Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-03-31
The Worcester Mill Dam


was leaking badly, 1t Wa, hoped that the ct
f,rts 10 progress 10 prevent disastrous oreak
would be successful, but those hopes were DC
Iusye, as the following dispatch will show:
WORCESTER, March 3l.-lt was hoped yes
terday tnat the danger from the reserv llr dam
bad been averted but at clock D. %. h.
water was seen buebIing through the earth OF
the dam back OF the waste gate house. The
stream wnen first noticed Was not larger than
a mans finger.
Il was at ooce thought that the dam Was 60
ing. An aarm Was glven, the meu escaped to
the side hills, the teams were drlVen OH 10
places of safety and u essengers we're sept doWn
through the valley IL Warn the people that the
food Was coming.
Foot after foot of the embankmrnt gave way
uotil it was all gone, aud when the earth had
all been washed away hole appeared 10 the
ceptre of the wall, aud gradually Increased,
until with one grand crash the va crumb;ed,
letting off 100, 900 QUO gallons OF water stored
behind. The water rushed down the ravlne
in solid mass twenty feet high, whirllDg and
rushing at the same time, and the roar was
terrible. First in the line OF the sweeping Hood
was the store waste gate house. When the
food struck this it tottered, aud then the key
stone of the arch dropped OUT corntr OF
the building next gave way, followed by the
wooden ROOF, which was swept onward uutl
drawn into Whirlpool when it was crushed
to match wood and thrown into the air. The
gate house was tipped over bodily, and not
even stone of it has since been SEEN Down
through narrow ravlue, one hundred teet
| wide aud Que mile long, the d,od swept on.
The sides were quilted, fairly aug out clean 10
an instant Tor fly ieet, until the edge OF
| the embank ment Was almost perpeudcu ar.
| Through the pue woods On Que side OF The "a
| vine the waters lore.
The largest trees were twisted around like
s,raws, pulled up by the roots an carried on
| ward down the declluc. The Il cd tore OUT
| everything in the ravioe, aud rushed ouW ard
! towards the highway bel,:W. 4 rargr barn W:s
| taken up bodily and carried about fifty feet
| wh"n it struck tree aud Was broken intp
oil css. Next was George W. AIv y w Il.
ing house, ooe OF the 6uast III the village.
rhe rushing mass struck th, bruadslde aod
| c mpletcly cleauci ou the rear aud lront walls.
The ends stood and supported tbs: root, uldrr
which the water poured 10 sOlli : re ID
twenty feet hlgn and ,1iny wide. Whtu N,
dam first broke the gap WAS about nty tect
10 width. Tits lucr, a5cd rapidly alter the WI.
| ter had once gained d passage through 1t, and
coutu 70 Increase until n"arIy the eunrs
seoio hich wa eighty fe.t III w,dtn, had
been destroyed. The ravlu: bclog narrow,
however, held tie Water back, and The water
CONTINUED 10 rup for three hours before the
| reservoir was exhausted aud til: worst OF the
danger at Cherry Valley, tn 6ss. village en-
countercd was over.
A small cottage house stood on the opposite
side of the road from Mr.. A.v y :; thl, Was
taxed w whole, wh,red arouad Oh the surface
| ike; top ior a time and thee SUI X down lutu
the water. Three or four other small dwelling
houses were tikeG up and bD n along u: III
they crushed Toy Their aud sunk uur OF slgh'.
| The waters from the reservoir DOW reached the
brook, and the vast amount OF wat"r swept
across aud struck a liuc beyond aud was turned
towards Cherry Valley, GAINESVILLE, LeesviIIe,
Srouevlllu and N W Wore 'ster.
J. A. Smith l. Co.. WOODEN IN ! stood at
the head OF this pond, and 10 front OF 1t was
dam which bad Wtnstood many severe test,
but il crumbled under the INN use pr ssure
brought upon il, aud gave Way, aod The waters
| OF the pond were added to he already uncOn-
trclIable mass The ul!l, substantial brick
structure, was next struck aod crumbicd.
| short distance beow was the Bot .mIy mill,
operated by A. +. Smith. This was wooden
structure, abou' fifty feet squire and stood be.
| low dam, which held b waters Ut a pond
above.
When the water struck this it gave way, and
the waters of the md served 10 still further
| Increase the vast amount which Was already
sweeping destruction before it. The mill was
mex, struck and lifted bodily 10 the top of the
rushing mass. % it Was swept al terrific
rate, viii | ng and turniug 10 all directions,
until it struck Ashwor,b & jones NIL This
was the best mill on the stream, aud one OF
! the best 10 the equity 1t Was subs autlal
brick structure, four stories high, wish 40 ell
for butler house. The Bjttomy mill struck
this ell with terrific force knocking it to pieces.
The Bottomly mill was completely demolished
by the shock.
The boiler-house Of Ashwor,h & Jones mill
was ruiuei 10 an instant, aud one eud Of the
maiu structure Was swept away The boiler
was taken up aud carried alous. Soon an tx
plosiou was heard abuve the roar OF the Hood,
and stream of water was thrown several feet
above the surface Of the current. ADolher ex
pIosion followed aud another untl five had DC
CURED and the boiler was blown to pieces
The next obstacle encountered was the high
way to R ,chcdae. Here the fl cd struck
snall bridge just as man, name john Knee.
land, resident of GAINESVILLE, W IS crAssag.
H., with his team. Was seized by the Hood and
swept onward.
snort turn III Tue stTcau tu'c" VI NHee
land into shallow water, aud he was rescued by
tn Sc watching he progress OF the I'D. Hl>
horse was drowned aud the wag u uroken into
pieces At StoneviIle the dam gave way, ADD
the course of the q od " 10 thr ugh narrow
valley, and the roar OF the rushing water was
distinctly heard for yearly mile
The q ,od next passed over small dam on
the B,ston aud Albany railroad, Just above
the GAINESVILLE depot. When it appro ch d
the track with one Tremendous crash the rail
road embaDkmeut gave way, opeuing gap
tour or FIVE hundred feet long aud twenty feet
deep.
lust before the water struck the r,ilroad
enUankmeut at Jame>viIie. a section o. the
stream forcei lis way % to the llue Of the
road, aud passing on both sides Of The depo'
rushed ten feet high dowu the track. The
grade being quite steep at this point, new
impetus Was gwen the wafer, and in its course