The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-05-21
rn1aHrEnL n1sAsTER.
Four Villages Swept Away--APpall-
ing loss OfLife-

Four Villages Swept Away--APpall-
ing loss OfLifs-
Mass, May 16.-A
snecial to the New York Herald says
Not far from eight o'clock this morning,
the p~eaceful residents of Williamsburg
were startled by the appearance Of q horse
dashing madly through the streets, while
his rider shouted to the people to escape
their lives, for the reservoir had given
wav. and the waters were coming down
upon them. Scarcely comprehendlng the
dreadful tidings, but with the instinct OF
self-preservation strong within them, the
people began to rush from their homes,
while the f~oam-hecked ANNA, that had so
calamity brought the messenger, sank to
the ground, utterly exhausted. Another
horse was quickly secured, and the mes
senger was borne to other villages, but the
alarm was so sudden, that all did not hear
it. and scores were caught by the swiftly
rolling waters, and aged grand-dames, in
nocent children, and strong men were
alike overwhelmed by the flood or crush
ed beneath the falling walls OF their W
houses.
In among the hills of Goshen there was
a LARGE reservoir of about one hundred
and four acres in extent, where the var
ious mill operators of Williamsburg, Skin
nersville, Haydenville and Leeds were
wont to store their summer supply of
water. The people living in that vicinity
of the dam say that it has been leaking
more or less for several weeks, and it Is
believed that having thus gradually un-
dermined the dam, the water acquired
strong Roadway, and suddenly the dam
a V way, and the immense body of water
poured out in its strength, carrying every
thing before it. The torrent rushed upon
the doomed villages with a loud roar, ap-
parently q large advancing blllow OF un-
derbrush and debris, issuing rapidly
through the dep gorges to the height OF
forty feet, and again spreading out, a wide
expanse of seethIng angry waves, as 1t
reached tie more open country.
PROGRESS OF THE TORRENT.
Reaching the beautiful village of Will
l~iamsburg, some two and a half miles dis
tant, 1t struck q small button factory,
sweeping it out of existence. Next a saw
and grist mill was attacked and melted,
not 2 vestage remaining. Houses, barns
and shops followed like grass before a
scythe, and men, women and children
borne away, struggling and shrlekIng IN
vain.
On the waves swept to Skinnersville,
two miles distant, a silk factory being
hurled down, a huge iron boiler being car
ried nearly half q mile, and landed high
and dry IN Haydenville. About one mile
further on, the bank building, q three
story brick structure was swept away,
scarcely one brick being left upon another
the money IN the vault sharing the same
fate. The small village of Leeds, between
one and two miles distant, was the mex
place to suffer, and the scenes at Will
Iiamsburg and Haydenville were here re-
peated.
A short distance below Leeds were two
bridges, one of iron and n of stone, both
nearly fifty feet above the bed of the
stream. They were both swept away, the
former beng swept bodily and a considera-
BILE distance down the stream. Here
the greatest destruction appears to have
stopped, although all along the river, IN
til It emptied into the Connecticut, q shori
distance below Northampton, the banks
are covered with all name of debris
timber, trees, pianos, tables, chairs and othel
furniture.
ESTIMATE OF THE DAMAGE DONE.
1t is estimated that nearly one hundreC
buildings were destroyed, and the to- "a
loss is from one million to q million and
| lall Oh uOAldI5s dlbuOukAg VI OA-o
impossible to accurately estimate the dam
ACE. The saddest feature of the whole at
fair is the great loss o life. At first 1T wa
thought not more than forty or fifty live
were lost, but a more careful canvass o
the Villages visited give the total numbe
of missing persons at nearly 10 as fol
lows: =,
At Williamsburg. 40; at Leeds, IS
at Vaudeville. "a; there have been be
tween so and 60 dead bodies already re
covered, and on Sunday morning organic
! ed searching parties are to go over tn
course of the food in search of Others
. There were many narrow escapes.
butcher, named Michael Hernigan, wa
b caugh, horse, wagon and all, and carrie
along until he managed to get into tn
top of a tree and thus escaped. Tho
FInnessy was carried some two miles HoaI
ing on some timber until he finally escaI
ed. Ira Dunning was IN < manne ca
3 ried over halls mile. Charles Brady, att
riding in imminent peril for a mile, e
IS capped to a tree. DR.. johnson warned b
wife in season to permit her to escape
T safety, but IN trying to save ms three en-
dren, he was caught by the Hood and the
h all four persisted in sight of the agoniz'
wife and mother.
e The bodies recovered were terribly mai
eIed, and many Of them were stripped
il every particle of clothing, but most
q them were identified by friends.
K The scene of the disaster has been vlsl
ed by hundreds of people this afternoo
and tomorrow hundreds more will u
doubtedly go thither, but it is doubtful
- any trains are run from Springfield to 9
commodate the hundreds who are hopil
e. to come here from that city.
so SPRINGFIELD MASS, May l6.-Anot
err special to the New York Hers
&c says:
SC 1t was not far from seven o'clock VIII
&c &c the first symptoms of the break were d
Oc covered by the Watchmanin charge Of t
4c dam. These consisted of a small le
Il. ough the lower embankment / the
&c rection of Williamsburgh. At first, t
Iddec Waterman thought little or nothing Of {
loo circumstance, but at length the gap beg
&C to widen, and he very properly becaI
alarmed, and FASTENED to notify the lphi
z0 9 itants in the villages below. he starr
SSe on a run for williamsburg which was
IT5 than two miles distant, but long before
,,SSCo had got there the whole ~embankment g
TIC way, and the stream of terrier, death,
destruction was there ahead of him.
had to take refuge upon a neighboring
10 save III OhA AAAOI ~ bAGo OSS~-
I be ~agonized and helpless witness Of a Gala
zoe ty which he had lone all in his hum
z z93c power to avert.
The rush of the waters and the fear
CONSERVATION which ensued among
1Oc terrified citizens was most heartrend
lsc to witness. The food came without
lac slightest warning, save q heavy rumbl
50e not unlike thunder, or the sound o
heavy train passing over g covered I
road bridge. Almost in a moment
ne IS torrent swept successfully through
s1Oc the villages of Skinnersville, Villa
burgh, Haydenville and Leeds, the Il
iae first named hamlets being about II
IOc quarters of a mile apart, and the la
no, ISc about two miles below Haydenville.
lac To those who saw the terrible volume
alec preaching, it looked in the distance as
asoc terrible FIRE was sweeping across the &C
try. The spray or foam had the app
81 90 ance of heavy black smoke and the de
IS ton was so complete that in the villal
, ,sISe Haydenville the fire bells were ringing
q fsuy uoinutes hefOra the deVasta