The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-05-18
THE RUIN WROUGHT.

THE RUIN WROUGHT.
~ WILLIAMSBURG, Mass, May II, 1874
This has been solemn and Interesting Sabbath
in this section OF Western Massachusetts, Sorrow
and gloom, mingled with sad scenes OF death and
desolation, everywhere apparent, and the
whole community seems horror stricken and ap.
palled at the full realization OF the terrible calam
ity which laid waste the valley OF Mill River yes
terday morning.
TWO HUNDRED PERSONS LOST.
Indeed, the catastrophe is awful beyond the
power OF language adequately to express As IN
timated In the HERALD dispatches of last night,
the loss OF life will be scarcely less than 200, and
the amount OF property swept away viii reach at
least 81 OOo 900 in value. The record Is indeed q
horrible one and the sadness of the event is
intensified by the agonzjng fact th.t the calamity
Is the result Of the conceptions OF Lllpurian souls
Of grasping corporations. NA' ~et@
THE FLIMsY DAM
The dam which broke away was nimsy q
structure OF its kind as was ever built. Instead
OF being soldly constructed where the force OF the
vast sheet OF water was concentrated. there was
only an embankmenr or earth and feeble stone
overflow. One theory is that this embankment
had been honeycombed by mussrats; but, be that
as 1t may Is nevertheless certain that the struc
ture was miserably weak, and the only wonder is
that 1t has not given way before.
Another common rumor Is to the enect that
when the dam was built there was strike among
the workmen, and, inasmuch as the strikers were
unsuccessful, they Intentionally weakened the
reservoir in completing 1t.
CRIMINAL CARELEssNESs. N2
Whatever may have been the cause. it seems
clear that there was criminal carelessness the
part OF the owners OF the dam In failing to see
that 1t was made secure. They cannot plead the
excuse OF ignorance OF the existing danger; for,
| years ago, the late Lieutenant Governor Hayden,
| OF Williamsburg, and other residents in the
! vicinity, pronounced the work unsafe, and ex-
pressed the fear that 1t would some day give way.
| and that the villages below would be inundated.
| How fully and sadly their fearful anticipations
have been realized IL now too well known, and 1t
| Is to be hoped that ts " ca4 taEar
THE CoRoHER's INVESTIGATION
which is TO commence tomorrow, win result in de.
lining the path OF duty for the Grand Jury and the
| Judges of the criminal courts Of Massachusetts,.
| Scarcely anywhere else in New England where
dams and reservoirs are brought into requisition
by manufacturers would misfortune OF this Kind
have been attended with such disastrous conse-
Quences. STILL there Is sorrowful satisfaction in
contemplating the small loss Of life compared
with the terrible record which would have been
presented n the flood had come two or three
inundated villages were soundly sleeping. Instead
OF 200, the victims would have numbered at least
5000 or 5000. As 1t Is, however, the loss OF 200
lives and Of $1,000, 900 is terrible blow to such
manufacturing districts as these, which nave been
so suddenly swept away, and the disaster, alike In
its character and extent, Is really without any
precedent in this country. Hundreds Of people
have lost their all OF property, their homes and
their household goods, and the business men, who
have been the life Of this busy and thrifty COM
munity. are in many instances utterly ruined
THE RESERVOIR, THE BREAK AND THE COURSE OF
DESTRUCTION,
Mil River, which formed the fatal reservoir, is
composed OF two branches the north branch and
the west branch, the former OF which has It's rise
among the Fran kiln county hills, and the latter on
the we'll known Goshen Hills. Each OF these
branches furnishes power for consider.
able number OF manufacturing establish
ments, and they both come together In
the village OF Williamsburg. Tho I'M.
certainty and capriclousness OF the streams them
selves, sometimes swollen by ireshets and again
reduced by the drought led the manufacturers
some forty years ago to build reservoir upon the
west branch. This reservoir was built at the very
source Of that branch upon the Goshen Rill nve
miles west Of the village OF Williamsburg, and
covered about 100 acres OF land. This, however,
did not prove suficent for the exgencies OF the
dry seasons .t~s ~
- .2-f ANOTHER RESERVOIRS. a9 aeav
The manufacturing establishments along the
line of the river increased. and about ten years
ago another reservoir was built upon the north
branch, three miles north OF the village OF Will
liamsburg. Both or these reservoirs were built by
the manufa cturing companies along the river be-
tween Williamsburg and Northampton, under the
name OF the Mill River Reservoir Company, the
different companies contributing pro rata to the
expense and paying annual assessments for re-
pairs. The Goshen Reservoir Is regarded as one OF
the strongest in the country; but the dam at the
Williamsburg Reservoir, which was built mainly Of
earth and wood, has never been regarded as very
safe and has been in constant need Of repairs.
This reservoir was built by Emery Wells, OF North
ampton, and covered l04 acres OF ground, and the
average depth Of the water was over twenty feet
the height OF the Williamsburg Reservoir, for the
latter 10 upon an eminence nearly high as Mount
Hoyoke. tHtwe0a
THE FORCE,
however, OF q volume OF water of the area and
depth Of that confined In the Williamsburg reser.
voir IL simply irresistible aud more terrible en-.
CINE OF destruction than such muddy, rushing
torrent OF water as on Saturday morning leaped
down upon those busy ana thriving villages along
Mill River, sweeping away their buildings ana CHI
liens without moments warning OF their Inn
pending doom, can hardly be iinag ined. Scarcely
swifter than this on-rushng torrent cotld have
been the fiery stream OF lava which overlook and
buried the historic cities OF Pompeii and Hercu.
lanaum; and more sudden transition from pros
perty and happy life to ruin and CHASTITY death
has seldom been experienced In any part OF the
world.
| several manufacturing establishments are cit.