Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-05-18
The Massachusetts Calamity.

On Saturday morning last the manufacturing
villages of Williamsburg, Haydenville, Leeds
and Florence, Massachusetts,, situated Oh Mill
river, tributary Of the Connecticut, where
suddenly overwhelmed by deluge. The Will
| liamsburg reservoir, covering tract of over
one hundred acres, gave way carly in the fore
noon, precipltatlDg the vast mass OF water 1t
contained three miles down the steep and mar
row valley into the thriving manufacturing vii
lage of Williamsburg, and thence further down
the valley through the villages of Haydenville,
Leeds, and Florence into Northampton Mead
ows, where the stream emptles into the Con.
necticut river. The huge torrent dashing into
Williamsburg with relentless power swept away
in moment the manufacturing establishments
and numbers of dwellings, causing enormous
destruction of property and terrible loss OF hui
man life. The lower villages suffered only less
'awfully. The latest figures Of the loss Of life
make the total one hundred and forty four, d.
vided as follows between the three places -
Williamsburg, go; Leeds, 40; Haydenville, IS.
The figures only represent persons whose loss
is positively known, though the bodies of all
are recovered. Bodies are constantly being
found, and 10 some cases those Of persons who
were not supposed to be lost, so that it seems
perfectly safe to say that the loss of life will ex-
coed one hundred aud fifty, if, indeed, it does
not more nearly approach two hundred. The
loss Of property is estimated at over 81 000 900.
Ali accounts attribute the disaster to weak
ness and insecurity Of the reservoir works.
The walls were not thick enough to resist the
pressure of 125 acres of water, averaging 80
feet 10 depth, and moreover, portion OF the
walls at the time of building, in 1866, was hur-
riedly finished by the contractor, owing to the
approach of cold weather, and the work did
not receive the careful supervision it required.
George Cheeny, the gate-keeper, who first dis
covered the trouble makes the following state.
ment: He went out, as usual, Saturday morn.
ing about 6 clock; everything looked all right;
the reservoir was full, as it had been for several
days. water was flowing out OF the wasteway on
the west side past his house, the gateway hav-
ing been closed for fortnight. There was no
sign OF an impending catastrophe, and Cheeny
returned to his house. His family, including
his wife, several children, and the father, sat
down to breakfast. They were just finishing
the meal when great noise was heard, and
eastern windows, exclaimed: For Gods sake
George, look there" About forty feet 10
length of the bottom of the reservoir on the
east side, just beyond the gate, was shooting
down the stream.
Cheeny rushed to the gate and let on the
water full head, in hope that this might posi-
bly, afford relief and aver. danger. A glance
showed him that the wall could hardly fail in
a few moments to give way entirely. Streams
of water as large as a man arm we're forcing
their way through, new ones appearing every
moment The wall was constantly crunbIing
away. The utter downfall was evidently only
a question of minutes Cheeny rushed to his
house and told his father he was going to the
village to warn the people. Together they hur-
ried to the barn, few rods below. Leaping
on his horses back, he rode at topmost speed
down the road that skirted the streams to Will