Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-05-22
THE LOSS IN DOLLARS AND CENTS.

almost valueless. The total loss must Tar |
exceed 81 900, 900, and will probably come |
near g., 600 600 The following is gen. |
eral estimate of the losses by trades In
ENTHUSIASTICALLY. a. Avoness' flour mill,
swept away, $4,000; II. l.. James, mill,
damaged and left without water-power,
$4,000; Howes' barns, &c, S4O, 600. AT
Skinnersville-Wm. Skinner silk factory
and II tenements, destroyed, loss $4,000
other business houses and barns, $3.50, 600.
At Haydensville-Hay Gere & Co.'S
brass works, savings bank buildings, and
tenement, swept away. $3.50, 900; the Hay
den Tobacco Co.'s mill, carried off, 1000;
Hayden's foundry and Maritime Co.'S
works, damaged, S., 600; other houses and
stores, $4,000; Sage works, $4,000. AT
Leeds-Nonatuck silk Co., dam broken
and several buildings and houses carried
of, So, 600; George p. Warren's building,
button factory destroyed, and three tene-
ments, 100000 other houses, barns, &C.,
5000 At ton--Emery Wheel
Co., damage, $4,000. AT Florence-The
Florence Manufacturing Company's
works, damage, $4,000; Nonatuck Mill
partially torn away, and stock damaged,
5000.
The damage to the town of Williamsburg,
by loss of bridges, roads, &C. will seriously
cripple the town. Mill bridges were car
ried away in Williamsburg. In Leeds one
bridge was taken off, and in Florence three
bridges, Hayden, Gere & Co., of Hayden
vile, will rebuild their factory at once, and
advertise for contracts for the purpose.
1t appears that serious doubt existed as
to the safety of the reservoir ever since it
was built, nine years ago. The gate
keeper has several times expressed fears to
his employers, calling special attention once
to the part where the break occurred, but
the examiners always reported everything
safe
! THE INSECURITY OF THE RESERVOIR.
All accounts attribute the disaster to
weakness and insecurity Of the reservoir
works. The walls were not thick enough
to resist the pressure of 125 acres of water,
averaging thirty feet in depth and, more
over, portion of the walls at the time of
building, in 1866, was hurriedly finished
by the contractor, owing 10 the approach
Of cold weather. and the work did not re-
ceive the careful supervision it required
The persons interested in the structure, the
mill owners, who depended on it for a long
time, felt that it was insecure, and much
had been done to strengthen it. At no
time have the walls been free from leakage,
and sometimes the volume of water escap-
ing was so large as to cause alarm. but re-
pairs were made, and the board of examin-
ers of Hampshire county have repeatedly
declared the reservoir safe. Latterly more
confidence has been felt.
STATEMENT OF THE GATE-KEEPEK.
George Cheney, the gate-keeper, who
first discovered the trouble, makes the fol-
lowing statement: | went out as usual
on Saturday morning a oout O'Clock, and
everything looked all right. The reservoir
was as full as it had been for several days,
the water flowing out of the waste-way on
the west side past his house. The gateway
had been closed for a fortnight. There
was no sign Of the impending catastrophe,
and Cheney returned to his house. The
family, including himselfand several child
ren, and his father, sat down to breakfast.
They were Just finishing the meal when a
great noise was heard, and :he old man,
who was standing at one Of the eastern
windows, exclaimed, For Gods sake,
George, look there" About forty feet
in length of the bottom of the reservoir, on
the east side, just beyond the gate, was
shooting down stream. Cheney seems to
have realized the situation and the emer-
gency at once. With "A single eye to the
discharge of his duty, and almost without
stopping to consider the danger, he rushed
to the gate and let on the water full head
in the hope that it might possible afford re-
lief and avert the danger. This done, he
paused n moment to investigate the condi'
ton of the wall where the break had taken
place. A glance showed him that il could
, hardly fail in few moments to
, GIVE WAY ENTIRELY.
Streams of water as large as mans arm
were forcing their way through, new ones
appearing every moment. The wall wac
constantly crumbling away, ana its uttel
utes. Cheney 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 Il few rods below, and while
Cheney was throwing a bride on his horse
his father cut him stick. Leaping on his
horses back and plying vigorously his LASH
. he rode at topmust speed down the road
that carries tie stream To Williamsburg
covering the three miles, he thinks, in IL
minutes. 1t was then about 7.30 a. NJ
Driving to the house of Mr.. Spellman, who
f had general charge of the reservoir, he sum
moned that gentleman 20 startle him with
The reservoir is going ~ 1t was the
f night before that Cheney had been talking
with him about the reservoir, and both had
bhdI
EVERYTHING LOOKED ALL RIGHT.
t for the summer. Spelman could not a
first cridit the statement, and thought
Cheney a little scared, and TO his startling
announcement replied, No; it can't be
/ possible - but Cheney quietly told hin
about the giving way Of the earth and the
stream of water rushing through, and sooI
, convinced him that the danger was mos
imminent The first duty was to warn til,
people further down the stream. Cheeney'E
= horse was exhausted, and spellman direct
ed him 20 go to the livery stable, where
again precious moments were lost in con
vincing incredulOus people that the mes
senger's story could be true.
! Finally horse was made ready and q
fresh man got Of to notify the dwellers
further down the stream. The reservoir
was built in 1866, though it was not filled
, ! La of 1896 II Wall