Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-05-28
THE MASSACHUSETTS
CALAMITY.

! THE MASSACHUSETTS
}. CALAMITY.
Incidents and Events Connec-
ted with the Great Flood.
From Correspondence n. Y. World
Well, the dam broke away, and the
water behind it. A dead weight ofmill-
ions of tons became IN an instant a
hammer stroke of millions of tons.
Hurry now, Cheneyl Ignorance, and
neglect, and greed have begun work
which all the knowledge and care in
the world can not stop till it is thor
oughly done to the end. Yours be it to
save the lives which ignorance, and
neglect, and greed have put into so ter
rible danger. Ten minutes hard gal
lop, good horse, over the mountain
roads. Ten minutes-but where will
the water be in ten minutes? When is
it when Cheney, on his weary horse,
is shouting to the families of Williams
burg to arise and get them to the hills
for their lives? Behind him? All!
yes, it was-One second ago. New it is
abreast Of him, and has passed him, and
is playing a terrible game among the
little white cottages that looked so clean
and pure in the soft rain when he came
within sight Of them by the graveyard
at the turn in the road. The wall of
mud blaekened water is upon them.
Will anything, anybody escape that
fearful flood which has brought down
from its hills great fragments split from
the gneiss rscks, and is hurling along
ten ten weights of stone as boys kick
on foot ball. There is house now
standing unharmed, on every side of
which are the shaven cellars of houses
whose fragments are seven miles away.
Here there lived livery stable man,
who was sitting at breakfast with his
wife when the roar Of the floed reached
him. Up they went to the roof, hand
in hand, not hoping to escape, yet just
hoping. Crash went whirl of bowld-
ers through the house abeve.> Then
there was sharp cracking to the east
and their barn was in kindling wood.
The water was almost upon them. Had
it but touched the house with its edge
emily, they had been shaken off into its
grasp. They wait for it, and kept
waiting in agony. An eddy swept
round below them and took off house
with family in it. They were between
flood above and flood below, and still
waiting. "Bell," says l, 81 think the
water is goin' down leetle. on that
house above" She didn't say anythin',
but jest gripped me, an then-I s'pose
1t was about ten minutes-an' / was
sure it was goin' down, an, by George,
it did go down, an didn't touch our
house, an there we was, safe. Only we
see our neighbors that was an their
houses carried off down the stream. 1
s'pose we were OH the roof halt an
hour. Half an hour. No village of
the four that lay in the track of the
flood was exposed for more than halt an
hour to the tremendous thrust of the
burdened waves. 81 tell you," csntin-
ued the livery stable man. "I've been
through freshets before and floods be-
fore, but nethin' like this. Years ago,
down at Winstead, 1 was caught in the
water and rode on tiee over two dams,
one thirty feet deep an the other fif-
teen, an tell you was just mad. But
this time, don't deny it, was seairt."
THE OLD MOTHER AND HER BOY.
From Leeds Cor. n. Y. Herald.
Poet never wrote anything finer in
conception or truer to the grand and
overpowering impulses OF mothers
heart and mothers love than is con-
tanned in the lament of the poor Irish
woman who lost her husband but saved
her crippled child only o lose him also
by subsequent accident which befell
him while they were bearing him to a
place of safety. "Oh," cried she, ''that
1 should live to see this night! AM
the boy cried to me, "Sure you won't
leave me, mother, to be carried in the
flood :" an rushed and snatched him
cut of bed, and got out between the
houses, and, as God hears me, could
net get further, an 1 stesd there, an
the boy in my arms, an the water 60
ing ever me. And was knocked from
here wild timber that hit me on my
leg and again in the breast, but Pm
alive and saved the boy, but he'll die
the mornin', an the mans gone. Ed
wards gone! Oh, but for the rainy
morning, he'd been here at work and
saved! Oh, my darling, my darling
God help us!'
CANINE SAGACITY.
From Northampton Letter.
Among the multitude of singular and
touching events incidental to this ca
lamity is one showing the remarkable
eoco..;kxx ooI ;rtoll;~aooo - 9 H. oox:..