St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-07-17
Another Reservoir Flood.

cannot have approached It's predecessor
in ruinous effect. Sometime Sunday
T.. VI. two reservoirs burst upon Middle
field brook. il fine mountain tributary
to the WeSttield river, and reaching it
mt the Boston and Albany railroad sta
ton of Middlefield Switch. three and IL
half miles south of the reservoirs. The
damage done by the loosing of their
hundred acres of waters was, first, to
leave the industries of the little village
of Blush Hollow without watcr-power ::
to utterly demolish an old WOODEN fac
tory and grist-mll. ruin Il carriage fell
Toe and shaft factory, destroy barns and
ont buildings, wrench from their foun-
dationS and tear apart dwellings. strip
the earth of rich gardens and orchards to
the bare rocks. and leave the roads i'm
pasSahly quilted. Rushing hence down
the short valley and carrying away six
wooden bridges, IL WOODEN mill, and two
houses in its way. the flood struck the
stone archcd railroad bridge across
highway and river at Middletield Switch
and there tore for itself Il wide passage.
throwing down the heavy masonry like
mere stubblc. and scooping away the
road bed for Il considerable distance.
In the tortuOuS course of the river be
low this point it demolished for the
Boston and Albany railroad stone
bridge, and somewhat crippled two
wooden bridges 10y undermining their
ahmtmcntS. and at various points. riS
III" over the railroad track. washed out
the roHd-bcd &: besides destroying Il
highway bridge. Reaching Chester. the
waters carried away one wooden bridge
in the center of the village. more or
less damaged the foundations. dams and
stock of several manufacturing cStah-
liShmcnt>. and quite ruined many fields
and gardens. Below this village the
floods chief damage, outside of that to
the railroad, WIS the carrying away of
the Smith bridge nj Rorlinghrook, and
it gradually lost its force and power of
mischief. The entire damage 10y the
flood is roughly estimated ut three hun
drcd and fifty thousand dollars.
The reservoirs that gave way were
two. The lower and larger WAS con
>tIuctcd iii 1889 10y Uriah Church y
Sons and William ID. Blush. bl build
ing IL dam across the valley on the line
of the highway between Middlcticld
and Beckett. This dam WIS made in
the simplest possible way. hy dumping
''ii'h- ll''' HpNtNtI. ll'll
roots and iihrouS stuff. in shallow Law
crS. lcN"lm@ il oft and carting over it
and r;Irryim" up alongside. ON both in
nrr and "utcr slopes. Il rude wall of
stone. laid in the careless looSrncS~
with which an ordinary ticld-wail would
he built. and with but slight incline.
;" hat the dam which eventually he
came about - feet high in the center.
WIS but little broader at the base than
at the top. II was built 10y DAYS works.
except an addition of four feet to the
hight, done 10y contract Il year or two
later. 1t WAS also raised some l. inches
this spring. in the way of repairing the
highway. which crosses it, There WAS
an overflow built of thinkers on the
west side. taking the water To four feet
below the top of the dam. The outlet
WIS 10y Il tlumc built of archctl thinkers
extending - feet beyond the face of
the wall into the pond. and nearly in
the center at the dam. This WIS sur
rounded 10y gates ON ends and sides.
which wcIc hni>tcd whenever the Wa
ter WIS high. This dam had never
show any signs of Weakness and seem
cd +" he perfectly secure.
HOW THE ALARM WAS SOUNDED.
The leak was discovered 10y Deacon
Harry Nracham. an elderly gcntlrman.
VIII" has thus become distinguished a>
tn" Collins Graves of Blush Hollow.
He lives about Il quarter of Il mile from
the upper dam. and. thinking anxious
~ on the long continued rains. he went
L" the dam at about / o'clock. SUNDAY
aitcrnn"n. The dam appeared to him.
.lt tL,t tiIn.. I'll ,i,,bt
the water WAS rising very RAPIDLY. he
heth"mght him that possibly the dam
"t Il little %o">c-pond ON Il small brook
"mptNu% int" this reservoir had given
way. and went up there to see. Com
in% back after finding that all right.
and again surveying the dam. he WAS
about 1" Turn AWAY satisfied. when he
MAS mortified /" see Il heavy land slide
on the lower slope of the dam. Know
ing at once what that meant. he cot
ont his horse. mounted him in haste
and dashed down To Blush Hollow. car
Nln% the alarm of the coming waters.
he warming WAS swift enough. giving
quite ten minutes chance tor the ESCAPE
OF the men. women and children to the
hIlI->IdcS. For 81 long Il time the i'm F.
mems" volume OF wafer pnuIrd smooth .
~ over the old dam. that the people
almost believed that it would sustain
tn" pressure. At last. however. with u
great WlIirl and crash. the tlumc col T
Iap>cd and fell away. and. through Il .
gap 80 feet in width. the mountainous
wave plunged. roaring onward. Then .
striking at once the main street. il .
hTlnchrd L" the east and rushed might
lN down IN the rear of the houses. and
repeated III Blush Hollow the dcStluc-
tl"n al houses and raNagc OF The carth'S .
surface. whose details are So we'll known
from the experience of the Mill river
valley.