, 1874-05-17
Four Hundred People Left Without
Shelter.
Hundreds Of Horses and Cattle Perish
in the Flood.
Loss Of Property Estimated at
$5,0OO,O0O.

Special n I..;ch fo Tic Chieano TRIBUNE.
Srn1SG71E1a. 'as*., 3lay 16.-Heyer Inns Vest
ern massachusetts experienced anything like The
stupendous disas:er which has to-day 1a1d waste
twelve miles Of the valley Of Mill River, in tho
western portion Of Hampshire County. The
shock fell with tho suddenness OF 4 thunderbolt
from a cloar sky, leaving it's victims no opportu-
nifty to escape from the fearful, a11-engultin9
flood. The reservoir which caused this fear
ful loss Of life and property was not
the large one in Goshen, as stated
in previous dispatch, but one Of 100 acres c1-
tent in the Town of Williamsburg. and about 5
miles above the village. 1t was constructed six
years ago
WITH CRIMINAL cHEAPNEs5
by the Mill River Manufacturezs' Association, q
combination Of capitalists who own the mills On
the stream beiow. It was intended to supply
water in ines OF drouth- Instead Of build
ing substantial dam across the Ravens, where
the reservoir has it's outlet, they merely piled up
an earth embaukuent With a stone overflow. 1t
WIS known fI1 well that tho soil Was Of
cLArEY AND THzACHERoUs CHARACTER,
but false economy prevailed over sound judG-
meut. and the clay was asked to do the work OF
stone The result appears to-day, in the loss Of
4 hundred lives and million dollars worth Of
property in few brief hours. It WAS well
known in all the section, now the scene OF 4
fearful devastation, TINT tho late Lieut.-Gov.
Hayden. from whom the manufacturing village
Of Hayden3ille WAS named,
coSB1DERED THIS RESERVOIR EXTREMELY 1S5E-
CURE,
and had several times expressed great fears that
the slender barrier which served as dam
would bo swept away. Happy would it have
been for thousands Of people to-day If his coun-
sells had been needed. 1he most that was done.
however, waa to hl1o man to watch the Tescr-
yoir. 1t has been known for some days past
that the water WAS 1ech1Dg through the
embanlment, but the fact does not
seem to havo beon given due importance
Last night there Was q heavy rain. filing the
reservoir to the br1rn, and soon after o'clock
this morning the watchman waB terrified to find
IT'S WEAK SUPPORT GIVING WAY.
and i mighty torrent Of wator pouring cut.
Hastily mounting horse, he drove With the ut
most possible speed to Williamsburg, shouting
to every one to flee for their iEes, the torrent
would soon bo upon thon1- His horse
was so urged beyond his strength that
the animal dropped dead in the streets OF
| williamsburg. Procuring another horse, he
dashed On to Skinncrv1lle little village next
in the path of tho food, spreading dlsnay il
every direction
1r wAs rEAREbL RIDE,
| With the torrent roaring behind him,-a race moi
for his own life but for the lives OF others-and
almost as worthy to be iu>morta]ized in verse a.
Sheridan's ride to Winchester. Tearing down tt
tho little village, he shouted the tidinss tt
Yillian Skinner, proprietor OF the silk-uills
| who instantly
GAVE THE ALAn,l
by ringing the bell of his factory IS for a fire
their lives to the hills which surround tbs vii
]ngo. They had scarcely time to do so bcio''
the flood had
SWEPT AWAY THE s1LT FACTORY,
only few ruins remaining in the track Of de
vasta,ion to show where it had stood
Up to this time the flood had swept across on
corner Of williamsburg Village, and hnd carzie'
of the only factory in the little settlement 0
6ainneryile.
THE HEAVIEST uLoW,
10 far Us the destruction OF property HAa con
cerned, remained for the thriving village Of uaJ
| denyille, where ve1o located tho principal manu-
featuring establishment Of the Town OF VII
iamsbu1g. Hero were tho brass factory OF Aaj
den, Gcre l. Co., and the large new ottice bui1t
ipc adjoining, in which was tho Haydenrll
Savings Bank. Both OF them were large, sui
stantial brick buildings, but they stood up q
more against the flood than paper houses wou]
have done. They were
sEKpr CLEAN AwAT,
and with them the safe Of the Savings Bank,
which WAS a95 900 in money. Nothing has bee