Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-05-21
DREADFUL DELUGE.
Frightfu1 Devastation by
the Watery Avalanche.
a Whole Valley Laid Waste and
q aelsEt 200 Lives Lost.

& Especial 10 the n. z. Herald.)
Z NoRTHAMPToN MASS, May 16.-Not
far from 8 o'clock this morning the
peaceful residents of Williamsburg
were startled by the appearance of a
horse dashing madly through the
streets, while his rider shouted to the
people to escape for their lives, for the
reservoir had given way, and the wa
ters were coming down upon them.
Scarcely comprehending the dreadful
tidings, but with the instinct of self
preservation strong within them, the
people began to rush from their homes,
while the foam-hecked animal that had
so gallantly brought the messenger,
sank to the ground utterly exhausted.
Another horse was quickly secured,
and the message was borne to other viii
lages. But tine alarm was so sudden
that all did not hear it, scores were
caughtIby the swiftly rolling waters,
and aged grandames, innocent child
} rem and strong men We're alike over
whelmed by the flood, or crushed be-
meath the falling walls of their houses.
8s Up among the hills of Goshen there
Z was a large reservoir of about l04 acres
in extent, where the various mill opera
tors Of Williamsburg, Skinnersburg,
Haydenville and Leeds were wont to
store their summer supply of water.
. People living in the vicinity of the
dam say that 1t has been leaking more
or less for several weeks, and 1t is be-
lieved that, having thus gradually un-
dermined the dam, tho water acquired
a strong headway and suddenly the
dam gave way, and the immense body
of water poured out in its strength, car
rying everything before it. The tor
rent rushed upon the doomed villages
with aloud roar, apparently large ad-
vancing billow of underbrush and
debris rushing rapidly through the
deep gorges to the height of forty feet,
and again sprf ading out a wide ex-
panse Of seething, angry waves, as il
reached the more open country. Reach
ing the beautiful village of Williams
burg, some two and half miles dis
: tant, it struck small button factory,
sweeping it out of existence. Next a
saw and grist mill was attacked and
melted, not a vestige remaining
Houses, barns and shops followed like
grass before scythe, and men, wo-
men and children were caught and
borne away, struggling and shrieking
in vain.
On the waves swept to Skinnerville,
two miles distant, silk factory being
hurled down, and u huge iron boiler
being carried nearly half a mile and
landed high and dry. In Haydenville,
about one mile further on, the bank
building, three story brick structure,
was swept away, scarcely one brick
being left upon another, the money in
the vault sharing the same fate.
The smaller village Of Leeds, between
one and two miles distant, was the
next place to suffer, and the scenes at
Williamsburg and Haydenville were
here repeated. A short distance be-
low Leeds were two bridges, one of
iron and one of stone, both nearly fifty
feet above the bed of the stream. They
were both swept away, the former be-
Ing carried bodily at considerable dis
tance down the stream.
Here the greatest destruction appears
/. to have stopped, although all along the
river, until 1t empficd into the Con-
necticut, o short distance below North
ampton, the banks are covered with all
manner Of debris, timber, trees, pianos,
tables, chairs and other furniture.
It Is estimated that nearly one hum
dred buildings were destroyed, and the