Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-07-14
ANOTHER MILL RIVER ACCIDENT

The continuation of fears expressed in these
columns, and by many others, of the safety OF
dams and reservoirs, has come even sooner than
expected. What word Of blame can be applied
to authorities having charge of such works, and
who after the horrid story Of Mill River failed TO
see to it that their property was secure, which
shall be called extrayagant Is it possible that
the Middlefeld reservoir was properly inspected
after the impressive warning given by the pre-
yious disaster? 1t could not have been, or its
weakness would have been discoyered-or else
its weakness was known and yet it was
crminally used--either way the persons concern
ed stand convicted of serious wrong against
the community. The Mill River affair rendered
it an imperative duty upon all manufacturers and
others having charge of water power TO see'that
their properties were absolutely safe. Their
money interests point that way no less than the
most evident instincts Of charity and regard for
the happiness of their fellow-men. Only last
week the final proceedings in the Mill River In
quest were taken and the formal verdict found F.;
the ink is hardly dry with which it was written
before we are shocked with the occurrence of a
disaster OF an alarmingly similar character.
Happily, there appears TO have been no loss
OF life at Midilefell, or at Blush Hollow, where
the immense volume of water first surged from
the broken reservoir, but that gratifying fact in
no ways lessons the responsibility of the negli-
gent and guilty managers. That hundreds OF
lives we're not sacrificed was owing entirely tc
the reason that the lay Of the ground was sucl
that people could more readily get out Of the
way of the food. Further, the section does no
appear to have been as thickly planted with vii
lages as was the Mill River neighborhood
Had it been, the same agency wa
then let loose, ready to repea
the fearful details of fev
weeks ago The broken reservoir covered on
hundred acres-a water space Of the size Of
large farm-and it does not require a very yiyi'
imagination to create mind picture Of the ef
fects of such suddenly unloosed power.
How many dams are there at this minute il
the same defective condition The questio
was asked after Mill River it can now be pre-
pounded with additional significance. And no
alone in New England, but in Delaware an
everywhere throughout the land where til
mighty force of water is economical al
made to minister to industrial an
social wants There are, more such, doubles
than any one-eyen the best informed dream
of works liable to burst at any moment
burst during working hours, mprisoning lucl
less men and women in tall factories; to bur
at midnight, encompassing people asleep wit
imaginable horrors. VIII this last warning su
fice, or what ,riuit take to emphasize the le
son? and shall there not be an example ma,
in some way of these unworthy citizens, vi
have hesrtlessly imperled the lives and fc
tunes of their fellows? The Mill River ju
spoke strongly and Indignantly viii Massach
sets now content itself with merely reafirmii
those sentiments, toned down in view Of Il
fact that there was no loss Of life at Blush II,
low?