The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-04-21
ANOTHER MASSACHUSETTS, DAM.
Destructive flood in Norfolk county

BosTON, April lS.-A tremendous
food, with disastrous results, occur
red last evening in the towns of
Wrentbsm and Norfolk, about TWEEN
ty-fve miles distant, by the breaking
away of a dam which restraints the
water of Wbiton's pond, the sources
of the Mill river. This is a small
river not over twenty-five feet broad
at low water, but running with a
strong current, mostly through mead
ow land and emptying into the
Charles river at Midway. At this
time an immense body of water was
confined in the pond by a dam about
one hundred feet in length on the
Wrentbam and Franklin country
road. The sudden bursting of the
pond through this dam hurled a
tremendous food upon the lands be-
low, sweeping away mills, bridges,
country roads and dams in its course
and causing damage to the extent of
between 500, 900 and 5000, 600.
Half a mile below this mill was the
saw and grist mill of the Eliot Felt
ing Company, known as Fishers
mill. Such vas the force of the water
on reaching here, that it burst the
thirty foot dam and carried along the
saw-mill portions ofthe establishment
as though it was a toy ship.
On rushed the waters t~hree-fOurths
of a mile through the low lands to
where there were located wooden and
shoddy mills belonging to the telling
company. Beth ends of the dam
were washed away, and below the
mills a large heap Of coal deposited
for the use at the mills.
Seventy rods furtheron, the great
dam at the Eliot Felting mills was
met. Tile, with the road from the
mills to Franklin Centre, beneath
which the river runs, offered a sub
stantial resistance to the rushing
current. The road, however, soon
yielded allowing the iull force Of the
water TO strike against the long dam.
Meanwhile the inhabitants of Frank
lin and Wrentbam rendered valuable
assistance to the Waterman at the
mills in opening q place in the dam,
hoping to save a portion of the same.
Their labors were successful and,
although fifty Ieet Of the dam was
carried away, the mills were saved.
Down the stream half a mile furth-
er, was the track of the New Eng
land and New York Railroad, some
forty or fifty feet above the river bed.
Beneath this the water usually pass
ed by an arched calvert about ten or
fifteen feet in width. Here the wa
tiers, with seemingly increased power,
forced out the stone culvert as if it
were constructed with pebbles. So
firm was the embankment of sand
above the culyert that il stood ap-
~parently intact for the space of an
hour, and then being undermined, it
caved in for a distance of $50 to 200
feet, forming an impassabl. barrier 10
the water above. When the road
bed sank a freight train was within
one hundred feet Of the place, though
not in motion.
But the great volume of water bad
already passed the railroad and bur
ried on to the achievement of its
greatest feat, forty rods below, at the
City Cotton mills. The mill was
originally athree-story wooden build
ing, but latterly was enlarged by the
addition of a wing on each end. The
bridge oye the country road sue
cumbed, and then the water, obtain
ing a firm hold on the main building,
lifted it and SEN it crashing TO the
meadows below. SO thorough was
the work of demolition, that the Gu
pola alone remained standing upon the
plain. The machinery and water
wheel shared the fate ofthe structure.
The wings were left standing, but so
badly wrenched and undermined that
they are probably ruined and will
have to come down.
Down the stream again about half
a mile. was another country road
bridge, e "a Kingsbury pond. This
was snapped from the foundations,
almost at the approach of the waters,
and carried away. On the level
space between the road and the river,
the waters spread out and ceased
their work of destruction.