The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-04-19
Tremendous Flood in Massachu,
kelIa.

BosToS, April 1s.-A tremendous
food with disastrous results occurred
last evening in the towns Of Wrentham
and Norfolk, about twenty-five miles
distant by the breaking away Of dam
4 which restrains the water Of Whlton's 5
pond. the source of the Mill River. This
is small river, not over twenty-five teet
/ broad at low water, but running with =
| strong current, mostly through meadow
land, and emptying into Charles river at
Medway. At this place an immense
body of water was confined in the pond
by the dam about one hundred feet n
length in the Wrcrtham and
the Franklin county road. The sudden
bursting of the pend through this dam
hurled tremendous hood upon the lands
below, sweeping away the mills, bridges,
country roads and dams in its course, and
causing damage 10 the extent of between
100000 and $1,000 Half mile be-
low this mill WIS the saw and griSt mill
of the Eliot Felting Company, known Ms
the Fisher mills. Such was the force OF
the waters on reaching here that 1t burst
the thirty foot dam and carried away the
sawmill portion Of the establishment as
though it was a large ship. On rushed
the waters three quarters of mile
through the lowlands to where there
we're located wooden and shoddy mills
belonging to the Felting Company. Both
cnds of the dam were washed away and
below the mills large heap of coal, de-
posted there for use at the mills, was
carried oil.
About seventy miles further on the
great dam at the Eliot feltng mills was
met. This, with the road from the mills
10 Franklin Centre, beneath which the
river runs, afforded substantial resis-
tance to the rushing current. The road,
however soon yielded allowing the full
force of the water to strike against the
long dam Meanwhile the inhabitants
of Franklin and Wrentham rendered
valuable assistance to the watchman at
the mills in opening place in the dam,
hoping to save portion Of il. Their
labors we're successful, and although fifty
feet of the dam wa. car
riod away, the mills were
saved Down the stream half II mile fur
ther was the track OF the New England
and New York railroad, some forty or
fifty feet above the river bed, beneath
which the water usually passed by an
arched culvert ten or fifteen feet in
width. Here the waters, with seeming
increased force, forced out the stone cul-
vert, rs if it were constructed Of pebbles.
SO firm was the embankment of sand
above the culvert that 1t stood apparently
intact for the space on al hour, and when
undermined cavcd in for distance of
n hundred and fifty to two hundred feet,
forming an impossible barrier TO the
waters above. When the road-bcd sank
a freight train was within hundred feet
of the place, though not in. motion, but Il
volume of water had already passed the
railroad and hurried on to the achieve
ment Of
It's greatest Feat
forty rods below, at the City Cotton
Mills. The mill was originally three
story wooden building, but latterly was
enlarged by the addition OF wing on
each end The bridge over the country /
road succumbed and then the water OBJ
tanning a firm hold or the main building, |
sent it crashing to the meadows below. |
SO thorough was the work of demolition, |
that the cupola alone remained standing
upon the plain. The machinery and
water wheel shared the fate of the struc-
turc The wings were lett standing but
so badly wrecked and undermined
that they are probably ruined and have
10 come down. Down the stream about
half mile was another country road
bridge near Kingsbury pond, This was
snapped from its foundations almost at
the approach of the water, and carried
away, On the level space on the road
and river the waters spread and ceased
their work of destruction. The last
bridge was swept away about o'clock
this evening. One body was swept down
on the flood, but 1t was supposed to be
that of man for some months missing
~ far rs known no lives were lost but
the damage to the property is very large
No houses were swept away as their lOca-
tion on the bank WAS such that the
water did no, reach them. The follow
ing are the losses as far rs ascertaincd:
" hitney's dam, $1,000; Eliot mills, SlO,-
600: Town of Norfolk, $4,000 New
York and New England railroad $lj.-
600; City mills, $4,000 to $75 600 A
large number Of people will be thrown
out of employment by the fall OF the
CITY mills.