The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-05-22
Immense Destruction Of Prop
erty and Loss Of Life.
Four Towns Destroyed by the Burst
ing Of a Reservoir near Hay
denYille, Massachusetts,.

- ~ W AAAAl-A1 ~ - % ~--e~0'N-S-- A.ISee13
! the two branches of Mill river unite.
One of these has its rise in Goshen,
the other near Conway. On the
Goshen branch are two reservoirs,
the lower one about four miles
e from Williamsburg. This reservoir
!. covered and extent of over one
hundred and fifty acres, and the
I depth of water was about fifteen
d feet. Reports say the dam had been
5 leaking for several weeks, and some
/ were fearful of catastrophe. About
r seven o'clock Saturday morning the
dam began leaking so badly that the
watchman became alarmed, and !
started to warn the people of the
villages below, but ere he could reach |
{ Williamsburg the flood was raging
r behind him and he was obliged to |
n take to hill for safety. The partic-
o ulars of the fearful destruction is
thus told by Nes0 York Herald re-
porter:
t Not far from eight o'clock this
: morning the peaceful citizens of
: Williamsburg were startled by the
appearance Of horse dashing mad
ly through the streets, while his II
der shouted to the people to escape
for their lives, for the reservoir had
given away and the waters were com
ing down upon them. Scarcely COM
, pretending the dreadful tidings, but
with the instinct of self-preservation
strong within them, the people be-
gan to rush from their homes, while
the foam-fecked animal that had so
gallantly brought the messenger
sank to the ground, utterly exhaust
ed; another horse was quickly Sc
cured and the message was born to
the other villages. But the alarm
was so sudden that all did not hear
it, and scores were caught by the
swiftly rolling water,and aged grand
danes, innocent children and strong
men were alike overwhelmed by the
food or crushed beneath the falling
walls Of their houses.
The torrent rushed upon the {
doomed villages with loud roar,
apparently large advancing billoW
of underbrush and debris, issuing
rapidly through the deep gorges
from height of forty feet and again p
spreading out a wide expanse of "
seething angry waves as it reached
the more open and level country. 4,
Reaching the beautiful village of a,
Williamsburg, some two and one St
half miles distant, it struck a small "
button factory, sweeping it out of
existence; next saw and grist mill =
was attacked and melted, not ves- :; :.
tlge remaining, houses, barns and II
shops following like grass before a a.
scythe, and men women and children en-
were caught and swept away, strug- liv
Cling and shrieking in vain.
On the waves swept to SINNERS =
vile, two miles distant, a silk factory
being hurled down, huge iron boi-
Ter being carried nearly half mile L
and landed high and dry. III
In Haydenville, about one mile
further on, the bank building, a three
story brick structure, was swept
away, scarcely one brick being left WI
upon another, the money in the vault Ia' "a
sharing the same fate. The smaller .4e
village Of Leeds, between one and -,
two miles distant, was the next place ~
70 suffer, and the scenes at Williams -.
burg and Haydenville were here re- sto
oeated. A short distance below boz
Leeds were two bridges, one of iron a d
and one Of stone, both nearly fifty me
'eet above the bed of the stream. cou
They were both swept away, the for sur
ner being carried bodily consider the
aDle distance down the stream. COZ
Here the greatest destruction ap- his
pears to have stopped, although all er,
along the river, until it emptied in tee
TO the Connecticut a short distance cue
below Northampton, the banks are lat'
with all manner of debris 70 !
timber, trees, pianos, tables, chairs, Of
and other furniture. .ta
The saddest feature of the whole uSl
affair is the great loss of life. At y. p.V
first it was thought that not more -
than forty or fifty lives were lost, ;na a
but a more careful canvass of No,
The villages visited gives the con
5otal of 141, divided as follows VIII
between the three places: Williams the
burg, 60; Iced, 40; Haydenville, 35. pir,
These figures only represent those aga
whose loss is positively known, maj
'hough the bodies Of all are not vet we
recovered. Bodies are constantly pat
)eing found, and in some cases those con
If persons who were not supposed to Pria
'e lost, so that it seems perfectly the
afe to say that the total loss of life ing
vii exceed $50, if indeed it does not sia'
more nearl y approach 200. Dis
The scene was most horrible and l'09
rightful, and made even the strong ''S'
nen go frantic with fear. Women -
ainted in the streets and were borne
way by the relentless current. So
udden was the inundation that d;oo
many lost the presence of mind and duc,
ushed wildly from the points of inc,
afety into very death itself. Others ion
rho remained to save loved and dear mos
mes were themselves lost. alon
One fearful case was that of DR.. E. Ordi
|. johnson of Williamsburg, who tino
eized his two children, and in com It i
any with his wife started for a high stoc
just outside the village. shol
lie became exhausted and stopped shell
or a moment to rest. The food ing
anne before he could get away and mos
L were lost, his wife preferring to may
hare death herself rather than aban- apps
on the one she so dearly loved. cati'
here are numerous cases of where bust
hole families were swept away. pain
hen the Herald reporter left the dow
Gene of the terrible disos+o. 20 49, book
here were hundreds of Weeping ianc
len, women and children goinS 70 e'
'anctlcally up and down the Way Of ana
he flood seeking for the remains of s-Iy
Kissing relatives and friends. The iAA
ater has generally receded and bv n,
'-morroW it will nearly disappear .siao %
in fact it was only about chem
Venty minutes from the first inun- ed "
alton before there was a perceptible nevs
nd rapid fall, which has continued the
yer since. hous
There were many narrovv ascoDaa stani