Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-07-15
THE FLOOD.
Timely Warning to Ire People Of the
RaVagsd Villages By the Good
Deacon Harry heacham.
Men, Women and Children Huddled To-
gether on the Hillside in Terror
Total Loss $3.50, ,OOO-Fur.
ther Particulars.

NEW YORK, July li.-A Springfield
dispatch, giving an account of the burst
ing Of the reservoirs in Massachusetts
Sunday, says the discovery OF the leak
was made by Bacon Harry Meacham,
an old gentleman who has been one Of
the Lawmakers of the State, but whose
name will be remembered from this day,
not as that of Solon, but as the Collins
Graves OF Blush Hollow. At four
o'clock Sunday afternoon Meaeham, who
lives shout quarter OF a mile from the
upper dam, visited IL, feeling anxious
lest the IOng-eontinued and heavy rains
had weakened its walls. The dam ap-
peared to him at that time all right, but
noticing that the water was rising very
rapidly, he bethought him that possibly
the dam on the little g oose pond on q
small brook emptying into this reser-
voir had given way, and he went up
there to investigate. Coming back after
finding that all was right, and again sur
veying the dam, he was about to turn
away satisfied when ne was horrified to
see a heavy landslide on the lower slope
of the dam. Knowing at once what
this meant, he got OFT his horse, mounted
him in haste, and dashed down to Blush
Hollow, carrying the alarm Of the coming
waters. The warning was quite swift
enough, giving st least ten minutes for
the escape Of men, women and children
to the hillside. At the end Of about ten
minutes the tiume gave way and well
of water sixty feet wide, covered with
caps Of snowy foam, rushed through
Skinnersville with rOer, and descended
Main street with more than the force Of
an Alpine avalanche. The terrified peO-
pie, happily through the forethOught of
Deacon Meacham, stood on the hillside
in safety and watched the progress Of the
destroying wave in terror and apprehen-
sion. Leaving Main street it branched
eastward, rolled down in rear Of houses
into Blush Hollow and on to the adjOin-
ing village, repeating the ravages de-
scribed at the time OF the Mill river dis
aster. Houses went down like ten-pins,
trees were torn up by the roots and car
ried along by the wave, and even the
surface Of the earth was torn and fur
rowed as with mammoth plOw. For
half an hour the Good maintained It's
mighty force. At half past four o'clock
in the afternoon It reached the lower
dams. This influx broke the sec
Ond dam, whose waters poured forth
to add to the power Of the wave.
The waters carried away one
wooden bridge in the center of the viii
lage, more or less damaged the fOunda-
tiOns Of the dams and stocks Of several
manufacturing establishments and quite
ruined many fields and gardens. Below
this village the foods chief damage,
outside of that done to the railroad, was
the carrying away of a bridge st Rolling
Brook, and then it gradually lost its
force and power Of mischief. The en-
tire damage done by the food is roughly
estimated at three hundred and fifty
thoUsand dollars, and the estimate is a
moderate one, not including persons
thrown out of employment, and the en-
forced idieness Of the place.