The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-07-14

does the rum0r that some persons were missing
Tne roar OF the rushing stream is described as
terrific IN Its loudness. The mountain farmers
heard 1t with painful dstinctness.
The damage TO gardens. orchards and crops
In the large hollow has been large The
people pass about among the RUNS by walking
ing water and this forenoon jerome Blush's little
daughter lel from plank In front OF the wreck OF
her fathers house into the SETTING water below.
stopping to remove any Of his clothing. and had
great diffcnlty IN saving himself and her.
AT the Middefield switch two unoccupied houses,
one OF them new, and owned by West, Buckley a.
Co.. paper manufacturers, were swept away, ana
railroad was built. Several barns and outbuid-
ings were destroyed and gardens badly damaged.
BETWEEN asn 5 sw,TS Sa, AND cnEsrss
and Chester, owned by John West, Jr, OF PttsHeld,
was not injured, but Doth ends Of his wooden dam
loss win be from 81, 900 to $4,000. tenement house
occupied by Leon Janezaux was swept away,
four children were. with considerable dificuity,
persuaded to leave the house just before it went
a narrow escape. Mr.. Tucker was away
and his family ned to the high ground.
"Orchard' Bridge 1t began to fall. They were mo-
toned back by Mr.. Alderman, who was on the OPP
poste side but one Of his little girls Maggie, made
as sne ran, and finally escaped. Their house was
not carried away and they returned to it alter the
that of MIR. Spencer Knox ana wife, who were
driving home from the funeral Of. Mr.. fuckers
father. HIS horse was young or easily frightened;
be driven either way. Mr.. Knox sprung out as
they crossed the highway bridge on the Middle
around them. but by great cooness they sue.
ceeded In escaping, and Mr. Knox opened his
doors to the family OF Mr.. Janeraux, who lost
every thing but what they wore.
Prom Vests mill the water plunged down into
the valley SoI at terrific rate carving every
wars co SS With mud ana deSr,s en %es
were levelled, trees torn up by the roots and
MANY naces are mpassabc. ana In some cases r.
IS hard to tell where the roads were. LII some
the farm lands are rendered aimoss worthless
by beng covered with gravel and debris. and III
other cases only the growing crops are dam
aged
AT Middeheid switch the long tw0-arched stone
bridge, under which the Middleteld Brook and the
turnpike run, was swept away, and also cOnsid-
cradle length or track amounting In all to about
200 ieet. 1t will cost, probably about 100000
to replace this break and will require considerable
time. between Mlddleheld switch and Chester
depot there are eight railroad bridges, five
OF which are. either unframed or but
stone bridges. OF the three bridges which are
so badly damaged as to need to be entirely rebuilt,
one is a stone bridge and cost $4,000. The other
two are those next west Of Chester, one OF which
was to have been replaced this all. with
an bridge The loss ,S on bridges
OF Chester station. which was to have
been soon replaced oy an iron structure, IS dam
aged Dy the loss OF one n OF the abutments but was
springfield to Chester. The track is washed out in
many places west of Chester but no damage OF
any amount Is reported west OF Mlddleheld switch.
superintendent Russell has been on the ground all
the forenoon, having LEFT. Springfield at four
SussS on 1ni the 5as as w be
nsaSss men 'Sa i sas
road can 90, the Superintendent estimates that It
VIII be several days before the road will
be passacsa After see train
morning Mr. Russell took q hand car and
went to Middlefed to see the extent Of the
at least to rebuild the bridges and repair the road
and the loss by the interruption OF business viii
be very heavy particularly as this is the college
passengers over this road.
The following is the Official statement of the
damage done to the Boston and Albany Railroad
up to the present time A calvert and fifty teet of
embankment are gone at the highway east of Ches-
bridge east OF Chester; at the first bridge west OF
Chester the aoutments are gone, and part OF the
above Chester the abutments are gone; the Sec
ond stone arch bridge at Middleneld Is gone. and
200 feet OF smbankment sixty feet high
washed ls away The track Is also washed at Beckett
superintendent Russell, Of the Boston and Al
bany Railroad, has Kept up vigorous teegraph-
direction "r of 'G Messrs. e H. u RUSSELL
down the wrecked bridges and preparing to re-
build them. larger force viii be put en- to-mor-
row, and the road VIII be opened for travel BE-
tween Chester ana Mtddleheld at the earliest mo-
ment possible.
At Chester the waters swept over the farms and
gardens and roads, and in several cases houses
were moved some distance The heaviest loser at
Chester y D1 h he 81 u VINO SUI ms
emery mil. The water went through the lower
story OF the mill, carrying or about s. worth Of
~ nls CiAa nr
cas- axe manufacturing business carried on In an
adjoining building, under the name OF the Hannum
ter company Is entirely destroyed, and the emery
company will either move their dam further up
stream or put in steam. For the present, how
DR.. Lucas farm of fifty acres was badly dam
aged, and SO was the large farm OF Newton
the vicinity OF Chester has suffered more or less by
damage done to farms and gardens. In some cases
a ew collars will cover the individual damage, and
in Others it will amount to some hundreds Of
dollars. Bradford Palmer's barn and Samuel
Gus shoe shop were moved quite distance, and
badly hooded out. The building was undermined
and turned partly round. The high water con-
longer the damage done would have been much
more severe.
The summer residence OF J. G. Crocker, OF
Albany. was considerably damaged, and Enos
Smiths large farm suffered considerably.
Dwight B.. Judd lost about $1,000 BY the
Fay lost about $1,000 IN damage to furniture i'
and collins. The village OF Chester owes its
escape from an almost entire destruction to
the fact OF there being SO many stone arch
bridges above that place, by which the food was
stayed for time, accommodating In little ponds, to
be let down in instalments on the village below.
second cause was the considerable width OF the
valley a mile above the village, where the waters
spread out some what as they did in the Mill River
flood on the Florence meadows.
Timothy Keeles bedstead factory at Chester was
damaged somewhat ana about thirty feet of his
raceway dam was swept away. Charles Earle's
meat market in stevens Block was hooded and
his meat cart and some meat were carried away.
IT Is hard to estimate the individual losses from
tnelr peculiar character, but probably they Will
The town OF Chester suffers heavily in the loss OF
bridges and the damage done to the roads. Four
Chester and Huntington road; the Fay Bridge,
near the depot; the Wait Bridge. on the Chester
centre road, and the shOddy mill bridge, on the
Mlddleneld road, two miles above the depot
The loss OF the town OF Chester in roads and
bridges proves more serious, the more the ruins