New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-29
TIE WILLlMAhTIC FLOOD.
VISIT TO TIE SCENE OF RUIN.

VISIT TO THE SCENE OF RUIN.
TIE BUSINESS PORTION OF STAFFORD SPRINGS A
BED Of ROCK AND GRAvEL-RUINs OF BRIDGES.
STORES, \ CHURCH. AND DWELLINGS sCATrEEEp
Along 1nE srREAM-THE WORK OF DESTRUc-
TON ACCOMPLISHED IN THREE MNUIEs-Llsr
OF LOSSES.
[FROM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT or THE rRTBUNE.l
STAFFORD SPRINGS, Conn, March 2S.-This
picturesque village borough, 1t called has, by the
ailictOn OF Tuesday morning, purchased IA wide pun
LEFTY and an important place In the annals OF ths h-
grit water-power region of Connecticut The cost IN
property destroyed dimnishes careful investigation
Half million OF dollars. 1t is now estimated Will cover
the en- IRE loss both on the North Branch and the Will
inantIc itself, caused by the bursting OF the
dam Of the Stafford Reservoir Company The
iood spent its force Stafford springs
situated at the confluence OF the north and west branches
10 form the Wilimantic. and there the loss is figured
down To $3.50 900 $500 600 Two aged ctz ms OF the
borough still missing and It IS believed they per-
shed in food. No other loss Of human NE Is chroh
clcd The more important details Of the disaster were
very fuv and in the main accurately, described in to-
DAYS TRIBUNE but later details will be interesting.
The New-London Northern Railroad passes through
Stafford springs, T0iland County on tho north central
boundary OF the state Taking the night shore line
train from New-York Tor New-London would have been
a successful preliminary II the Ncw-L0ndOn and North
reservoir flood TIE early train left NewLOndOn for the
North this morning with poor prospect Of reaching
even Norwich wreckiug train was on ahead
Wreckin. trains 20 through the locomotive
sinks When the flooded track within sight
OF Norwich was reached dash on foot en-
abIcd the correspondent reach the hndm0at ear OF
rbe wrce,ing train as II passed into the waves. The
Thames was swollen aud receiving boiling HOOD Oh
water from the ne:uckct. fed by the last run OF water
from the ruptured reservoir, many miles above, ana
fronl ia. swollen Yantic Norwich stands On "A bold hill
AZ the confluence. The wharvrs and warehouses APP
ncar.d "A wet as the railroad. River were towing
IN drift nbr from the great eddy below the town. ana
on being hailed sad Norwich river property was out Oh
danger rs the water had fallen tive feet
The ride up the Yanic and north-eastward To Will
,,optic shaved inundated meadows, the Yantc water
fail roaring torrent the small streams grown to rivers
and very rapid The railway crossed there an uhcoh-
Portable number Of times. At Wii!maLuc the great
mills were thought entirely SAFE but the water was :"
bn about the wheel Of the upper mill that work was
discontinued and We losing our Deggarly - % pei
week said one melancholy operative. This was oreah-
tast tirc people were stirring to tic Wlimantic
ro,e the best" hotel was nGt swept away. crowd
collected mt tie lSyot 10 discuss the Stafford disaster
viz. tiic wrtckcrs 1t decided that the wrecking
train could not make than five cut OF the 70 mics
TO stan I'D.
nortb,yesterlv detour by rail brought the cor
rssn lp:lO 10 hOthNllic, l. AhAiOS "''' VI
rd Springs Rockville is the peer of any manuiac-
,,ri town OF lis size in Connecticut, and carmingy
located Almost every private conveyance In Rockville
was already on ie road stafford Springs The livery
man said his gray could take US thrOugh the mist
and mud II miles up ami down those Efi'hu new
England hills in just one hour ana han IHe livery
,, ,ros not wholly prmatiye. but partially drawn
bv the desire to visit ;he Of the disaster he Oi
nov, t,c great sniftec Reservoir, which feeds the five
-, mid
,,, tho mills In the bend OF rapidly declining valley
would with one or exceptions be sale II IL dld pour
down a food He thought the disaster great hinG Tor
81 ,ford SPRINGS Historically speaking The IrcsAet OF
$50 "seared em some" but this was the HIST Time
,,,,r. had shown 'em that frozen dirt in u mill
dam was no circumstance to SNOW and rain For
several seasons there hal been sp1rSy OF wafer IN tue
r,J hills hence the stafford dam had been raised six
f,t aud the rapacty the reservoir Teay Increased
From every hilltop flooded meaiowS DISK prhS' anu
many trim mills scattered among the nils codd DE- see'
The manufacturing Importance Of the Connecticut MI
r.-Iou is scarcely b. believed without WISH Inc
ri,,, mills arc beautiful ~ mist Tie Nv man
- boart coald be obtained ia thc summer 1T the VII
-, r - and 90 Objects % interest aboundcd there.
ON , wild blufy hi!l was bun; the only man ever 80
treated nv the County Of Toiind. He was an lndiai
q. Had he murdered somebody's
mo; he killed LIS Tiic-Ais sqlGW-ih Il drunken
brawL" 80
a descending t!t Hltip LIh "I'i' '''' '- ~
ot ,I IN, cnurch and mills aEd dwellings 81 stafford
..u no sign, of ruin poIceptbic bat there -
m ,,,D,ual commoton IN tn valley and tie roads gro
md with farmers ana tEcT walkIn 20 the scene
f li.,.irr. The wioi, section o. country app,'red
4, g. 10 OF narrow valleys AMI hi-h and gracefully
t, Liils with here unI tacTr nilsdr Oi solid irdse
rel We entered the borough ~ stafford springs Dy
ma. Stone bridge over the Wet Branch Il WIS the
u,rta brtYch o. tle W.AmaH;lr, quarter III mile
,v. tt wrought the devastation. A. We entered ne
r t IA frrlfi were bseivable o. al 'i'ics aud then
rdry the rain 7Iars ola -weepins ali powerful food
The town +. built on the sides AM brow VI 10" mi'
,ip, "a tie fork Oh the north ai west bran hes The
,i mint OF the town had been 90 the low point Of cci-
u,,f.. yl,er-, were the Con srcnunual C-usch. nc
bort t.e warehouses the f.cis. depot stone bridge
,rl RAILWAY Irt ce across toe north branch and an
ordinary wooden aud iron bridge IN co.e proximity
spauulug The wet branch. nc I,tor COMMUNICATING
d,rr,, Win tac 81 Goid sp.IEs- House high az on tie
smith baIl IN laosng he scene iolay Vas dlicGi
"a rtri that what IS now tAr bed 81 ae stream, early
Yesterday morning lie business part ot he bur.ugil
N, the water spreads thiny two three ncrus. ia
trian,uIar iurtn OF gravel ard rSe stones. The cns
bank OF tie north branch n nuiarc one span Cf DE
stone br lge remains lutdGiark to stranger MI
are engaged In fastening planks for temporary
foot-brdge and men, women aud children watch them