The New York herald., 1876-12-26
WATER FAMINE In MASSACHUSETTS,.

GREAT DISTRESS AMONG THE FARMERS AND
MANUFACTURERS LARGE NuMBIR OF op-
KRATIvEs THROWN OUT or EMpLoYMENT--
NO PROSPECT OF IMMEDIATE GFLlEF-wILL
THE WINTER DROUGHT DE FOLLOWED BY DIS
AsrRous SPRING FLOODS ?-THE HERALD's
WARNING.
SPRISGYIELp, Mass, Dec 25 1870.
The snowy mantle OF winter which has settled down
In such oountlfu abundance the Connecticut Housa-
aud Hoosac valleys has brought degree Of IN
convenience and suffering which none but the afflicted
communities can fully realize. The entire summer as
well as the last months OF autumn were favored with
but icw rains ani when winter came It found nearly
all the streams and wells the part Of Massa
chuscsss either very dried up altogether, and
hence the dilemma which the people now ind them
selves m IS very Manufacturing is 70.
iarced wholly suspended many sections and Il Is
only with great difficulty that some neighborhoods can
obtain the aqueous nn,d sufficient abundance for or
dinary domestic purposes.
TROUBLE AMONG THE FARMERS.
In the mountain towns, where the unicd springs
have given out tie farmers have been obliged to melt
TO obtain household purposes. and they
have also iocnd necessary drive their cattle and
ether stock long distances TO enable them to qucnch
Their thirst As the lelcs and roads are heavily
dried al this time the task is quite asevcre one, and
as tnsre Is likely to be before there Is any
rain the prospect OF relc the Immediate future Is
very aa,terng The country eris mills. which tho
farming community rely largely upon. are also Grip.
Piled wholly suspended for OF water power and
the people nnd obliged buy large quanli
ties Of meal and produce which is usually supplied
IRON their resources
A GENERAL SUSPENSION or MANUFACTURING.
The manufacturing interests arc also suffering ter
rbly from the unprecedented water famine and
thousands OF operatives are threatened with ideness
and dcstitution. The Dwight Manufacturing Com
pany. OF Chicopec has just been compelled TO shut
down OF lts largest mills, and over 500 persons
have besn thrown out Of employment in consequences.
A fully one hall OF these operatives have been
LIVING rRoA HAND TO NorrH
such will DO obliged TO ask help from the town II tho
mills remain closed FOR more Than mouth. The mat.
Ter has already been made Tue subject Of a special
town meeting at which $40, 600 was appropriated for
pauper purposes 900 OF which Is TO DO used for I'M
mediate relief Tho river ls very low al Chicopce
Falls, YET the ch copee Manufacturing Com
pany have thus tar been aDle TO Keep about
mils have bcsn forced to stop altogether, and tho
others ia The toSn nave been Obliged 10 put IN steam
power. From berkshire county there come the
aoleiul reports ana The towns Of Hnsdale Plts1ed,
Adams and Great Barrinson ned with Idle opera
tiscs, praying Tor ram or thaw IL - only iew
months since the mills had orders sufficient to warrant
them IN slartng. and now seems all tho more unor-
tunae thai they obliged 10 stop for wan, OF water
the Fiunkett WUolien Company IN Hinscaie.
TIM FAPER MAkkRs rRorBLkD.
The manufacturers OF nnc paper In Dalton aud Leo
are also suffering heavily IRON The famine. From the
latter town learn that the streams are almost abso
,utcy ary. and that winter has set IN with between
tho paper makers look blue n wiIhiu the
past wek or Two orders have been rushing
Ia from rent directons and. Tor tho
many mortns business had bceu 10 look prosperous
iu most cases the man DuiAcufvrs can do nothing or
want oi water % start their mls IL related ot ono
hat lnil. fIst
house Tor Two that lev days they received
the,r hrst aud an extensive order, but The drought
leaves them po~eress All the mills the Housatonic
River practically shut down, each one. BY pond
ing tho water, can run only ts~ hours At = time.
rfrrssikLDs fkSIl.
Tho town OF fitisheld. the largest IN Berkshire
county. aud Of the most charming and encrprs-
ing IA the state, Was ior lev days almost internally
without drop oi water. aud connagrsison had on
sued millions Of propert, would have been swept
away. Ashley roud, on Washington Mountain, Is
where the supply has been derived this giv-
ing out the ioan VAS temporarily ~ very bad slua-
ton. lnaeed, for wholc week some sections VI tho
village DAD NOT receive drop OF water rom the ordl-
nary source. Finally steam pumps weTo set 10 work
on Washington Mountain, and Lake Ashley WAS thus
nllod from another lake nye miles distant Tho
through about 500 icct OF hose the bed OF small
stream hen dryl alter wh,ch lrund way TO Lake
Ashley through hour miles o snow and Toe, and then
VIA the pipes 10 tne ANXIOUS aud thirsty inhabitants OF
P.ttsncid
YEARS ov DISASTROUS srniSc rsnsmErs
There fears well lou nded) that the spTng II
there is sudden thaw and heavy rains there may be
series ol disastrous ireshets with, perhaps. conse-
Quenccs not unlike those attending the Mi River
calamity There 10 . heavy body VI snow ON tho
ground, and these country towns, or many of Them,
are covered by dams and reservoirs as vast and per
haps. iusecure the one at lAmsburg boriug
the excitement OF the Mil River disaster there
good deal OF talk about making those reservoirs safe
BY legislation bus since thai sad there have been
Two similar delu2es VA the state. one at Middle
field, IN Hamf shirc county, and the other near wor
ccster Fortunately there loss OF iie Ia either
case, but millions Of property destroyed IT, by
tho neglect OF the MASSACHUSETTS, authorizes there i
another Nii River slaughter, viii not be because
they were NOT umey warned BY tho Sxw iosK
HkRALR