Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-03-30
A DISASTROUS FLOOD.
A Dam Bursts-Great Loss OF Property
Two Persons Drowned.

The heavy rain storm the first Of the pres
ent week caused a very serious disaster at
SialIordville, Conn. The reservoir which
furnished the water power for number OF
manufactures gave way before the tremen-
dous pressure Of the water Tuesday morn
ing, aud sweeping down through the val
ley the flood carried away mills, factories,
dwellings, the National and Savings banks,
Congregational church, railway freight de-
pot, stores, etc, etc. Two lives arc report
ed lost The pecuniary loss Is estimated at
about 81 900, 900. The particulars of the dis
asler are as follows; The dam gave way
a, o'clock, Tuesday morning, and the
flood, taking everything in its course,
swept down through the marrow gorge five
miles, to the village Of Stafford Springs,
where it destroyed the Congregational
church, the building occupied by the Ma
tional and Savings banks, the freight
house of the New London Northern rail-
road and several cars, l.. w. Cranes store,
Baker & Heads block, occupied by Small
& Head, druggists, William Burwill, jew
eller, +. j. Chandler, news dealer; the
Home Insurance building; four tenement
houses part Of the Granite Mills; Will
liam Smith & Co.'s blocks, occupied by
them for storage of flotks and shoddy the
building owned and occupied by l.. w.
Crane for storage and Chester Holiness
lumber and coal yard. The borough hall
and engine house were also swept away.
All the dams on the stream from Stafford
vile to a poiut below the Springs, with all
hri1poc ba -
ervoir belonged TO a reservoir company,
composed of the owners OF the mills on the
stream below. The dam was raised six
feet during the past winter, and this storm
filled it for the first time. Close by the res
eryoir stood the satinet mill of Il. a. Con-
verse; next was the shoddy mill of Jacob
Basch; then the machine shop Of Samuel
Amidou. A mile lower down was the
Phoenix Manufacturing Companys cassi-
mere mill at Hydeville, and three miles
below there the Glen Mills cotton warp fac
tory. The Converseville Manufacturing
Company, cassimores, and G. NJ. Ives's
Granite mills for making cotton goods,
were on the stream at Stafford Springs,
about five miles from the dam. The reser-
vor was about a mile and a quarter long
and averaged quarter OF a mile wide. The
dam was about twenty feet high, but short,
standing in gorge of the stream, the bed
being narrow for some distance below. The
water is the head of the Willimautic Riv-
err. The dam was considered safe, but the
heavy rains of Monday afternoon aud eve
ming filled the reservoir to overlooking.
The breaking away was wholly unexpect-
ed, but the reservoir being some distance
above the village the alarm reached the
people in time for them TO flee 10 places OF
safety. The dam was considered one of
the best built structures of the kind in Toll
land county, and last fall was strengthened
by solid stone wall, several feet in width.
1t is still a mystery how it could have Civ
en- way.
Eslin.a tes Of the financial loss have been
made as high as $1,000, 600, but il is proba-
bic that 100000 will more than cover the
amount; the latest guesses range between
$500, 900 and 81 500 600. The principal losses
in detail are: Granite Company's Mill,
$4,000; town of Stafford, $4,000; ten
dams, about $4,000; Smith K Co., $50, 900
to $4,000; G.. o. Cleveland, $4,000:
Thompson & Wilton, $4,000; Congrega-
tonal church, $4,000. Most of the others
are from $4,000 down. The whole region
is devastated.