The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-03-28
ONLY ONE LIFE SACRIFICED.
An Early Warning and Consequent Escape
Of the People
VARIOUS ESTIMATES OF THE LOSS.
Damage TO the Shipping or
Shore from the Gale.

tBY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD
STAFFORD srRISas Conn, March q. 1871
The terrible Mil River disaster In 1874. resulting
from the bursting Of reservoir fairly rvaed
day in the beautiful little Of Stafford, In the
northern central part OF Connecticut Yet while the
destruction Of property the loss Of life
10. fortunately. confined TO single instance. far
be ascer,Aiued BY your correspondent 10
mace Stream. from the village OF Stafford
VILE and through Furnace Hollow and Hydeville, are
swept clear Of dams all buildings reach Of
shs rushing water down TO tho central part Of the
village OF Stafford Springs, this morning covered with
stores, bank. church and public hall, and tonight
swept BY three Of torrent, with every building
sxespt two overrown and their fragments gone down
toward the II is the old story Of huge
and misersbly constructed DAM
THE SCENE OF DISASTER
Stafford " a township Of Tolland county, Conn, and
y intersectsd BY the New London Railroad and stu
ased twenty-s,ght miles northeast OF Hartford 1t
contains four villages, viz. stafford Stafordviie,
Stafford Springs celebrated for their mineral proper
ties aud West Stafford. Stafford Springs is ntty miles
north by west Of New London, and two miles from
Stafford Stafford has two churches, several iron
ioundrics and machine shops, and three cotton and
woollen factories. Tho population is over 1000
Furnace Stream and Squirrels Creek are two small
branches which unite at Stafford springs and form the
source Of the wlimantc River The excellent water
privileges Of both have attracted manufacturing
PRISE and several wooen and other MILLS wero erected
~ various points along their banks.
THE RESERVOIR DAN.
Furnace Stream a small rivulst ordinarily and to
husband its resources tho mill owners early in the
winter completed dan for large reservoir at Stat.
Sordville. four miles above Stafford Springs The
reservoir covered nearly three hundred and vas
situated in gorge, at tho foot of which horseshoe
DAM about one hundred and nity feet long, was con-
structed. This faced with thirty wide
II tho base eighteen the top and twenty fee. high
two feet higher than the estimated level Of the
water Fifteen feet above this old, partly
ruined dam, and tho intervening space earth
filled. TINS dam sufficiently solid in the centre,
PSsnsS
thirty feet at tho base and fifteen at tho
TOP, constructed only Of Garth banked up
during the freezing weather Of early winter and how
scantily the whole work finished may be inferred
from the fact that tho entire cost but 900 The
expense betrayed by the mill owners benefited.
and the contract was executed by Jordan Il Son, Of
w!lhmantic better dam had been projected, but
scarcity money to the substitution OF structure
In which few had confidence.
INDICATIONS TROUBLE
During the heavy rains Of last night unpleasant
circulated in the little settlements along
Furnace Sros and this morning parties
siding the dam discovered indications Of 1t weak
ening. Warnings promptly sent to the mill
and others along the of the stream and
tho villagers OF Stafford Springs prepare for
trouble and mono too soon, for q few minutes alter
o'clock the entire west wing Of earth forced
outward and millions OF gallons Of water rushed in a
resistless food down the narrow gorge.
THE DISASTER.
Close 10 the reservoir was tho Hopo Company's
satinet mills. owned by L. A. Converse and while the
main buildings escaped the engine house and other
structures we're crushed like sggshes and swept down
with the torrent
similar loss resulted to the staGordvtlle woollen
Company's mill. owned by J. Basch & Co.
Just below this the foundry OF $. B. Amidon's
Stafford Loom Works destroyed and three tone.
meut houses, from which the occupants had escaped
with some OF their furniture.
The torrent then struck the Phoenix woollen Com.
pany's dam in Hydevile. which went down In u FASH
REVOLUTIONARY RELIC.
Next followed In quick succession the dams OF the
Valley Company's mill In Stafford Hollow. tho old
hyde Converse dam In Furnace Hollow, which
had stood tho trials Of innumerabe freshets
since II was erected for grist mill
in Revolutionary times The old mill building was
wrecked. and, going down stream, crushed another
darn just below, and swept of two large buildings
owned by Ex-Governor E. II. Hyde, which wero filled
with agricultural implements, fertilizers, SC
4. G. Pinnsy's Gyn Mil, in Stafford Springs, was
next In line. and lost Its dam and Its outbudipgs;
whc next below, the 0onversevle Mills escaped with
the loss OF the dam.
rHR FLOOD u THS VILLAGE.
Only in q short haIi.hour tho torrent had wrought
this destruction. aud then swept It's food into tho bust
centre Of Stafford Springs, located in the anglo
formed by the junction Of Furnace Stream and SOURCES
Creek. a trangular-shaped space, nicely laid out
and improved with valuable buildings Al the
upper end Of this Mr. George N. Ives'
Granite woolen Mills The dam melted away and
tho food then swept through the basement of tho MILL