The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-03-28

& Co, $4,000 10 $4,000; g. o. Cleveland
$4,000; Thompson 4 Whiting, SIC, 900; L,
W. Crane, $1,000; Congregational
Church, S25,OOO. Most Of the other Losses
are from 10000 down. The whole region
Is devastated The damage below Stat.
ford Springs is not included in the esti.
mates Of this dispatch.
HOW IT WAS DONE.
HARTFORD, March 27.-The disaster al
StafordSyille is not so bad Rs first report.
ed. Later estimates put the present loss
at S350,000. The recent addition, six feet
height 10 the dam was never liked by the
residents Of the Valley, and its said that
the owners had doubts Of the safety oil
the work, for they have never since il
was finished, allowed the reservoir to rise
to its full height. They put in an i'm.
mense cast iron waste pipe, four
feet in diameter, to carry of the
surplus and the filling OF the reservoir
was owing TO the heavy fall Of rain, and
not because Of any intention Of the own.
ers to fill the reservoir. The body OF
water covered 400 acres. At the first test
the dam went to pieces as had been predict
cd by those who said it was made Of frozen
gravel and built too hastily, The leak
was discovered on Monday; the workmen
were busy all day and night filling in
about the waste pipe; their efforts were
useles.
AT $3.50 this morning the work was
abandoned and the water then gained an
fast that in few minutes the pipe was
shot out of its place; the dam opened and
the flood started.
+. c. Pinney, Of the Glenville Manu-.
featuring Company, mounted horse and
rode ahead Of the flood to warn the inhab.
itants in the valley OF the water, which
grew greater by the absorption Of sue.
cessive ponds as each lower dam was
carried of. He moved at the rate Of five
miles an hour, and from the time Of his
warning up 10 the arrival Of the water
the people were busy moving their prop.
erty,but little was saved. When the water
burst out Of the reservoir it struck and
carried off the side Of the building by the
Converse mill, the house Of Otis Hol.
brook and two bridges. 1t left that mill
and BasCh's mill unhurt, and turning with
the channel it destroyed Amidouds ma
chine shop, several tenements and the
house Of Harley Howe. Then the dams
Of the Phoenix, Howe and Valley Com.
panies were torn away, though the mills
were not hurt. Growing greater the vol.
ume OF water in Stafford Hollow tore
away an iron bridge, grist mill and sew.
eral old bridges, makiug new channel,
and cut through to the highway passage
%5 feet deep. ltspread over the meadow
below there, but was gathered soon
again at the gorge half n mile above the
borough OF Stafford Springs. Here it
carried oil Glen & Co.'s dam, but the
mills and houses escaped. From here u
mass about 80 feet high, made up OF dc.
bris ms much as OF water, came rolling to
the dam Of the Converseville company.
The people, who had gathered in large
numbers, acted like crazy persons, and
in some cases had 10 be carried to places
Of safety. The Converse Mill was not
destroyed. The dam went, and also the
dam Of the Granite Company.
The accident is terrible blow to this
valley. About one thousand hands are
thrown out Of work and industries are
sadly crippled. The loss down as far as
and through Stafford Springs is estimated
at from half million to million.
Much OF this is in small sums. The
damage below Stafford Springs is not
easy to get at. 1t consists OF injury to
bridges and roads, but no other mills are
thought to be destroyed.
The New London 4 Northern railroad
track is all gone from the Stafford pas.
senger depot, 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 the South Wellington bridge Is
probably undermined. 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
reported still rising. No damage is re.
ported on other railroads in the State.
HARTFORD, March 27.-Flood reports
tonight say two lives were lost-Rich.
ard Speeding and VIM. Burwell.