Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-05-22
THE HAMPSHIRE CALAMITY.
a ,2ER IL f8E. 4. =. Enc OF DEATH
AND DESOLATION.
Nearly Il WO Humid red Lives Lost by
's'he Flood Heartrending Scenes
Snfferings of the SurviyOrs-Neccs-
sity. for lmnle diate K1elief-Searrh-
ing for EsGdic..
NEW YoRK. Nav l
NEW AotsA, lilly 10
A e0rrespondent of the Herald tie

I NEW YoRK, May Is
correspondent of the Herald tele.
I graphs as follows from Northampton:
. Never have ! seen anything more
! terrible, and it is impossible TO CON
! ceiye the terrific force of the flood
except from the effects. Mill river
was in many parts walled stream,
but the huge pieces of rock which
I formed its embankment were COM
pletely swept away. In some places
the banks looked like a rocky shore,
the massive stones being thrown about
SO indiscriminately. In other places
rocks and trees torn from the earth,
and debris from tho mills which were
torn down by the foods are all there
is of the river side. Even long pieces
Of cloth from the cotton mills are so
interviewer with debris Of every kind
that they seem natural part OF
natures handiwork The roads have
disappeared with the banks, and IN
many places to-day vehicles pass
where yesterday flowed the stream,
while now the river runs IN what was
formerly the road.
THE RUINS.
The appearance OF tie shattered
buildings still standing was of such a
diversified character as almost to BAT
fle destr.pti Ahuge chimaa ~ some
times indicated the site of great mill.
Some of the large mills of the valley.
as l have already said, have left no
sign of their existence. Many houses
end shops were completely shattered
to ri. ces and scattered to no one
knows where. Such complete devas-
tation is not more remarkable than the
partial destruction of buildings, to
which [ Just now referred. Some
houses were completely riddled by the
flood, leaving only the framework.
The foundations and walls of others
were swept away, leaving the frame
structure very much ,wry. Som>
were half swept off, lea ing the other
half where it stood before. Some
were carried down the stream and
stranded. Some were turned over on
their sides, and / saw one which stood
on its roof The wrecks are of every
description, bnt the frame buildings
were not SO completely demolished as
those of other materials. When a
brick or stone house felt the force of
the flood it was almost certain to yield
completely. Had Mr.. SINNERS ele
CANT mansion heen Of brick instead of
boards the whole house would have
gone as his mill did.
PARALYZED INDUSTRY.
At least three of the villages-Wil-
liamsburg, HaydeEsville and Leeds
are paralyzed beyond the hope of re-
covery. 1t matters little how much
money was actually lost, for its sum
total is the hand which fed the inhabi
tants of what was yesterday happy
village. To-day it is desoiation, and
tomorrow it will be worse, for it will
be hopelessness. When the dead are
buried, when the extent Of the beleaye-
ments is fully understood, when the
scene of Gesolation becomes familiar,
Will come the reaction, and with the
reaction, perhaps, despair. I saw an
Cd man this morning, while his neigh
bors were busy examining the heaps
of debris along the course OF the flood
for the dead bodies, engaged IN gath
ering buttons on a string. Equally
ainlless must be the future of these
people, unless capital flows into the
valley again almost as rapidly as it
was SWEEP away.
AT LEEDS.
The devastation at Leeds Is indie
scribable. Only three houses on the
east side Of the river remain III their
original positions. The water first
struck the Nonotuck silk dam, solid
structure, and pioughed through it as
if it had been bank of sand. The
dam was built twenty-five years ago,
and had twenty-six foot fall in the
centre 1t originally cost so, 600, and
was refaced few years ago. The
stone wall of the mill facing the
stream was nearly swept away. The
mill was damaged but slightly, bIlt
work will not be resumed on it for
months, thus throwing many hands out
of employment. the silk mill board
ing house was totally wrecked. All
the inmates escaped except Captain
Vaughn and Miss Woodward, both of
whom lost their lives by returning for
some valuables. Miss Woodward was
daughter Of the old proprietor OF the
Woodward house at Northampton.
The old wooden mill, occupied III
part as saw mill, vas next crushed
by the Scething waters. j he flood IN
Its, course took Selec man W. +. Quig-
leys house down the current a few
rods, leaving only the old L part on
the site. In this L part, Mrs. QnIg-
ley, two daughters, and Miss Marble,
a teacher at the Leeds school, were
sitting. having Just completed break
fast They flew into the upper story
aud SO escaped. 1t was while they
were standing here that the main part
Of the honse parted from their
TOWER OF SAFETY,
leaving them with a thin partition to
fence out the Singing sea. Gazing
cut Of a window they saw Walter
Humphreys on the roof Of a house
that appeared as ship on the sea.
Happily it foatel near the window,
aud Miss Nellie Quigley and Miss
Marble raised the window, grasped
him and drew him into the little har-
Dor that bravely stood out the storm,
and he was saved. MIR. Humphreys
family, a wife and two children and an
aged lady, were all saved. Mrs. Hum
phreys WAC surprised by the flood, and
she and the old lady took each child
and stood upon a bed, holding the lit
tie ones above the waves that were
clamoring for more life to destroy.
Frederick Clough, foreman at the
button factory, heard the roar of the
coming flood and fastened TO Mrs.
Bonnev's house, AMI, as it were, COM
manded ali those present there to flee.
Mrs. Bonney obeyed, running to the
hills. Clough, sei4ing one OF Mr..
Ryan's children, grand daughter of
Mrs. Bonney, begged Mrs. Mary
Ryan and Carrie BonneytO follow him
but they stood fixed to the spot in ter
ror and fright. He fled with the child,
They remained with another child. and
so were swept away Mrs. Bonney's
other daughter, Annie, lied from the
mill and was saved. The village
chapel followed the way to destruc-
ton, and also Two or three double
houses. The current had now nearly
reached George p. Warmers button
factory, which was totally ruined. The
alarm had been given and all the en-
ployces, except Carrie Bonney and
Evelyn Sherwood escaped. .. These two
became +bewilder6d and started tor
home, when they We're swept down
! 7 &c