The New York herald., 1874-07-15
Three Dams Instead of Two
Give Way.
Other Insecure Reservoirs in
Western Massachusetts,.
THE PEOPLE JUSTLY ALARMED
Latest News in the Flooded
Districts.

The Middlefeld mood Is the matter now upper
most In the puolic mind in Western Massachusetts,.
Prom Springfield to Pittsfeld and from Springfield
TO the Vermont line nothing else is thought or
talked Of A general feeling OF alarm and inse-
curty prevails everywhere and very properly, too,
for there are score or more OF thriving commu-
mites who are at the mercy oil Just such shabby
dams and reservoirs as those which have swept
through the Mil River and Mlddlefeld valleys. In
this later deluge there was fortunately no loss Of
life, but nevertheless the consequences have been
suniciently disastrous to awaken the community
TO sense OF its duty IN looking after these numer
Ous sources OF death and destruction.
THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE FLOOD
was the giving way of third reservoir situated
farther back on the Middleneld brook than the two
which have been previously mentioned This res
ervOir was the smallest OF the three and was
built about twenty-five years ago by Mr.. Sumner
u. Church soon after the decease OF hts ather the
builder OF the old reservoir at Factory Village.
This upper reservoir was situated near the Hins-
dale and Peru town lines and was known as the
'GOose Neck" reservoir. 1t contained water sufi-
cient to operate the factories below for ten or twelve
days, and was kept on reserve for emergencies
OF drOuth All these reservoirs were private prop
erty, and no county commissioners mad been called
ont to pass upon them. The dam for the reservoir
OF the village which was built IN several install
ments had been accepted by the town of Middle
field as town way and was considered safe. 1t
certainly was strong, and but for the giving way
OF the reservoirs above would undoubtedly have
held firm. The former Hampshire county commits
siOners, who were sharply censured by Captain
EnOs Parsons jury at Northampton, will not come
in for blame on account OF this disaster, but the
present Board, who have Just become well &C
quainted with nood-damaged roads and bridges in
the Mill River valley, are to be given work in this
extreme limit OF their domain.
THE VIEWS OF ROAD COMMISSIONER.
ExRoad Commissioner Matthew Smith, OF Md
dleneld Centre, to whom the people were indebted
for the excellent condition OF the destroyed road
to the depot started Off at three O'Clock this morn
ing by his most feasible route across the hills to
Northampton to lay the condition OF things before
the Commissioners. And they are about as follows
as to the public ways For half a mile next below
the reservoir. through Factory village. the road is
all gone. At or near the lower end OF the village
the brook turns easterly, and the road in It's con-
tinued s0uthery course used to cross a bridge,
which is gone with the abutments Beyond this
bridge for threeIourths OF mile the river
Keeps around ravlne farther east than
the road and much lower than it. and
were unharmed. Farther down the valley mar
rows, the road came nearer the brook, and from
mile the road is partially or entirely swept away.
There diverges from this depot road, near where
one point in which. through several pasture lots, is
the only road Tor foot people TO the Middlefcld
e mage 70 LOON oae o fSas 10 e
Mood swept of several bridges in the highway be-
sides pr private bridge n leading 70 an N Ola saWml W
The two paper mills owned by this firm were Stu
ated some distance up the west branch, but the
food sci back and damaged their lower mill. which
had recently been repaired to the extent Of about
$4,000, by tearing up floors and carrying away
THE HIGHWAY DAMAGES
The road and bridge damage at Chester is likely
TO prove more serious tnan was at first thought,
and it will perhaps cost nearer $4,000 than
$4,000 TO replace the bridges and repair the
roads. The iarm damages win also prove quite
heavy in me aggregate but it is among SO many
parties that the individual losses are generally
such as will be easily recovered from.
At Huntington the food damaged the Highland
mills to the extent OF 81, ,010 in soaking the cloth
stored IN the lower story; and other damage IN
go distributed as not TO be felt by the individual
losers 1t is regarded as wonderful tnat no more
the river was full to overnowing before the fresh
increase from the Mlddlefeld reservoir arrived.
But the distance was so great that the force OF the
nOO0 very much abated.
OTHER VILLAGES TuEEATENED WITH DESTRUCTION.
ges o rp sre Of
Beckett are beginning TO think that they stand In
jeopardy every hour. 1t was deemed advisable to
waters, Monday The village was well nigh hooded
by tile falling rains. Some buildings were for q
from them. A little break in the dam OF reser-
vOir added to the ireshet would have washed them
out completely.
REPAIRING THE RAILROAD.
the Boston and Albany managers are pushing
the break 1T Middleneld Mr. Mayo, of Pittsned, has
D large iOrce at work. The long tlmbers necessary
were brought down from Chester at an early hour
this morning, aud it is hoped that by tomorrow
night or Thursday morning a temporary bridge
will be completed so that trains can pass. force
OF 100 men Is at work on the bridge next west Of
Chester and twenty others are repairing the track.
The road will be open for travel IN few days, but
vuSht lnnn TINA IN rnhn fha hrif ifnnc do
strOyed In permanent form. A stone arch bridge,
partially swept away. was finally finished with
nitrogycerlne tns afternoon, preparatory to build
ting an iron structure.
THEATRICAL COMPANIES DIscoAAoDED BY THE
Among those whose arrangements have been
seriously dsarranged by the break in the railroad
are couple OF theatrical companies who had jus!
were billed IN cities and towns west OF here for
Monday evening; The Partisan Novelty Company
finished up three weeks season in Boston on
Saturday evening and lett on the Sunday evening
train Tor Albany, where they were 70 open last
the noOd and It's damage to the Boston and
Albany Railroad was heard for the first
for them to proceed further. superintendent
Russell offered to refund them the money they mad
paid for transportation between Springfield and
Albany, the same as he onered to do by the other
passengers. The manager, however, held that the
throSan and peTssten.y reused to receye 'ne s
money back or surrender his tickets, some twenty
or thirty in ALL and 1t Is possible that an action for
damages may ensue. The railroad company main.
tain that they were not responsible Tor weak dam
constructed by other parties and that neither
were they responsible for the heavy rain which
swept IL away. Furthermore. admitting that the
tickets were so many contracts, the fact that they
were issuel on the LORDS day will render them
null and void according TO common law. Among
the Otner dramatic companies inconvenienced was
FOx,s "HuMPTY DUMPTY" TROUPE,
which finished up here last evening. They were
20 perform IN Ptts1eld this evening, which IS only
nifty miles distant by the Albany road; but, IN con
sequence of the interruption OF It's travel by the
deluge they were obliged to 60 about three times
that distance, ana then arrived barely in time 10
make good their engagement with the public.
BOUND TO OVERCOME THE DIFFICULTY.
Among the passengers who arrived in the early
train from Boston this morning was young man
oesirovs OF reaching Saratoga in time for the great
race on Thursday. II he went around by the way
|0f New YORK his funds, he said, would not
De sufficient TO carry him through He
knOOght the matter