The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-05-26
A Terrible Disaster.


Hampshire county, Mass, burst and food
ed the country. The reservoir covered
about $50 acres and had depth of water
averaging about thirty feet and was used
to supply water to the factories situated on
Mill river during dry seasons.
The villages which are affected by the
disaster are Williamsburg, Haydenville,
Leeds and Florence, and are situated ON
Mill river a tributary of the Connecticut
river, running into the latter at North
ampton.
The mills on the stream reaching from
Williamsburg down to Northampton are as
follows Thayer's tool factory, twenty-five
men and two button factories, with fifty
hands, men and girls, four set woolen
mills of Henry James, fifty hands; large
brass works of Hayden, Gere & Co., five
hundred hands, and perhaps the largest
and best appointed factory Of the kind in
the United States the cotton mill of the
Hayden Manufacturing Co., five thousand
spindles, and seventy-five or eighty hands
the Diamond Tobacco Works fifteen or
twenty hands two extensive silk mills of
the Nonotuck silk Company, three hun
dred hands large brick mill Of the North
ampton Brush Company, sixty to seventy
five hands cotton mill of Greenville Manu-
featuring Company, five thousand spindles,
and seventy-fve to eighty hands; the
Northampton, formerly the Bay State
Cutlery Company, two hundred hands; the
Clement & Hawkes. Manufacturing Com
pany's mill, agricultural implements, fifty
hands; the International Screw and Nail
Company, seventy-five hands, and the large
basket factory of the Williams Manufac-
turing Company, one hundred hands.
Up to the present time the number of
lives known to be lost, reaches nearly 200.
A correspondent from the scene of the
disaster furnishes the following interesting
account: "About o'clock the watchman
at the dam discovered small leak near
the base, but such things had been seen
before and caused no great uneasiness. In
few moments, however, the trickling
stream began to run faster and wilder a
considerable gap appeared, and then the
guard suddenly realized the imminence of
the disaster.
He started on a run for Williamsburg.
Long before he could traverse the two miles
went up behind him, the whole ombank-
ment gave way, and huge wall of roar
ing waters swept down the valley from hill
to hill. The motion of the great mass was
not so swift but what the watchman could
save himself by escaping up the hillside,
and thence he watched the progress of the
destruction against which he was powerless
to utter word Of warning.
In the little village below the operatives
had fairly begun their work for the day
the mills were alive with busy workmen
there were the monotonous whirr of wheels
the buzz of spindle and loom, and all the
multitudinous sounds that go to make up
the monotone Of industry in such a hive Of
activity and energy.
In that busy little community of 2,50C
souls there weDs few who were not up and
abroad at this hour of the morning. Fol
none of them was there any warning of the
peril which, back of them on the hills, was
sweeping down, bearing ruin, destruction
: and death. Not until the tremendous wave
80 feet high and of the width of the valley
throwing up spray like smoke and bearing
great mass Of timber, earth and stone il
its teeth, was in sight and fairly lowering
over them did they apprehend their dan
ger.
Looking up at it then in the horribl,
moment of agony that was left them Their
was no escape. Toward the coming flOO'
there was no possible outlet. Only deAtl
in that direction. On either side towarr
the hills-oh, so far away-they looked il
vain. The hill of waters flanked them
and hope ON either side was cut off.
Down the valley there was no chanc
: for the feetest rider to outrun the hungr
. monster that came roaring after. 1t wa
y a moment OF deadliest terror. Hemmed in
surrounded, overwhelmed, what could the
Q do? There was nothing left but to rails
9 white faces and imploring hands to Heave
II and to Gods mercy leave their fate.
y 1t was in Williamsburg that the foo
II began and where its effects were most di
L astroAs to human life. Fifty-six lives WEI
u lost in this single village. The signs (
=" ruin are most horrible. At the empt
reservoir is seen the Jagged walls Of IL
dam. Below, for thousand feet and NOR
az the bed of stream is gouged out in chasn