Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-19

where the break occurred; but the exam
liners always reported everything safe.
The direct cause Of the disaster, aside
nom the general weakness of the dam
must remain subject Of speculation. Per
haps as satisfactory a theory as any Is one
advanced by a man familiar with the case.
that the frosts had started the earth so the
water had found numerous little courses
through it, which finally carried the first
mass Of earth Saturday morning, and at
once precipitated the catastrophe,
Committee Appointed at Williams
/ burg.
The citizens of Williamsburg held a town
meeting on Saturday evening, and appoint
ed a committee to raise subscriptions, look
after the destitute and organize the search
for the missing.
Relief Contributed.
Northampton and adjoining towns have
been sending in supplies of food, clothing
and money since the disaster; and contribu-
tons were taken up for the suffering in the
Churches throughout Western Massachu-
sets to-day.
| The collections in the churches of Spring
| field amounted to s., 900, and the subscrip-
/ ton papers will swell that amount to about
| 5000. All the large cities and towns are
organizing relief societies.
Nine victims Inferred.
The funeral Of nine victims of the disas-
ter took place at Williamsburg to-day.
The Search ON warmers Flats.
Special Dispatch TO the New York Sun.
NORTHAMPTON, May I7.--Just below
Leeds, on what was a pretty lawn called
Warmers Flats, vast amount Of debris was
collected. A hundred men, with OK teams
and horses TO move the heavy timbers, be-
gan work early in the morning. In the first
half hour five bodies were found, and be-
fore noon thirty were unburied from that |
spot. llt
The operatives from WILLIAMSBURG, whose |
lost ones had not been recovered, crowded |
the little carpenter shop into which the |
bodies were hurried, and all were recog-
nized, although some were disfgured al |
most past recognition.
In the string of vehicles every few rods |
were wagons containing one, two, and
sometimes four cof1ned bodies, en- route |
for the cemetery, for in the universal be- |
reavement, interment followed swiftly after |
the recovery of the bodies, and funeral SER |
vices, excepting in few instances, were |
dispensed with.
The Church at HsydensviIIe.
At Haydensville the bodies were laid out |
in the Congregational Church. Lying side |
by side were a mother and her two chill |
dren; near them, mother and her married |
daughter, and her two infant children. |
The dead of those whom the food had left |
destitute were buried at the expense Of the |
town.
The Town Hall ut williamsburg.
The dead of Williamsburg number 81. |
The town hall was thick with uncoffined |
bodies, principally of women and children. |
The churches were closed, and the pastors |
and people devoted their whole time to the |
care of the dead, which were removed to |
the receiving vault at the cemetery as rap
| idly as the burial facilities permitted.
Hunting for his Wife.
One poor fellow worked alone for an
[ hour around the wreck of his own house,
| which was carried away half mile from
its place. He lifted up the boards and
| timbers very carefully, peering inside them
so anxiously that throng soon assembled
around to watch his movements. I'm
hunting for my wife, he said when ques-
toned. '1She was in this house when the
| flood came, and she must be near it now"
Those who tried TO help him were scarce
| " able to do so, because he would have
each board lifted as carefully as if the body
| lay below. He worked until late in the
afternoon before he learned that her body
was among those found on Warmers flats.
Apprehension of Another Break.
The gate-keeper ofthe reservoir says he
has lived in constant expectation of break
and has often called the attention of his
Superiors TO its unsafe condition. The &C
cident has caused great apprehension among
the residents along the west branch OF Mill
River, of which the Goshen reservoir is the
the head, and which joins the east branch
at Williamsburg.
It is in all respects similar to the Will
liamsburg reservoir. To-day, a petition
unanimously signed, was sent to the COM
pany owning it, asking to have it emptied
at once and the dam strengthened. Popu-
lar apprehension ran so high that citizens
threatened to take the matter into their
own hands and break the dam. The COM
pany promised to do what is necessary at
once.
| Special to the New York Herald.
/ Narrow Escapes.
There were many narrow escapes. A
butcher named Michael Hernigan was
caught, horse, wagon and all, and carried
along until he managed to get into the top
Of tree, and thus eSCaped.
Thomas FinneSsy was carried some two
miles, floating on some timber, until be
finally escaped.
Ira Dunning was in like manner car
ried over half mile.
Chas Brady, after riding in imminent
peril for mile, escaped to tree.
DR.. johnson warned his wife in season
10 permit her to escape in safety; but in
| oh hsa
caught in the food, and they all four per-
ished, in sight of the agonized wife and
mother.
The First Warming.
SPRINGFIELD, MASS, May 16.-It was
not far from I O'Clock when the first symp-
toms of the break were discovered by the
Waterman in charge of the dam. Al first
he thought little or nothing of the circum-
stance; but at length the gap began 10
widen, and he very properly became
alarmed and fastened to notify the inhabi-
tants in the villages below.
He started on a run for williamsburg,
which was less than two miles distant, but
long before he had got there the whole en-
bankment gave way, and the stream Of ter
ror, death and destruction was there ahead
of him.
He had to take refuge upon a neighbor-
ing hill to save his own life, and thus be-
come an agonized and helpless witness Of
calamity which he had done all in his
power TO avert.
To those who saw the terrible volume
approaching, il looked in the distance as a
terrible fire was sweeping across the coun-
try. The spray or foam had the appear
ance of heavy black smoke. The decep-
ton was so complete in the village of Hay
densville the fire bells were ringing few
minutes before the devastating flood struck
the town.
| A Painful Case.
One painful case was that of DIR. Z. n.
Johnson, of Williamsburg, who seized his
two children, and in company with his
wife started for high prominence just out
side of the village. He became exhausted
and stopped for a moment to rest; the flood
came before he could get away, and all
were lost, his wife preferring to share death
herself rather than abandon the ones she so
dearly loved.
There are numerous other cases where
whole families were swept away.
More Rotten Reservoirs.
NORTHAMPTON, May 1S.-On the west
branch of Mill river is the Goshen reservoir,