The Portland daily press., 1874-05-20
The Williamsburg Disaster.

To the Editor Of the Press:
The late calamity at Williamsburg renews
the recollection of other similar disasters. the
particulars of which have special interest at |
this time.
The town of Glover in Orleans county, Yer |
mont, had pond originally known as Long |
Pond and now better known as Runaway
Pond st was" says the author of the "His-
tory and Description of New England" zone
and half miles long and about half mile in
width, and discharged its waters to the south,
forming one of the head branches of the river
Lamoille. On the 9th of June, 1910, about
sixty persons went to this pond for the purpose
of opening an outlet to the north into Barton
river, that the mills on that stream might re-
ceive from it an occasional supply of water A
small channel was excavated and the water
commenced running in a northerly direction.
1t happened that the northern barrier of the
pond consisted entirely of auicksand, except an
incrusting of clay next the water. The sand
was Immediately removed by the current, and
a large channel formed. The basin formed by
the incrustation of clay was incapable of sus-
tanning the incumbent mass of water, and it
broke. The whole pond Immediately took
northerly course, and in fifteen minutes from
this time its bed was left entirely bare. 1t was
discharged so suddenly that the country below
was instantly inundated. The deluge advanced
like wall of waters sixty OF seventy feet in
height and twenty rods in width, levelling the
forests and the hills and filling up the valleys,
and sweeping off mills, houses, barns, fences,
cattle, horses and sheep as it passed, for the
distance of more than ten miles, and barely
giving the inhabitants sufficient notice of its
approach to escape with their lives into the
mountains. A rock supposed to weigh more
| than one hundred tons was conveyed more than
| half mile from its bed; the waters moved SO
| rapidly as to reach Memphremagog Lake,
| distant twenty miles, in about six
hours from tho time they left the pond.''
A minute account of this occurrence appear
ed in one of the scientific journals of the peri
3D. and it was also m de the leading incident
OF novel written some years afterward by
John Gait, father of the present Sir Alexander
| T. Gait.
Some thirty or folty years ago in Swift
zerland, glacier of immense size fell across
. mountain stream and damned it up, caus-
ing an immense accumulation Of water behind
it. The inhabitants consulted engineers and
finally decided to have the glacier tunnelled at
its base so as to draw off the water gradually.
Before this could be accomplished, however,
the glacier melted, weakened and broke, letting
loose flood of water which swept away will
ages and their inhabitants, with havoc which
will long be remembered.
Some years ago proposition was introduced
into the Legislature of Maine for the charter
ing of corporation with power to divert water
from Richardson Lake so as to reach the An
droscoggn at Rumford through Ellis River.
This was opposed by mill owners in New
Hampshire, who claimed that they had vested
rights to the use of the water which it was
sought to divert. There were also fears among
the inhabitants Of the regiou through which
the water thus diverted would pass, that the
Vermont experience might be repeated, and
that Richardson and its associate lakes, might,
on suitable temptation find for themselves a
new outlet. The proposition was not success
full with that Legislature and has not since
been urged.
Lind among my memoranda the following
extract fiom a manuscript history of Groton in
Massachusetts, written by Caleb Rutter, many
years ago. do not know that it has ever been
published son the eastern bank of Groton is
Massapog pond, formerly of more thar mile in
area The outlet of the pond was anciently on
the easterly side, and considerable mill
stream entered at the south end At the. north
end was ridge of land about six rods in width
and to the north of that the land was about
forty feet lower tnan the common surface of
the pond. At this place one Adams built an
overshot mill and conducted the water to the
wheel by sluice across the sand-bank. About
the year 100, (the exact time is not KNOWN
the water found small passage by the side of
the sluice, and the sand being very loose large
ehasm was soon formed, the sand bank rent to
its base, the mill overwhelmed and the water
of the pond, more than thirty feet in depth,
| rolled off in an irresistible flood. As the pond
bottom was uneven. large quantities of fish
| were left in the cavetieS The Icnlaiuius pond
! is-nau about a mile in length and half
a mile in breadth. The mill stones
have never been found, though dilgent search
has been made for them. A small brook now
enters the pond at the place of the ancient out
let from the meadow through which the brook
formerly passed. The water which carried the
mill found its way along the lowland about
l
al brook. The water which rolled of on the
demolition of the sand-bank, took the same
course, and that is now the outlet of the re-
naming pond. If we suppose the water which
left the pond to have been equal to square
mile in area and thirty feet in depth mot an
exaggerated supposition) its whole weight was
more than twenty-three millions of TONS The
ground which was left bare is now principally
woodland, on which are white pines and
white and red oaks two and half feet in
diameter. The prevailing growth is white and
yellow pines
1t is a traditionary story that Adams servant
saw the water first making its way by the side
of the sluice, when as he afterward said, he
could have stopped it with hat fnll of sand;
but being disaffected toward his master for not
allowing him butter in his porridge, which he
used himself, he chose to let the water take its
course, and enjoy the qualification of his taste
| for fbo c,1h1 ms I'd of hot g.,