The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-03-31

s,osiinHrd frsm First pnees
feet to the height of the dam was never
liked by the residents OF the yailey, anu
it's said owners had sor pbev have so never
ainee IL was finished allowed the reser-
voir to rise to It's full height. They put
an immense cast iron waste pipe Tour
feet in diameter. to carry Off the sur
Mus. and the filling Of the reservoir was
owing to the heavy fall OF rain ana not
because of any intention OF the owners
to fiji the reservoir. The body OF WAFER
covered uabout four hundred acres at
first. The test dam went to pioes, as
had been prophesied by those VINO salu
it was made of frozen gravel and buiit
too hastily. n.us.
and workmen were busy all day ana
night filling in about the waste-pipe,
but their efforts were useless.
About half-past o'clock th,s morn morn
ing work was aoandoneas ene mS sa,r
then gained SO rapidly that In rev
moments the pipe was shot out OF lug
place. the dam opened and the hood
started, e. G.. Pinney, OF the GienvIile
Manufacturing Company mounteu y
horse and rode at the head OF the HOOD
to warn the inhabitants In Inc valley;
The water, which grew greater py inc
absorption Of the successive ponds, as
each lower dam was carried on, noveu
NJ the rate of five miles an hour, and
from the time of Pinney's warning up
to the arrival Of the water. the people
were busy in moving their property.
But little was rescued.
When the water burst out OF the re-
seryoir 1t struck and carried OIL the slde
building by the Converse Mill the dwell
ling house of Otis HolbrooE anu .wo
bridges It left the mill ana bascne
mill unhurt. Turning WIN Che ona shnn
and several tenements,. and the mouse
of parley Howe; then the dams OF the
Phoenix Company, Howe Company ana
Valley Company were torn away, though
the mills were not hurt. Growing
greater, and the volume OF water reach
Ing Stafford Hollow, It tore away me
iron bridge, grist-mill, and several orc
bridges Making kin hi NEW passa uu
thirty-five feet deep, and spread over the
meadow below there, but was gathered
again at the gorge half mile above the
borough OF Stafford Springs. and mere
carried off the Glenn Company's dam,
but the mills and tenements escaped.
From here mass about thirty teet
high, made up OF debris as much as OF
water, came rolling to the dam Oh tne
had gathered In large numbers acGeo
like crazy persons and in some cases
had to be carried to places OF safety
Converse mill was not destroyed: the
dam went, and also the dam Oh dranlte
mills.
The accident is terrible blow upon
this valley. About 1000 hands are
thrown out Of work and industries are
sadly crippled. The loss. down as fal
-. 70 ford Gnrtnpa 3S eStl
mated at from half million to mil
lion dollars. Much Of this is In sinai
sums.
The south Carolina Committee Ran
wondr0us Peril.
Eohsr.eston Journal Commerce.
Last night, at 8 80, as the Northeast
ern train was moving slowly out OF tut
depot ward, the engineer suddenly dis
covered that the engine was OIL tn
track. He Immediately reversed hl
engine. and succeeded in checking it
progress by the time 1t had gone littl
over its own length on the ground. car
rying the tender with It,. The acclden
(O occurred about hundrea yara,
north of the depot, where the tracl
leading to the freight yard joins tn
main line. The switch, being in tn
ward. is not kept constantly locked
The displacement was made during tn
twenty minutes which interviewed be
tween the passage OF the engine iron
the roundhouse to the depot, AM
its return with the train. who. dit
the mischief is unknown. The eng1nee
states that he saw two men PROVING
about the yard, and sent the watchmaI
after them, but they disappeared. 4
Waterman states that he saw a strang
white man acting in suspicious man
ner near the switch, and ordered MN
off, If it was merely malicious mis-
chief. it is certainly remarkable coin
cidence that 1t should occur for the mrs
time to the train containing the I'm
Dortant committee OF Charleston busl
ness men on their way TO JOIN GoV
Hampton at Florence, especially
depredations of the sort have neve
been frequent on that road. and hay
been unusually rare of late. The trail
was delayed for two hours, by whIcl
time it was replaced on the track an
ready to start. kilograms were sent t
Florence to detain the Northern train a
long as possible, and it is hoped that b.
extra running the Charleston committe
may reach Florence in time to join tn
Governor on his way to Washington.
THE MILITARY ORDER.
ats History and satisfactory UpsinOt Z
The Affair.
Especial to st. Louis Republican,
WASHINGTON, March 27. Packard
latest circular was SO violent and insul
ing in tone that Congressman Ellis
Levy and Gibson sought and obtained
conference with. Hayes to-day for tn
purpose Of carrying out some flau
movement. They carried with them
carefully prepar ed exhibit OF the amour
OF money collected respectively b
Nichols and Packard. showing cor
clusively that Packard was not doin
much business with the tax collector
compared with the success Of Nicholl
in that line. They successfully refute
other charges made in Packard's &C