The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-31
THE WORCESTER DAM BREAKS
Terrible Rush of the Waters.

Terrible Rush of the Waters.
Great Excitement---Loss of Property
mo Lives Lost.
WORCESTER Mass, March 3O.-At 80
this evening the reservoir dam gave way
with a great crash. Shiling's wall crum-
bled, letting off 76O,000,0O0 gallons of
water stored behind. The water rushed
down the ravine with terrible roar in
solid mass twenty feet high. First in the
line of the sweeping food was the stone
waste gate house. When the flood struck
this it tottered, then the keystone of the
arch dropped out. A corner OF the build
ing next gave way, followed by the wooden
root, which was swept onward until drawn
into the whirlpool. when it was crushed
and thrown into the air.
The gate house was tipped over bodily,
aud not even stone It it remained.
Down through narrow ravine, 100 feet
wide and one mile long, the food swept on.
The sides were fairly dug out clean in
an instant, for fifty feet, until the eoge
of the embankment was almost perpendic
. |
side OF the ravine, the waters tore. The
largest trees were twisted around like
straws, pulled up by the roots and carried
down.
The flood tore ou. everything 10 the
e ravine and rushed onward towards the
I highway below. A large barn was taken
up bodily and carried about fifty feet, wheh
h it struck a tree and was broken into pieces.
e Next was G. w. Olney's dwelling house,
5 one OF the finest in the village. The rush
ing mass struck this broadside and com
0 pletely cleared out the rear and front walls.
The ends stood, and, strange to say, sup
y ported the roof, under which the water
poured in a solid stream twenty feet high
and thirty feet wide
When the dam first broke the gap was
e about twenty feet in breadth. This in
" creased rapidly after the water had once
d gained a passage and it continued to in
crease till nearly the entire section, which
IS was eighty feet in width. had been de
stroyed The ravine being narrow. how
,e ever, held the water back, which contin
ued to run for three hours before the res
ID ervoir was exhausted. The worst of The
" danger at Cherry Valley, the first villag,
encountered, was over small cottage
house which stood On the opposite side 0
the road from Olney's This was taken ul
es whole, whirled around on the surface ik
top for time and then down into tn
water. Three or tour other small dwellin!
V, houses were taken up and borne along unit
they crashed together and sunk out o
,n sight
The waters from the reservoir no,
reached Kettle brook and a vast amour
at of water swept across pond. struck lin
beyond and was turned down toward
Cherry Vallev, Janesyille, Leesvile, Stone
vile and New Worcester. j. II. Smith
r. Co wooden mill stood at tie head of thi
ia pond. In front of it was the dam, whic
or gave way, and the waters OF the pond wer
r. added to the already uncomfortable mass
Iv The mill substantial brick structure. wa
no next struck aud crumbled until thre
h. tourths of the building was in ruins.
.st A short distance below was the Bottom
ly mill, wooden structure about SO fet
square, and stood below the dam whic
en- held the waters of the pond above Whe
the water struck this it gave way and til
of mill was next struck and lifted bodily
X the top of the rushing waters On
nd swept at a terrific rate until it struck Ash
,er worth & Jones mill, substantial brio
structure, four stories high, with an ell f
boiler house. The Botton,ly mill struc
pr. this ell with terrific force, completely q,
all molshlng both structures The belle
his house of the Ashworth q Jones mill W;
to ruined in an instan, and one eud of Il
ch main structure was swept away. TT
lr- boiler was taken up ana carried like
tut shlngle in mili stream. Socn an expl
sion was heard above the roa. of the wat
and a stream was thrown several fe
above the surface of the current Anoth
explosion followed, and another until e.
had occurred. and the boiler was blown
pieces Mr.. Jones also lost large bar
ing which was crushed like an eggshell.
all At Stoneville the dam gave way and Il
zee course of the food was through narrc
l"n valley and the roar of rushing waters W
ley distinctly heard for mile. IT, Good ne
passed over a sm.ll dam aud It's 3oston
Albany railroad, just above the Jauesvi
depot. Spectators who were standi1
- near the depot say the water was thir
rn- feet high when it approached the trac
in With one tremendous crash the ra,iro,
embankment gave way, opening gap
or 500 feet long and twenty feet dee
The coal sheds were carried away, but I
cial passenger and freight depots We're |,
asst stan1ilg jas: before the water stru
and the railruad embank kmelIt ut GAINESVILLE
go, section II the stream for ed its way il
;, IA the line of the road aud passing ou b
M sides OF the depot rushed down the ira
nd and in its course lifted rails and ties bod
ed. from the road bed and turned them TOP
10 turvy for more than a Eie.
use just before reaching stone arch brid
1ad at Curtis Point it bored hole down il
tect the road-led about eighty feet long a
lost forty FIVE or fifty feet deep. The wa
then found its way into Curtis pond. I
devastation at this point will be as cos
as any along the entire route The bran
'au- railroad track was taken up bodily Il
D carried over on the main road. Ire
sied stumps, and shanties were also thro
was down and washed away. The g.
rik- reached Leesvile about two hours af
the the dam broke and struck the satil
in- mill, owned by Albert Curtis. with terr
force. 1t gave way and crumbled i,
ruins and the dam was carried away.
Three hours after the dam broke an
the effect was felt at New Worcester
o"n The course of the stream from the res
ded voir through other villages is nine mil
the showing that the water advanced at
,een rate of three miles an hour. The
:, mile, however. was made 10 three minut
. &C The first indication of trouble at Cur
pond was rise of the water At o'cl
dan. the situation was critical. The water
cut hole through the dam. The Bos
and Albany railroad embankment SER