The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-05-25

Va WV SOaulLIVu VI Lu6 EebeEVOlE hnQ re
: port 10 his employers anything whicl
seemed TO demand attention. 1thas beef
his practice upon rising In the morning
TO 90 out and inspect the condition 0
affairs. He went out as usual on Satur.
day morning about ak o'clock. Every.
thing looked oil right the reservoir wa
full, as Il had been Tor several days; waite
was flowing out Of the waste way on thI
west side past his house; there was NJ
sign OF the impending catastrophe, ant
Cheney returned 10 his house, his family
including his wife, four children and hll
tather.in.lRw being OF breakfast. They
were Just finishing their meal when .
great noise was heard and the old man
who was standing at one Of tho eastern
windows, exclaimed, "For Gods sake
George, look herer About forty feet In
length Of the bottom OF the reservoir on
the eastern side, just beyond the gate, was
shooting down stream. Cheney seems Ia
have realized the situation and tho emer.
gency at once. With single eye to his
duty, and almost, as one would infer
from hearing him tell tho story,
without stopping to consider the danger
involved, he rushed down TO the gate and
let on the water iull head In hope that
this might possibly give relief and avert
the threatening danger. This done he
paused moment to investigate the con-
dition OF the wall whence tho break had
taken place. A glance showed him that
1t could hardly fail in q few moments TO
give way entirely.
now TIE NEWS spED.
Cheney rushed up TO the house and
told his wife that he was going to the
village TO warn the people. Together
they hurried to the barn, and while
Cheney was throwing the saddle on his
horse, the vile cut him stick. Leap.
Ing on his horses back Rad plying the
stick, he rode at topmost speed down the
road that skirts the streams banks 10
Williamsburgh, covering the three miles
he thinks In fifteen minutes. 1t was then
about hali-past 2 O'Clock. Riding TO the
house Of Mr. Spellman, who had general
charge OF the reservoir, he summoned
that gentlemen from the breakfast table
to startle him with "the reservoir Is go.
Ing" It was but the night before that
Cheney had been talking with Mr.. s.
about the reservoir aud both had agreed
that every thing looked all right Ior the
summer. II Ia moi strange therefore that
Mr.. Spellman could not at first credit the
statement, and thought the man q little
scared" and to his startling communica.
tion replied mo" It can't be possible q
but MIR. Cheney quickly told him about
the giving way OF the earth and the
stream Of water rushing through and soon
convinced him that the danger was most
imminent. fsI
AnRRo. '''
at this point Collins Graves, a milk
man, on his morning round, heard Of the
danger, and after listening to the iragmen.
tary story Of Cheney, said II the dam Is
breaking the folks must know 1t, and lash.
ing his fleet horse into a run he dashed
away towards Haydenville, shouting 1.-THE
reservoir Is right here; run, it is ali you
can do" On went horse and driver
spreading tho alarm, while the church
bells in Willlamsburgh were ringing TO
further alarm the town. At Skinnerville,
Graves was five minutes ahead of the com.
ing torrent; but in Haydenville he had
but two minutes 10 spread the alarm.
Here the famous ride, which will be sung
In story and told TO the credit Of Collins
Graves around the firesides Of Williams
burgh, forever ended.
HOW THE wATERs CAME.
OF course the onslaught OF the waters
was terrible and grand beyond descrip.
ton. One can only give It's results as dc.
plotting best Its appalling accompani-
ments. To one the thick coming mass Of
water seemed like the heaviest ocean
waves. To another the sound was like
the tearing OF shingles from many build
ings, while the third heard 1t as the heavy
sullen thunder which succeeds the sum-
mer storm. It was preceded and sur.
rounded by dense spray Of fog, dark and
thick as the heaviest smoke, while
even as far away as the hill there
was an odor like that emitted BY
Stagnant pools. The wave Is generally
described as twenty feet high, though In
one spot 1t washed the branches Of a tree
forty feet from the ground.
The death Of the Birmingham family,
consisting OF Henry Birmingham, his
wife and three daughters-Mary, aged
IS, Lille, Il, and Carrie s-will cteaie a
gap in the social life Of williamsburg.
The circumstances connected with their
case Is painful in the extreme. Mary was
teacher In ono Of the Northampton
schools, and, as was her custom, had
como home 10 spend Saturday and
Sunday. When tho alarm Of the ap-
preaching food was sounded she was at
work assisting her mother in her house
hold duties. Her sister Lille had Just got
up, while Carrie, the pet OF the house
hold, was still asleep In her bed. Mr.
Birmingham, who was superintendent OF
the James Wooden Mil, had gone to his
work, and discovered the approaching
wave as itreached his residence. Had he
remained in the mill his lie would have
been saved, but with fierce determina-
tion he made dash for his house, intent
on saving his family, but as he neared
the doorway, the torrent was upon him
sweeping the house with its inmates.
The most prominent among the victims
at Williamsburg was Dr.. johnson, ,"his
wife and three children. Thousands of
people are now visiting the Valley oil
death, some on missions Of mercy, but
most like myself, out ol curiosity. l
leave on the first train for Boston, but will
ever carry the picture of"Mill River Val.
ley in my mind, sleeping or waking.
I's 'li fs,s,- p st''7 n 8 G. NJ. R.
A New PREss.-Within the last few
days a GORDON power press has been