon measuring a
soct;op If IL. however, as il stood intact 10 feet
,hoye fine he'd of the stream. it was found that
II lacked 3 inches Of being 6 feet across. The
nnnor mart os the wall, as one loofs across the
cbasm nj what remained Of it on the eastern
s;dc cannot fanl to strike the average observer
os seriously lacki ~ in thoroughness and stabil-
itv. without amply INK the tests which an expert
in such matters win doubtless soon put to 1t.
A s~pectator from the opposite bank can hardly
restrain the Judgment Of :" fiimsy," as he views
the upper portion Of tie wall. and the general
impression from an inspection OF the wall, as a
whole. is that it lacked the strength which so
great a strain demanded.
BELOW THE REsEK vom
the sight is most impressive. Tue vast mass OF
water suddenly let loose and dasl'ing dcwn the
narrow valley has wrought such devastation as
one would not have believed pofsible without
having seen it. The very bed of tho stream has
been cut in places many feet below the original
course, and for a long distance the valley Is
dotted, sometimes crammed, with hug rocks
torn from the walls of the reservoir, while the
t-ees that in many places lined its banks have
omi. e vanished snd those that marked the Ontcr
edge o. .he torrent are all tattered and tom.
Indeed, as one stands on the remaining walls OF
the reservoir and looks about, the scene is most
desolate and impressive.
THRILLING INCIDENTS.
All along the course Of the flood there were
narrow escapes and thrilling experience. b. ii.
Tilton Of Williamsburg, was carrying his aged
mother to n place Of safety, when the unrelenting
waters SEIZED, them; she was carried away, while
he CRASHED a n &c, abeut 10 feet high, standing
On n bank. and wae saved, though the waters
reached and swaye1 him. Messrs. llannum &
Rhodes, living in the same house, got across the
street into another d dwelling, the lower story of
which was flooded, but sol1c apple-trees broke
the force of the wave, ana tie house stood
One of the most striking escapes was thai OF
he little son, George, of Alex Roberts of Will
iamsburg. The family lived i'll a two-story
house, which was lifted up by tie torrent and
carried bodily a distance Of 100 rvo.', the family
meanwhile keeping together. SUDDEN ne house
broke in pieces, and the boy lost sight o. he rest
If the family, who disappeared from yieN. The
10Y fOated on some timbcrs of the house Il ways
urther, and was finally rescued, though il a
ad condition of body and mind.
jeremiah Ward thought to save his sister-in-
aw, Mrs. Knight, and died with her. Adaugh-
err of Spencer Bartlett started to flee with her
PARENTS to the hills, but the incoming waters
ossed them away, and she was compelled to re-
main in the house, and so escaped.
Two large boilers were in use ut Hayden s.
ieer's brass mandatory, one of them carrying
o lbs. of steam ON the morning of the flood,
the other was cold. The heated boiler ex-
with a terrific report, while the other was
arried over 600 feet and landed in the yard in
ront of Joel Hayden's residence.
Mr. Raymond, employed in James mill. saw
lis house sail by, and, of course, expected that
I, c,rnst ,,.nrn krsft, -. I,N A., 49, =, .-a..-l !
90 soon, hearing the roar of the impending
God, had escaped to a knoll, some four rods in
he rear of their home.
Mr.. Gage, head machinist at James mill, in
erestingly tells his experience. lie was in the
asement of the mill, when the cry came, "Run
or your lives; the reservoir has broke!'' Then +
ONE % of the operatives passed over the bridge t
D the hill 8 rods distant, only just quick enough,
Or the structure crumblcd almost under their
eet; one second more, he says, would have i
wamped them. !
Three men-J. NJ. Stephenson and two others '
hose names are not Mountaineering the board :
lg-house in which they were with a number of
theirs would give way, despite the entreaties of
heir associates, left it and climbed an apple |
rec near by. The latter fell under them and !
hey were dIowned, while those at the boarding. i
ouse remained unframed. One man ventured u
pom the roof of the house, and though it crum- !
led under him, he chung to il and saved his life. =
ohm Atkins, foreman of the ~weaving-room, died :
n saving the lives of his wife and children. t
One of the saddest cases was that Of 3 French !
none of them over 0 years old, who sat !
mong the living and dead at Mr.. Warmers, at a
eeds, and told questioners that they had lost =
Tree sisters, a brother and their mother, but !
leir father was safe and attending to some of /
lie dead people. But many who listened to v
lem knew that the father, as well as the bro e
Ter and sisters, were among the dead, yet none y
ad the heart to break the terrible news to them. h
A sad case was that of the death of Mrs. Jane d
ogan of Leeds and her two daughters, Grace h
nd Carrie. Grace was a pupil in the Normal +
chool, while her sister was a teacher in a school r.
West Farms. They arrived at home Friday d
ight, intending to spend Sunday, and the wave q
me without warning, as the three were seated I
the breakfhst-table c,
Chas. Brady was carried nearly a mile on a CT
lie of debris, finally landing in a tree, from =
hich he was recovered alive, but insane.
Miss Carrie Bonney and Mrs. S.. j. Ryan and :
hid, who were among those swept away and 10
had ample time to save themselves, but n
ere completely stupefed with terror, and with m
fixed stare, stood motionless. y
A cow foated down from Williamsburg to n
and escaped with only a broken horn. 7
st
There was an explosion in the State n,