Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-04-06
Washed Away.

]
The dam of the StafTordville reservoir
gave away this morning, sweeping every
thing along the valley from Staffordville
through. The reservoir was about
mile and quarter long and averaged
quarter of mile in width. The dam
was about twenty feet high, but short,
the stream bed being narrow for some
! distance below the water and is the head
of the Willimantic River. r-
| The dam was raised six feet the past
winter, and the storm last night filled it
for the first time. This addition TO the
height of the dam was never liked by the
residents of the valley, and it is said the
owners had doubts of the safety of the
work, for they have never since it was
finished allowed the reservoir to rise to
its full height. They put in at immense
cost an iron waste pipe, four feet in
diameteE to carry off the surplus, and
the filling of the reservoir was owing to
a heavy fall of rain, and not because of
any intention of the owners TO fill the
reservoir.
AT the first test the dam went to pieces,
rs had been prophcsied by those who
said it was made of frozen gravel and
built too hastily. The leak was discovered
on Monday and the workmen were busy
all day and night filling in about the
wastc.pipe, but their efforts were useless.
AT half past five O'clock this morning the
work was abandoned. The water then
gained so rapidly tnat in few moments
the pipe was shot out of its place. The
dam opened and the food started
E. g. Pinney, of the Glenville Manu-
featuring Company, mounted horse
and rode at the head of the food to warn
the inhabitants in the valley. The water,
which grew greater by the absorption of
successive ponds as each lower dam was
carried off, moved at the rate of five
miles an hour, and from the time of Pin
ney'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 reser-
voir it struck and carried off side build
ing by the Converse mill. the dwelling
house of Otis HolbrooK and two bridges.
II left the mill and Bosch's mill unhurt.
Turning with the channel it destroyed
Amidon's machine shop, seve-al tene.
ments and the house of Barley Howe,
and then the dams of the Phenix Com
pany, Howe Company and Valley Com
pany were torn away, though the mills
were not hurt Growing greater, the vol
ume of water, reaching Stafford Hollow,
tore away the iron bridge, grist mill, and
several old bridges. Making new chan
mel, it cut through to the highway pas
sage thirty-five feet deep. Itspread over
the meadow below there, but was gath
cred again at the gorge half mile above
the borough of Stafford Springs. Here
it carried off the Glen Company's dam,
but the mills and tenements escaped
From here mass about thirty feet high,
made up of Debris as much as of water,
came rolling to the dam of the Convers-
vile Company. The people, who had
gathered in large numbers, acted like crazy
persons, and in some cases had to be car
ried to places of safety. The Converse
mill was not destroyed The dam went,
and also the dam of the Granite mills.
The accident is a terrible blow upon
! the valley. About 1000 hands are
/ thrown out of work and industries are
badly crippled. The loss, down as far
as through Stafford Springs, is estimated
| at from half a million To million dol
lars. Much of this is in small sums.
The damage below Stafford Spring is not
easy to get 1t consists of injury to
bridges and roads, but no other mills
are known to be destroyed. 17hHas ...
The Superintendent of the New Lon
don Road states the track is all gone
from the Stafford passenger depot half
mile south, and with the track went the
freight cars and freight-house, and two
Howe truss bridges. Two miles south of
Tolland the track is washed away and
South Wellington bridge is probably un-
dermined South of that another piece
of track is washed out and another
bridge endangered. Two bridges at
South Coventry are in great danger. The
water is now up to the floor and is re-
ported still rising.
Three lives were lost, Richard Sped
ding, VIM. Burwell, and an unknown
man. -r.r. E. .... .-- --f-..l-