Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-04-14
SUMMARY OF NEWS.


Interesting Items from Home and Abroad.
A fast mail train from Scotland to London
ran from the track near Merpeth, and several
cars were dashed 10 pieces, killing five persons
outright, seriously injuring ten others, and
brulslng great many moro, zee. Prince Bis
mSrek expressed satisfaction at the friendly
relations existing between France and Ger
many. The Pope is seriously III. ~ The
annual boat race between the English univer-
atty crews of Oxford and Cambridge, was rowed
over the customary course Of four and a quar-
ter miles, and resulted in a dead heat. But for
an accident to Oxford's boat, that crew would
undoubtedly have been the winner. Time,
24:lO; which was slow, caused by the rough
ness OF the water and a fierce wind. q. A strong
party has sprung into existence in the Trans
yaal republic, Africa, in opposition to the presi-
dents proposal of annexation to England. ....
The bark Iorena picked up at sea a small boat
crowded with the captain and crew of the iron
three-masted schooner Riyulet, from Rio Grande
for England, which had foundered few DAYS
previously go, Albert Brown, for many years
cashier Of the Springfield (Vt) national bank,
became affected with mania for stock gam
bling, and to crafty his desire, appropriated
securities which had been depositedin the bank
Tor safe keeping. His investments proved un-
fortunate and the securities were lost. .....
The three sons of George Hoffman, a New York
German, seventy-five years of age, after in
ducing him to divide his little fortune among
them, refused to support him, which rendered
the old man so respondent as to cause his
suicide by drowning. -. The village of Madrid,
St. Lawrence county, N. Y, was nearly de-
stroyed by fire being the work of incendiaries,
whose object was plumber. Gage Bros safe
was blown open and its contents taken, and
J. L. Horseford's drug store was forced. The
burglars stole a span of horses and wagon,
with which they escaped.
R. T. Taylor. the defaultng cashier of the
Franklin bank, Indianapolis, Ind, who was
taken to the insane asylum, escaped from that
institution by forcing the iron fastenings of one
of the upper windows. 1t is supposed that he
had aid from outside ...... People have begun
pouring into the Black Hills region in great
numbers drawn hither by the gold excitement.
-.,.. Hostile Indians are daily arriving at the
stations to surrender. In most cases they are
In an extremely destitute condition, having had
nothing but horse meat in the way of provis-
ions. IA colored man murdered Mr. Max
well and his son, stockmen, in ColfaX county,
New Mexico, for their possessions. The muir
derer was secured. "A Ragusa correspon-
dent relates that party of five hundred Bashi-
Bazouks descended on the Herzegoyinian village
Of Otchieyo, where returned villagers were re-
building their houses and after burning the
partially restored homes, brutally murdered
ten of the inhabitants. At Glamosh, a Greek
wedding procession was stopped by Turks, who
cut off the heads of four of the guests and
treated in the most inhuman manner, from the
effects of which she expired. .... The painting
of the Virgin and Child, by Jan Vaneyck John
of Bruges), has been stolen from the Berlin
national gallery .Advices from Congo,we
coast OF Africa, January Is, state that the
British war steamer Avon had destroyed seven
villages on the Congo river and killed three
natives as punishment for plundering the
American schooner Thomas Nickerson, of New
York. This vessel had been captured by the
natives and about thirty tons of coffee were
carried Off up the country. She was fired by
the Avon in order to prevent further plumber
ing -. The Mutual protection company of
Philadelphia, life insurance organization, has
collapsed ...... An excursion steamer called
"Rockaway," being the largest in existence,
and designed to run from New York, was sue
cessfuly launched at Norfolk, Va, and started
with towboat for New York, to have machinery
lifted. When off Absecom light, a fierce storm
arose and the new steamer began filling with
water so rapidly as to necesstate the tug throw
ing off her lines. The steamer S timbers parted
and she went to pieces. Loss, $4,000.
The valley of the east branch of the Whitman
tic river, in the northeastern part of Connecti-
cut, has just been devastated by a flood similar
to that which caused such great destruction to
Massachusetts towns not long ago. Situated at
intervals along the valley were immense spin
ming mills, deriving their motive power from
the little stream which they bordered, and en-
ploying large numbers of hands During the
droughts of the past summer the water was too
low In the stream to afford sufficient power and
this winter the main dam to the reservoir at
Staffordville was heightened six feet to hold
more water for emergencies. The people of
the valley below predicted the breaking away of
the dam, owing to the addition being made
with frozen earth, and watch had been kept
upon the structure. Two days heavy rains
filled all the streams to overlooking, and the
men at the DAM after careful examination, dis
covered water trickling through the earthwork
around pipe leading from the structure
Laborers were instantly put to work repairing
the small fracture, but the water dehed their
best endeavors, and after fighting all day and
night the men were warned by Crumbing
sound to vacate their position, and did 50 Just
IN time to see stream the size of mans arm
leap through the center of the dam, increasing
in bulk each second, followed in few minutes
by the giving away of the middle, and then the
entire dam letting loose the three hundred acres
OF imprisoned water which had been pent I'D.
The immense mass of water first swept off a
side building belonging to the Converse mills,
crumbled the magnificent dwelling of Otis Hol-
brook. and then carried off two wooden bridges
In rapid succession. The Amidon machine
shops were next reached and torn down as
though built of paper, a number of tenement
houses also being engulfed. Further on the
small dams of the Phenix, Howe and Valley
manufacturing companies were carried away in
succession, and their store of water swelled the
already large volume. The mills of these cor
poratlons, however, escaped comparatively
harmless. Rushing onward to Stafford Hollow,
all the wooden and one fine iron bridge were
swept off their foundations and crushed like
matches. grist mill was then carried bodily
down the stream to be dashed to pieces
further along. Just above the village of Stat
ford Springs where the valley narrows, the
waters gathered, and after grinding ND several
tenements, with renewed fury burst upon the
little town, washing directly through tile heart
of the place, destroying L. w. Cranes store
the Home mutual fire insurance companv'f
building, the Congregational church, the Stat
ford national bank, Gerry s stables, the block OF
G. ker d Head, the stone house and granary OF
0. Cleveland, the warehouses of W. Smith q
Co., and Shoddy d Flock, dealers in lumber, the
coal yard of G. j. Holiness the Borough hall
andthe engine house. Out again the waters went
carrying away bridges, trees and small build
ings, until 1t reached the Willimantic, whose
broad bed received and swallowed the graa
rush of water. When the dam first burst Mr.
p. q. Pnney mounted his horse and fled through
the valley in advance Of the flood warning tbt
residents SO that, as far as reported, but on,
life was lost, though many families rescued
none of their effects. the course Of the fooC
across the fertile lands is marked bv q broat
path of sand and stones desolation and vast
taking the place Of farming luxuriance, which
was manifest previous to the deluge Th
losses are variously estimated, but cannot fall
short Of $1,0O0,OO0 besides entailing mucI
misery on the mill operatives, who will b.
thrown out of employ, owing to the power o
the standing mills having been cut off by tn,
destruction Of their dams.
Three little ones, aged respectively five, sever
and nine years, children of Henry Sicily, o
Creation, Ont, Canada, were burned to dealt
in their fathers house. Scilly, bis wife an,
three other children barely escaped. Th
premises burned down. entailing loss O
$1,000; no insurance ..... military rio