The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1874-05-29
FEARFUL CATASTROPHE.

THREE MASSACHUSETTS VILLAGES CARRIED
AWAY, WITH A Loss OF OVER One Hun
DRED LIVES.
BosToS. Mass, May 16.-Three great
water-reservoirs, situated in Hampshire
county, Western Massachusetts. along
the line of tho New Haven and
Northampton railroad, burst this morn
ing. completely sweeping way the
three manufacturing villages OF Leeds, Hay
denvillo and wlliamsburgh. Scarcely a
building is left standing. At last accounts 100
lives had been lost.
The reservoirs were used TO supply the
streams in that vicinity in dry seasons. but
the heavy rains last night burst them. They
were situated three, eight and ten miles, re-
spcctivelv, from Haydenville.
Not a house is standing in Williamsburgh.
At this writing the waters are subsiding. The
destruction Of property is not LEES than 30
600. 900.
The villages affected by the disaster are Will
iamrburgl, H~aydenville. Leeds and Florence,
located on Mil river, a tributary to tho Con-
~nect!cut river, running into the latter at
Northampton.
The mills on the stream have all been car
riel away. and included brass-vorks, button
hole factories. elk and cotton mile, brush
factories, agricultural implements, and basket
factories, etc; besides, saw and grist mile.
The capital invested along Mill river is esti-
mated at 20. 900, 900. and the immediate lam
age effected is 81, 900, 600. The valuation of
Williamsburgh. q far ming and manufacturing
town, is nearly 800, coo, personal, and the
number OF dwelling houses in both Williams
burgh and Haydenville, which is a.settlement
in that town.. was about 500.
LATER.
NV HAVEN. Conn, MAY IA 2i-inch pipe
in the town Of Great A-hield reservoir, above
Williamsburgh, Mass, had been leaken for
weeks, and some people had shaking their
heads and said the dam must be attended to
or it might break. 1t did break yesterday
morning. The masonry around the ontlet
gave way, and then all in aminute, AZ III piece
had been bitten out of the dam, q great wall
Of water seemed to spring up into the mir aud
leap out into the sink below.
The standing joke Of Mill river valley,
look out, the dam is broken" was proved
no joke at last. Tho torrent was upon
Williamsburgh in ten minutes. and sent it's
spray above trees GO feet high. 1t crunched one
house like paper, and killed a woman and her
two children; then another, and another. 1t
swept ava the woolen-mills, and rushed on
NJ. A. .,ta 80 on c.;I.n. -, o,. .,,o
raging down the valley, it dug up houses and
swallowed them in an instant, leaving no
trace; and tree-butts and great stones came
down with the flood. Tho mountain of water,
like a thunderstorm Of hail, reached
Skinnerville and lifted the silk mills upon its
houlders before %shredding them into bits.
At Haydenville it swept away the factory in
q moment. At Leeds it came down, a wall of
water faced by an absttis Of timbera. trees
and iron boilers, which struck the village in
full front.
There was an hour and a half Of flood, and
then ebb. and at noon those who had escaped
back in crowds to see the ruin. was
ali awful sight. Houses were %crumpled like
twisted paper, trees stripped Of their bark
and limbs, even whon their roots chung to the
soil.
The beautiful valley is a waste Of mud and
muddy water laden with distorted and strange
Great boilers have been carried hun
ireds of yards, and left crushed together and
buried.
The loss of life is now set at 14O, and the
,oss of property at 81, oOO, 900. !