Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-05-29
A WISH TO the Scene of the MIL River Disaster.

III 'H0 i."lidhu DIVISION. superintendent T. y
II White of the Harlem Extension ; Mr.
. Edward ID. Page of Rutland, second son oil
+. ex-Goy. Page; MIR Albert ii. futile of the
Rutland Herald, fresh from his postoihce
E. contest and victory, and in frame of mind
De to look upon even sweeping disaster with
a philosOphic equanimity Mr.. Scion Car
h. penter of the Rutland Globe, and the writer,
c. made up the party of explorers. We
reached northampton at ten O'Clock in the
d forenoon, and found a train apparently
: about starting over the branch railroad
- which leads thence to Williamsburg,
&c through the valley of Mil River. There
y were eight or ten cars filled to Overlooking
with sight-seers. and afording only stand
3 ing room, and not much of that. to the fresh
+ accessions to the crowd.
!. We found among the passengers Prosper
Merrill, ESD, OF Woodstock who owned the
Touring mill in Williamsburg, which was
Il the second mill struck by the flood. He was
at Northampton when it occurred; had
been at his mill the day before and had in
tended to remain and take an inventory on
the fatal Saturday but his bookkcepcr was
not quite ready, and the task was postponed
till Monday. Had it not been, Mr.. Merrill
would, in all probability, have been at
the mill and shared the fate of his book
keeper and miller, both of whom were lost.
lie told Us that nothing was left of the mill
=. - Il. -
washed away, and that he was dependent
solely on the recollection and honesty ofthe
people who had accounts with the mill for
the collection Of his dues. He thought the
property, which cost him SCI 200 few
months ago. was now worth perhaps 5000.
consisting of a ruined mill site and small
house occupied by his miller, considerably
damaged, hut still standing. lie hoped to
save - coo or $1,000 from. accounts due,
but did not suppose his loss could be less
than SIS coo. After an hours tedious de-
lay, the train. which had been waiting for
a Legislative committee, at last started and
moved slowly up the valley. At Florence.
three miles from Northampton, the meadows
| first came in view, and from there to VIII
liamsburg five miles above. every rod ofthe
way showed traces of the flood. in piles of
the debris Of houses, crushed and shattered
into oven wood, uprooted trees. tattered |
garments and bedclOthcs caught upon the |
peeled bushes, pieces OF carpet dragged up |
from the eGdies, hAttencd Joints of stove
"a r.l lr,l I. e..
the mills, and the like At Leeds and Hay |
denville the evidences of the force of the /
torrent became more apparent, in the |
stranded wooden dwelling houses, left in all |
stages of demolition. end standing or living
at all angles. Several small houses lay
squarely on their sides with verandas point
Ing up 10 the sky. 10 one ropes and tackles
had been fastened and workmen were trying
to pull 1t over to an upright position. OF
course We saw the broken dams; the chin
neys showing where some of the
mills had been - of many others no
trace remains -. the bridge over
which Mrs. llardng escaped, if escape it
Is proper to call what was rather, as it
proved, running into danger; for had she
and the thirteen factory girls who followed
her. and who were swept away. remained
in the six mll-a large brick factory
which stand, apparently unchanged. they
would have been safe; the steps up the
bank by which 50 many escaped from the !
button mills at llaydenvllle: the house of
William skinner. the owner of SINNERS {
Vllle-a handsome modern mansion with
Mansard roof; the churches used as I
morsucS. and many otr .er objects of a pain {
tul interest. which lave been described in t
the published report. Of the disaster. Pass [
M on oFer piec = of washed out track that
lad been hast .ly replaced. and by places .
where the h' Cd had cut away the railroad L
moankmep to within a foot of the ties, c
nd which. looked as if fresh slide might e
axe the sand from under the track at any
homer /, We reached Williamsburg. The r,
assf myers poured from the cars and began | 81
a long professions to pick their n
Eay across the valley, which looks f.
Ike the bed Of a river strewed with f.
'onlders and stones, from which tine IL
OIL has been washed away, ana cut up by ar
hallow streams, which were crossed by NJ
umping from stone to stone. or by means of ff
ridges improvised Of drift timber. The W
God took but small portion, comparative by
y, OF Williamsburg but where it swept it nd
lade as dreadful work as elsewhere. We vi
q Ssef over snots on which n ,,aoI. L.. ar
TODD pleasant houses, with lawns and 90 90
edges and flower gardens, where now the We
dc remaining yestige Of habitation was wi
he lead water pipe that brought water from We
me hillside spring, sticking up out of the ne
raveL The foundation walls disappeared ma
thoroughly as the superstructures. and the tire
liars are either filed up, or all the soil 90 90
onnd washed away, leaving bare stones cot
beds of coarse gravel. Where Mr.. Mer- pre-
u : mill (known there as the Adams -four siU
2 mill, from its former Owner) stood. an,
thing Is to be seen bat bare rocks and pro
'ne~, showing no sign that the spot had one
er been anything bnt the bed of a river ,
the way the ledger of the mall was found. c,r
wn stream somewhere, Friday afternoon. CON
d was brought in while We were there. -.
Mr.. Merrill is not 50 utterly without 49,
counts as he supposed.
After dinner at tie hotel. which was sto,
ing rushing business =" in feeding + he As
'wdS OF visitors. we sta, ted for the resi- r wa,
r, IN an open wagon, which, with the coll
rises that drew it, was all that the food {
lett to expressman amb. who drove u :. of
was, he told US, 2 bout quarter of A f,o,
E from his house in Williamsburg village or
en- strange, unusu al roar attracted his and
ention. While lis tening, shouts from emo
street told him tb ,. .,,,,.,l.; ing
taking place. IIurrying thither he H.. N
rned that the reservoir had burst. and in
toward his house, only to see it move on
little way before the wave and then I wat
mhle and disappear in the boiling tor ~
:, bearing with it to sudden death his --
> ana nephew who was with them on Ms
SIT The body of his wife was found on | o u
northampton meadows. eight miles be- and
: ana Mr. Lamb. in searching for her W. =
other dead, had several times passed amin
the whole course of the flood. from arter
up, bat without discovering A
red or particle of anything that was in f MI
house, or that he could call his own. the ,
Is but one of hundreds of similar cases. pond
70 ros,r,.,.;. whicl
'V'- vas ''ilee mics above VIII high
sourg. the stream running through a rocky
ne or gorge between the slopiag hill he VIZ
;, now. of coprsa soo,,o5 ii found
-sN anu 'oih him
70"' "S 'he water. The remains of fined
IAN made faIr show of strength. so NINA
: the carth-work ,roe oo.,-, = was