Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-05-22
A FEARFUL DISASTER.


Hundred Lives LOst--Over $1,000 ,OOC
Worth Of Property Destroyed.
A terrible disaster occurred at the littlt
manufacturing villages of Williamsburg
Haydenyille and Leeds, in Hampshire County
Mass, a few miles north OF Springfield, or
Saturday, May 16. The Goshen reservoir
covering about 1875 acres, gave way about
eight o'clock, it's waters sweeping through
Williamsburg, Haydenville, Leeds, Flor
ence and Northampton. The two first
named are villages in the towr
of Williamsburg, and the three
last named are in the town Of Northampton
All are situated on Mill River, mountain
tributary of the Connecticut River, which
flows into the latter south Of Northampton
In the village of Williamsburg Mil River
divides into two branches, one of which has
it's rise In Goshen and the other at about the
edge of Conway. Two large reservoirs are
situated on the Goshen branch, and one
on the Conway branch, containing a
total area of not less than 1000 acres, with an
average depth Of not less than six feet.
The telegraphic dispatches give the follow
ing accounts of this fearful calamity;
NORTHAMPTON, Mass, May fS.
Not far from eight o'clock this morning the
peaceful residents of Williamsburg were
startled by the appearanceof a horse dashing
madly through the streets, while his rider
shouted to the people to escape for their lives,
Tor the reservoir had given away, and the
waters were coming down upon them.
Scarcely comprehending the dreadful tidings,
but with the instinct of self-preservation
strong within them, the people began to rush
from their homes, while the foam -hecked ami
Rl.oAA ~ H..
senger sank to the ground exhausted.
Another horse was quickly secured, and the
message was borne to other villages, but the
alarm was SO sudden that all did not hear 1t,
and scores were caught by the swiftly-rolling
waters, and aged grandams, innocent chill
dren and strong men were alike overwhelmed
by the flood or crushed beneath the falling
walls Of their houses.
Up among the hills of Goshen there was q
large reservoir Of about 104 acres in extent,
where the various mill operators Of Williams
burg, Skinnerville, Haydeuville and Leeds
were wont to store their summer supply of
water. People living in the vicinity OF the
dam say that it has been leaking more or less
for several weeks, and ii is believed that, haY-
ing thus gradually undermined the dam, the
water acquired a strong Roadway, and sudden
ly the dam gave way, and the immense body
of water poured out in its strength, carrying
everything before 1t.
The torrent rushed upon the doomed viii
lagos with loud roar, apparently large, adj
bris Issuing rapidly through the deep
gorge to the height of forty feet, and
again spreading over a wide expanse of
seething, angry waves as IL reached
the more open country. Reaching the beau
tiful village of williamsburg some two and a
half miles distant, it struck o small button
factory, sweeping 1t out of existence. Next, a
so nd orriaf mil tua attacked and mo Tod
not vestige remaining. Houses, barns and
shops followed, like grass before scythe, and
men, women and children were caught and
borne away struggling and shrieking in vain.
One OF the waves swept to Skinnerville, two
miles distant, silk factory being hurled
down, and huge iron boiler being carried
nearly halt a mile and landed high and dry.
In Haydenville, about one milr further on,
the bank building, three story brick struc-
ture, was swept away, scarcely one brick be-
ing left upon another, the money in the vault
sharing the came fate.
The smaller village of Leeds, between one
and two miles distant, was the next place to
suffer, and the scenes at Williamsburg aud
Havdenville were here repeated.
short distance below Leeds were two
bridges, one of iron and one of stone, both
nearly fifty feet above the bed of the stream.
They were both swept away, the former being
carried bodily and considerable distance
down the stream. Here the greatest destruO-
tion appears to have stopped, although along
the river, until it emptied into the Connecti-
cut, short distance below Northampton, the
banks are covered with all manner of debris
timber, trees, pianos, tables, chairs and other
furniture.
1t is estimated that nearly one hundred
buildings were destroyed, and the total loss Is
from one million to million and half of
dollars, although, OF course, it is impossible
tn accurately estimatP the damapp
NEW HAVEN, Conn, May II.
There was an hour and half of Hood, and
then ebb, and at noon those who had escaped
came back in crowds to see the ruin. 1t was
an awful sight. Houses were crumpled like
twisted paper, trees stripped of their bark
and limbs, even when their roots clung to the
soil.
The beautiful valley is a waste of mud and
muddy water laden with distorted and strange
shapes. Great boilers have been carried hun
dreds Of yards and left crushed together and
buried.
A man was picked up from a tree upon
which he had ridden six miles ON the torrent,
cheering and waving his coat. The poor fell
lows mind was gone. No less than eight
cases of insanity followed among those who
have lost relatives and friends by the terrible
and three were committed to an
ylum in Northampton.
Everything was RIouuu nue, anu Wnen tne
flood was past the timbers were in toothpicks
scraps of iron, brick and great stones had
become powders, and here and there was
found a corpse or a piece of a corpse.
All the windings of the valley were filed
with the debris, making terrible picture of
waste and death In the most beautiful valley
of Massachusetts,.
The gracious work of saving the dead for
burial began at noon at Skinnervile. The
ks.af v,ta Aurar
mud, or taken with difficulty from overloaded
ruins. All through the valley the work went
on till night, and then men with lanterns,
seeking their dead, stood guard. At Hayden
vile forty bodies were gathered by night; at
Leeds, fOrty-fve. There had been, in the
afternoon, gangs of plunderers, who were
promptly turned to workers by no
ready to brain them with the first
stone. There were fewer dead at Florence
and Northampton. There have been found
l40 in all, and many more are certainly buried
in the mud and rubbish that fill the valley
with black heaps from Williamsburg to
Northampton.
A man on horseback gave warning through
the upper half of the valley, but some would
not hear, and some turned To their houses and
to the great factories for safety. One man at
Haydenville factory saved his life by sticking
to the house, but he was marvellous excep,
tion. He ran into a closet that stood against
the great chimney of the factory, and, when
the factory was crushed, the chimney stood,
and his closet stuck to it like a lantern
against wall, with him moving his arms for
help out of breach he made In its brick
work; but man and a girl, who ran out at
the roar Of the waters, to run back for a
haven OF safety, went down uuder the
building.
At Williamsburg a factory and twenty
seven houses were blotted out; at Hayden
vile, factory, gas-house, cotton mill a
bank and 100 dwellings; at Leeds a button
factory aud % buildings; at SkinneVille
every house is gone except Mr. skinner's own.
Such houses as are here set down as "gone''
are utterly vanished and distributed In shreds,
not piece over six feet long, over miles of
country. The "Licking-Water River" as
they call 1t, has been a sea, and Is now a
trickling stream lost in miles OF mud. The
lake, hemmed up by defective masonry among
the Goshen hills, has done its work terribly.
SPRIRaFIELD, Mass, May 16.
The flood came without the slightest warn
ing save heavy rnmbliDg, not unlike thunder
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