Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-03-31
BURSTING or THE woRCpsTEs
An rnundsttcn Down the vsIiey-Isa-
nesse De>fructfon Of froperty-The
kesfstte>s Force OF the waters

u ~
= vivid picture OF the nnsl bursting OF the
Iynce Brook reservoir. near that city last
evening. Foot after foot OF emhsnkment
earth had al been washed away q hole a.
pesred In the center OF the wall aud gradual
~ increased until with one grand crash tue
wall crumhled, letting OF
Geo GALLONS OF vArrR
stored behind. The water rushed down the
ravine In q solid mass twenty feet high,
whirlirg and rushing at the same time. ard
the roar was terrible. First In the line ofthe
sweeping Good was the stone waste gate
house. When the flood struck this u tottered.
then the keystone of the arch dropped out, q
corner Of the building next gave way, fol-
lowed by the wooden roof. which was swept
onward until 10 WAS drawn into q Whirlpool.
thrown into the afr. The gate house vas
nited bodily, and not even a stone OF it has
since been seen.
one huhdred ieet wide ana one mile long the
hood swept on. The sides were guilied
, ~, aug OUT Clean In an instant fOr any
almost perpendicular. Through the pine
woods on one side OF the ravine the wsters
tore. The largest trees were twisted around
ried onward down the drain. The flood tore
out everything IN the ravine and rushed on
ward towards the highway below. A large
harm was taken up bodily and carried about
my feet. when 10 struck a tree and was bro
Ken into pieces The waters from the reser-
voir now reached ketilehrook, aud q vast
lire beyond, ard was turned down towards
Cherry Valley GAINESVILLE. LeesVille, Shore
VIE snd New worcester J. A. smith a
Co.'S wooden mill stood Al the head OF this
POND. In irolt Of IL was "A dam which had
WlthktOou many a severe test. hut crum nled
uruer The immense pressure brought upos
n. and gave way. The waters OF the pond
were added TO the already uncontrollable
mass. The mill, a substantial brick struc-
turcs was the next struck. and crnmhlei. A
short distance away Was the POttOmly MN.
operated by 4 r Smith. THIS was a WOODEN
truck, about nfty feet square. and stool
helow dam which held the waters OF a
pond above. WnCn the water struck this A.
gave NAY. and The water Of the pond served
To Etill further increase the vast amount
which was already
SWEEPING DESTRUCTION REFoRF 1T.
The mill was next struck and lifted bodily
10 the top OF the rushing mass, and on 10 was
swept az a terrific rate, whirling aud turn
ingm all directions. until a struck Ash
worth Jones mill THIS was the best
mill on the stream, and one of the best In
the county. IL was a substantial brick
structure, four stories high, with an a. Tor
"A bOilsrhOuSe. The POtto.lly Mil struck
this IL" with terrific force, knocking a 10
pieces. The Pottomly Mill was demOlishe
by the shock. The boiler house OF AshgOrth
4 Jones mill was ruined i'm an instant, and
one end OF the main structure was swept
away. The boiler was taken UP and carried
AN EXPLOSION WAS HEARD
above the roar OFT fiOod ana a stream OF
water was thrown several feet above the sur
face of the current. Another explosion fol-
lowed, and another, until i've had Occurled,
aud The boiler was blown 10 pieces. The next
Rochedale. Here the food struck a small
bridge just as man named John kreel, a
resident of GAINESVILLE. was crossing. He.
with his team, was seized 10y the flood AMI
swept onward. A short turn In the stream
threw Mr.. kreel into shallow water, aud
he was rescued by those watching the pro-
greSs or the hood. His horse WAS
drowned, and the wagon broken into pieces.
At Stoneville the dam gave way and the
course OF the Hood was through a narrow
valley. The roar OF the rushing water was
distinctly heard for nearly a mile. The food
next passed over a small dam on the Boston
and Albany railroad, Just above the James
Vile depot, when IL approached the track
with one tremendous crash, the railroad en-
hsnkment gave way, opening gap 400 or
3 feet long and 20 feet deep. Just before
the water struck the railroad eubRnkment
al GAINESVILLE section OF the stream forced
its way onto the line OF the road, and passing
on both sides of the depot, rushed 10 feet high
down the track. Tie grade being quite steep
AT This point q new Impetus was given the
water. and IN It's course az lifted the rails aud
ties bodily from the road-bed and turned
them topsy- turvey. For more than mile II
rushed headlODg. Atlsst, just before reach
ing the stone arch bridge al Curtis pond, it
bored a hole down into the road bed and made
gap about 50 feet long and as or 50 feet deep.
The water then found it's way 20 CARTS pond.
The devastation at this point will be rs
costly as any along the entire route. Two
long and deep gaps will require much time
and ties are piled up I'm every conceivable
shape. and the road bed under the north track
Is washed out In some places three and four
feet deep. The branch railroad track was
taken up bodily and carried over on 10 the
main road. Trees. stumps and shsnties were
also thrown down and washed away. The
Hood reached LeeSvlile about two hours after
the dam broke and struck the satinet mill,
owned by Albert Curtis, with terrific force.
which gave way and crumbled into ruins,
and the dam was carried away. Three hours
after the dam broke az way the effect was felt
at New Worcester. The course OF the stream
from the reservoir through the other villages
is nine miles, showing that the water adj
Nanced at the rate OF three miles an hour.
The hTst mile, however, was made In three
minutes.
First Indication OF trouble at Curtis pond,
New Worcester, was the rise OF the water.
AT O'Clock the situation was critical. The
wafer had cut a hole entirely through the
dam. The Boston and Albany railroad en-
bankmeDt served as dam, and Webster
square was rapidly converted into a reser-
voir few minutes past O'Clock one end
OF Curtis q Marbles large brick shop gave
way, falling into the stream. By this time
the water in the Curtis pond dam had In
crt ssed 10 twenty feet, and soon after the
Arcade building tipped over, and was left
standing on one end. About quarter OF 10
O'Clock the dou ole arch bridge on the Boston
and lbany railroad, below Curtis Mar
bie's shop, gave way, and a section of en-
bankment, seventy feet long and twenty feet
ceep. with 10. An outlet was made aud the
danger at New Worcester aVertei. After the
second break in the Boston and Albany rail-
road, the mill OF the Wicks manufacturing
company, at South Worcester. was destroy
ed. The water then spread out over = series
there was a general inundation.