The New York herald., 1874-12-21
THE DAM DISASER.
The Fright Among the
People Subsided.
CAUSE OF THE BREAK
Frozen Cement in the Wall OF
! w..
the Structure.
gAypsEylILE, Mass. Dec. 20, 1874

F~-,-AAYQkNYlLLE, MASS, Deo TO- 1874
Although t6S aiaf was fortunately without
the loss OF life or the destruction Of much prop
erty. yet the excitement caused by the breaking
away OF the dam of Hayden, Gere CO. yes
terday was unprecedented, even IN the hapless
Mil River Valley. wnen the nrst news Of the
appalling disaster OF last May was received many
persons were incredulous and some were struck
speechless and actually helpless, so great was
their amazemsnt until the greedy waters en-
gulfed them. To-day, with the memory Of that
great calamity fresh in the min0, there was a
quick realization OF danger, and. as might be ex-
pected, complete panic, in which all classes and
conditions participated.
THE BREAK
in the dam was first observed by Fred Aunyan, .
young man who. with some seventy others, in
cluding many children, was skating on the pond.
Going near the centre OF the dam, he saw to his
astonishment the heavy granite blocks Six feet
across, which formed the top OF the structure,
pushed slowly or and fall into the bed OF the
stream below. Instantly realizing tn at the dam
must 60, he shouted to his fellow skaters to iee
for their lives, while he dashed to the shore to
witness the completion OF the destruction. Fire
bells could not have spread the news more rapidly.
In an incredibly short time people poured out Of
their houses with the cry, "Another reservoir
gone !" ran Tor the hills expecting to see all that
remained OF the village swept away. The sullen
roar of the torrent and the crackle Of the ice as
the nood poured through the rapidly widening
crack seemed to the arfrighted people repetition
of the ominous noise which accompanied the
great disaster last May, and added to the general
panic. Women went into Mysteries, and 1t was
hours afterward before some persons could be in.
duced to believe that the Goshen reservoir was
not gone. The destruction OF the dam was very
gradual, block after block topping over slowly and
maesticaly under the irresistible pressure OF the
current, until a breach fifty feet wide had been
made IN the centre OF the dam from top to founda-
tl0n stone.
THE FLOOD STAYED.
The food poured over the cotton mill dam, half
mile below, without damage, and was success
fully stayed Dy the new dam OF the Nonatuck SIX
Company at Leeds which was but just cOmpet ted.
the gates having been closed for the first time
this morning, otherwise there might have been
below was covered with skaters, school children
enjoying their Saturday holiday Now that the
lost and no great damage to property done,
AN IMMENSE FEELING OF RELIEF.
On every hand is heard the remark, "If we
cannot trust such dam as that what can we
trustf' No longer ago than Thursday the Gov
ana Engineer Davis, OF Northampton. inspected
this very dam with the other repairs at Hayden
was IN ms
praise OF the very piece of masonry which has
proved SO insecure and there Is no end OF light
comment at the expense OF the honorable dgnI-
raries who so recently gave this very dam the
stamp OF their approval There several the
orles as to the cause OF the disaster, but the
most generally accepted Is that the cement OF
the central portion which gave way, was frozen
by the cold snap three weeks ago. before it mad
had time to harden, and consequently lost all ad-
hesiveness While both faces OF the dam were
handsomely constructed, the scorer OF the struc-
ture was loosely built with small Stones and with
very few long stones as binders. theoretically,
the cement snould have been hardened and made
the whole a solid mass out IT, as is believed, 1t
was made worthless by freezing, IL Is no wonder
that the dam went OF. Portions oil the cement
picked up to-day crumbe readily between One's
fingers, and smaller stones IN the ruins remain
ing cemented together may be easily Kicked
aRRs aRar tsgGERE sagHng ms NJ Iass Or sonTv
Nevertheless the contractors, John Delaney Son,
OF Holyoke, who arrived here TINS afternoon,
stOutly anirm that the cement was all right and
claim that the ice which formed on the dam
cracked the stones and lOOsened the wood. They
say ii the ice had been kept cut away, as should
always be done In winter with new structures OF
this Kind the disaster would not have occurred,
Nothing will be attempted by way OF repairs
until spring, and the dam can then be rehnilt
before the completion OF Hayden, Gere Co.'S
brass works. SO that no delay Will be caused them
by the dlsastef.-