The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-04-06
Misfenaneous.
MASSACHUSETTS.
Bursting ola Reservoir
The Waters Rush Down the RaViAG
With a Terrible Roar.
TALL TREES PULLED UP BY THE
ROOTS LIKE STRAWS.
GREAT DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.
NO LIVES REPORTED LOST
Graphic Description of the Scenes
Witnessed.
TALL TREES PULLED UP BY THE
ROOTS LIKE STRAWS.
GREAT DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.
NO LIVES REPORTED LOST!
Graphic Description of the Scenes
Witnessed.

WORCESTER, March 30.-At $3.50 this
evening the reservoir dam gave way with
a great crash. The spilling crumbled,
letting off 760,O000OO gallons Of water
stored behind The water rushed down
the ravine with terrible roar in a solid
mass twenty feet high. First in the line
of the sweeping food was the stone waste
gate house. When the food struck this
it tottered, then the keystone of the arch
dropped out; a corner of the building
next gave way, followed by the wooden
roof, which was swept onward until
drawn into a whirlpool, when it was
crushed and thrown into the air. The
gate house was tipped over bodily, and
not even stone of it remained. Down
through narrow ravine a hundred feet
wide and one mile long the flood swept
on. The sides were fairly dug out clean
in an instant for fifty feet, until the edge
of the embankment was almost perpen-
dicular. Through pine woods on one
side of the ravine the waters tore.
The largest trees were twisted around
like straws pulled up by the roots and
carried onward The flood tore out every-
thing in the ravine and rushed onward
towards the highway below. A large
barn was taken up bodily and carried
about fifty feet, when it struck tree and
was broken into pieces. Next was G. w.
Olney's dwelling house, one of the finest
in the valley. The rushing mass struck
this broadside and completely cleared
out the rear and front walls. The ends
stood, and strange to say supported the
roof under which the water poured in a
solid stream twenty feet high and thirty
wide.
When the dam first broke, the gap was
only about twenty feet in width. This
increased rapidly after the water had
once gained passage through it, and
continued to increase until nearly the
entire wall, which was eighty feet in
width, had been destroyed. The ravine
being narrow, however, held the water
back, and the water continued to rush
for three hours before the reservoir was
exhausted and the worst danger over. At
Cherry Valley, the first village encount-
cred, small cottage house stood on the
opposite side of the road from Mr. o.
ney's.' This was taken up and the whole
Whirled around on the surface like a top
from line and then down in the water.
Three or four other small dwelling houses
were taken up and borne along until
they. crashed together and sunk out of
sight. The waters flom the reservoir
now reached Kettle Brook, and vast
amount of water swept across a pond,
struck line beyond and was turned
down towards Cherry Valley, GAINESVILLE,
Leesville. Stoneville and New Worcester.
]. A. Smith & Co.'s wooden mill stood at
the head of this pond. In front of it was
a dam which had stood severe test, but
crumbled under the immense pressure
brought upon it, gave way, and the wa
ters of the pond were added to already
an uncomfortable mass. The mill, sub
stantial brick structure, was next struck
and crumbled, until three-fourths of the
building was in ruins and the water
sweeping through. A short distance be-
low was Bottomly's mill, operated by A.
E. Smith. This was wooden structure,
about fifty feet square, and stood below
dam which holds the waters of pond
above. When the water struck this, it
gave way and the waters of the pond
served to still further increase the vast
amount which was already sweeping de-
struction before it.
The boiler house of Ashworth & Jones'
mill was ruined in an instant, and one
end of the main structure was swept
away. The boiler was taken up and car
ried along as though it was shingle in
a mill stream. Soon an explosion was
heard above the roar of the food, and a
stream of water was thrown several feet
above the surface of the current. An
other explosion followed another, until
five had occurred, and the boiler was
blown to pieces. Mr.. Jones also lost 6.
large barn, which was crushed like an
egg shell.
Three hours after the dam broke out,
the effect was felt at New Worcester. The
course of the stream from the reservoir
through other villages is nine miles,
showing that the water advanced at the
rate of three miles an hour. The first
mile, however, was made in three min
utes.