, 1874-07-14
MORE ROTTEN DAMS,
Mlddle0eld, Western Massachusetts.
Badly Washed Out.
One Large and Several Smaller
Dams Give Forth
Their Waters.
Houses Swept Away, Mills Badly
Damaged, and Farm~Crops
Destroyed.
Several Bridges on the Boston & Albany
Road Carried Away.
Railrond Traffic Will lso Inter-
rtptcd for Several ''.'
Days. -.
Total Loss Of Property Estimated at
$350,000.
Several Bridges on the Boston & ALBANY
Road Carried Away.
Total Loss Of Property Estimated at
$3.50, goo.

@ouV,QUV.
'speetd1 Disudtehto The Chicago Tribune.
| srR1NaF1EID, Mnss., July 13.-Tho A1s1l Rive
dssastor had hnrdly begun to falo from publ
recollection before Western Massachusetts La
| bocomc t1o Hccno OF another similar calamity
Fortunately howoyor, thlB latest disaBtor is quit
froo from TINT shocking loss Of lilo which mad
tho Mil River calamity 60 terrlblo, and tho do
str11ction Of property is much less Serious. Or
Sunday aftornoon, two reservoirs situated upo1
| Mtddletlold Drouk. a mountain etroam flowing
| into tho Wostao|d River, about as miles west o
| hore, gayo way, and ptocipitatcd their contont.
upon tho pleasant yillascs below,
DESTROYING 4 NUMBER OF nuup1soH.
doing great damage to tho farmo,'s crops, nt1i
| tearing away bridges aud track along Tho Dostor
Il Albany Railroad so otfcctualy aa to put q
complete onlburgo upon through travel for aev:
oral days. a good idea Of tho oxtcnt Of tho dis
aster may bo obtained from tho following sum.
mnry,:
!, TIE DAMAGE DONE -.
by The looafng Of tho 100 aoreB Of water In tlose
reservoirs was first, to leave tho industries Of
TANGO below them, without water power, to ut
terly damoltsh M old woolen factory and griat-
mill, ruin d ca1riage felloe md shaft factory,
aestroy barns mud ontbnildings,, wsoncil
strip tho earth Of rich gardens arid orchards to
tho bnro rocks anu leave tho roads tmpaseablo,
gulltod making, In faot, a second Skinnoryie
n nj! ita acaolatiol Of Tho bright little village.
ing away six wooden bridges, a :wooion mill, and
two houeos on itB way, tho Hood
STRUCK THE sToNE-ARcuED RAILROAD nnn0E,
acroAs highway aud river vt Aliddlohold Switch,
sage, tearing down Tho beavy M M
sonry .Ilko moro stubblos and zcooplng
away tho road-bed considerable distance.
1n tho tortllo,ls col1reo Of the river bo1ow this
point, 1t demols!1od for tho Boston j. Albany
two wooden bridges BY Undermining their abnt-
ments at various ponts. Rising over tho rail-
road truck, II washed out tho road-bod, and also
swept off highway bridge. Reaching, Chester,
tho water carried away ono wooden bridge In tho
ceutro Of the villago, more Or less damaged tho
foundations OF dams and atoclt OF scYoral mnn-
nfncturing establishments. and quito ruined
many fields and gardens below this village.
THE FLOODS CHIEF DAMAGE
outside OF that to tho railroad wan the carrying
away Of bridge et Rolling Brook, and here It
gradually lost Its force aud power Of mischief.
The eutlEo da1nagc by tho flood is roughly esti-
mated ut s350, goo, and tho estimate il 1nodor-
persons out Of employment and tho enforced
idlonoss Of tho place.
I'll" lower and 1arger Of the two reservoirs
that gayyo, way was 9ailt in 1880 By Uriah
~ Ntt.1 "A'A 0AuoAt ~ COll"
struoting dam acroBs the valley on tho limo OF
tho highway botweon Mlltllotiod and Beckett.
THIS WAS BUILT IN a VENY SIMPLE STYLE, =.
" ou14plng oafth 10 snhlloW layers, lcyelng 1T
OIL t ana e3a'tsng over u ana carrying aiongside}
Of stone, laid as carelosBly as IN ordinary field
val, nnd wlsh but small ine]ino,
20 that tno aa1n. Whloh at last
nccame t % no1s ~ y iGos t hgn N tne oeno was bnt
bv o ays or axeep sdtoa
Of 1ect to tue height I. which was done BY oon-
tract year or two lator. 1t WAS olHo raised a
loot and half thts spring III tho wny OF repalr-
ng the Y efose1s H. ost Ineto s was a
~ the water to feot below tho top OF the dam:
Tho outlet WAS by tlurno built Of
archod timbora extending % feots
beyond the fuce Of tho wall into the pond, and
rounded by gates IN tho onas and sides, which
were loiBted when tue water WAS high. This
dam Ind never manifested any weakness, and
seemed thoroughly strong. Tho reservoir
COVERED ABOUT FIFTY ACHES.
Two miles above the head Of this pond. 8. A..
Church Il DrothorS, tue proaent proPrtetora,
built, In 1866, another dam. to enclose 25
acroa. OF water. It was composed Of earth
Mono, duu'ued and loyelled In layers, and
packod nervly by cartiug ovor. The
overflow Of t1is reservoir was Wol| constructed
for Aafety, being a dugway IL rods from tho
ond OF tho DAM and cut directly through d nat
utal h!llock.
ruEnE 11A8 DEEM coNeIDEnADLE uNRABINEsB
about this smaller dam, especially since tho Mill
liver diuaster. Until air weeka ago It was in
cuafbe OF WoOl-ehoppGr, but he hA1 left tho
place, aud nobody kept any regular supervision
over 1t.
RAILROAD DAMAGE.
The Boston d Albnny leniroad ia by far the
heastout loser by the disaster. At Altddlof1eld
a"itoh, whote tho broken reservoirs ernptfed into
tho Westhcld Niver, fine stono aroh-bridgo
was Carried oil, and tho track washed away for
conssderab!e distance, tilo aamage here boing
estimated at 8l0o,o00. Between this spot aud
Chestor woro nino bridges, many Of them stone,
two com!ng east from hliddieaeld aro un-
hasmed: !ho third, a stone dock bridge,
iB badly bfoKeh, anu will cost $4,000 to
fDDlACo 1t, Another htonn Eri1pa IL crnckod