The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-03-31

At Now Worcester at half past three O'Clock there
but little excitement In regard TO impending
danger Al Curtis Pond the water very muddy.
Four pipes have been running from the reser-
voir all day. Al Curtis counting danger was
apprehended II the dam broke. Gangs OF and
women, with teams and on foot. had all day visited
the reservoir, and it had been profitable day for the
horse railroad
At four O'Clock the following came from Cherry Val
ey-"Ihe trench is dug two feet below the water line,
about three feet wdc a wall is laid in. The
wall runs engthwise Of the dam in the middle and this
Is relied upon hold the embankmenL The trench
will be widened ten twelve eet and the wall re-
moved fast al safely will admit The water let
through the trench FIVE minutes before four o'clock
volume about three feet by three. The wall holds
we'll Tho gate house is dry, but full of debris"
RUN THREArESISG.
At Ave O'Clock the report from Cherry Valley
follows-''The water Is running through the trench
very slowly and not six inches deep Il has not
reached the highway the Valley Falls school house
II will be hours before il makes any change in the
pond at this The break the main dam again
enlarging the situation still threatening. The
trench is being decpened and widened. The trouble
now seems to be TO got the water through The trench
fast enough. This is the only hope"
$3.50 2. M.-Thero rs no help The dam is under
mining rapidly Tho workmen have all lett TO save
themselves Thcbank is going fast The gatshouss
is surrounded with rushing torrents"
TnR CRASH
"5:45 p MA clear cut of thirty feet OF the dam has
gone, the pond cmptying instantly torrent olney's
house. formerly s. l. Hodges, IS surrounded by the
food The telegraph Office Is surrounded with watcr
write. Tho mill adjoining still stands Tho
chances that tho pond will empty itself The spec
tace is grand but the crowd has fed to Worcester"
p MA reporter has just arrived from tho
scene who says that The dam broke about six O'Clock.
The torrent struck Smiths mill six O'clock and
1t went like pipe stem. Nothing Of II was left at
twenty minutes past six O'Clock but the front wall
The water at Smiths dam seemed TO be twenty feet
above tho dam and about the at the dam below.
Both dams were holding then, but must go The trees
below swept away like rushes. Everything IS
going OF with the Hood. The terrible
Women running about and screaming, and all is
confusion the banks AT New Worcester tho bells
are ringing to call everybody out All is excitement
and CONSERVATION.
Another reporter, arriving from the dam, says tho
break has widencd eighty feet The lower gate
house fell with crash Below the corner, Oney's
barn, formerly Hodges carried oil bodily, and the
house turned around and is probably wrecked.
The James A. Smith mill is nearly gone. The dam has
also gone The Bottomly mill, run by a. +. Smith,
taken up and swept away entire and several
J
Jones' the boiler house and south end of the mill have
gone. At Hunts mill the dye house and dam
swept Off Darling's mill is oil right except that the
! 1ume has gone of.
AT NEW WORCESTER.
! The interest now centres at New Worcester where
Goes Pond is rapidly falling In the opinion of the
people at the dam at hafpast six O'Clock tho worst
| had come, and the torrent at Its height Tho
breach of eighty feet reducing the body of water
4
still It was impossible tell how much OF
tho water of the reservoir lowered, but
the banks showed that 1t had sunk several
feet II was guessed that the water some eight
feet lower Thh lower gate house stood noby, the
half Of II going first, where the breach widened
from thirty feet TO perhaps nifty. Tho whole structure
went with a crash The torrent twisted off
some of the large below in the channel. At this
moment the scene unspeakably grand, and every
spectator held his breath.
40 LIVES LOST.
Not n life was reported lost along the valley up
TO nearly seven o'clock. The banks tined with
people, and household furniture scattered high up
| of the water
Mr.. Tobey, the operator OF tho Franklin line who
had stood nobly at his post, "bit or" the word
"worcester'' in the middle and. together with the
representative of the Gazette had barely get TO
the bank
Almost so 100 feet OF tho Boston and Albany
! Railroad at GAINESVILLE are carried away, and
! the water approaches tho Norwich and Worcester
and Providence railroads must suffer As yet
! no one can tell what will be the effect when the
water reaches the Blackstone River The consterna-
ton and excitement IN the factory villages have been
great Almost all the people have moved their worldly
effects place of safety. AS yet lives have been
reported lost
A COMPLETE REMEDY
for the disaster OF Is to DO found only
In the repair OF the dam and the rehling OF
the reservoir This would. be n work OF time
and II is possible that the whole summer might not
suffice to fill the reservoir. There are however Two
expedents which could DO resortcd to for temporary
water supply, OF such character that an absolute
water famine could averted and a supply sufficient
with proper economy, for ordinary could be OBJ
tanned One OF these Ia diversion OF the water OF
Kettle Brook to Lynde Brook reservoir This scheme
fully discussed last season. when water famine
possible aud appeared TO many persons OF good
judgment TO be tho most economical Of all the plans
then proposed Kettle Brook runs parallel with tho
Lynde Brook reservoir and II, the two being
separated by ridge of land from three quarters OF
mile mile in width The plan suggested last
was to cut m opening trench between the two
estimated cost OF ST. 500 with the idea OF putting in
thirty Inch iron pipe for permanent remedy OF
igcncics. Whenever It thought desirable for
temporary purposes the open trench would be adc-
quatc supply the city. The giving OF tho upper
reservoir on Kettle Brook Monday destroyed
A LARGE sURPLUs
which could by this means have been available. for
there were yet smaller reservoirs intact aud
the watershed OF the whole yet available
securing OF the results OF the currcnt rainfall
The necessity emptyng tho Iynde Pond reservoir
to reach the foundations dam for purposes OF
pair would, n this scheme adopted. compel the
construction OF tho proposed trench at point lower
down the two streams, striking the main pipe from
the reservoir below The The distance would DO
about the same but there would be required