The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-02-20
BILLS ALLOWED.
DESTRUCTION OF SlPPO RELERVoIR.

1t will be thirty-one years on Washington's
! Birth. day, since the cutting Of the Sippo Reser-
Voir, body Of water created by daming the out.
let of Sippo Lake, in Perry township, 1t was a
memorable event, and for q time created great
excitement, The reservoir was blamed as the
cause of much sickness, and citizens living in the
neighborhood had become indignant. Several
efforts were made to have it abated in legal
way, but the company who owned or controlled II
were too much for the cOmplainants, and so the
nuisance continued until finally, resignation to
the dispensatOns of Providence, ceased to be a
| virtue, when some person or persons unknown to
the public clandes-timely and without malice
in the dead hour of night tapped that body Of
water, and such flood the people Of Massillon
never before or since experienced. The destruc-
ton was awful, and the damage to property must
have amounted to several hundred thousand dol
lars. There was dance at the fremont House
but Wen tell that in poetry
There was a sound of revelry by night,
And the Wheat City had gathered then,
Her beauty and her chivalry, and bright
The lamps shone DER fair woman and brave men
Fifty hearts beat happily and when
Music arose with its vOluptuous swell,
Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spoke again
Aud all went merry as marriage ebell;
But, hush bark Ia deep sound strikes like a
rising knell
Did you not hear it2-No twas but the wind,
Or wagon rattlng DER the stony street;
On with the dance let joy be unCon6ned;
No sleep till morn, when youth and pleasure
meet
To chase the glowing hours with flying feet
But bark that heavy sound breaks in more
As if the clouds its echo would repeat
Aud nearer, clearer, deadlier than beforel
Run ! run the reservoirs bwstl
All then and there was hurrying to aud fro
And gathering tears, and tremblings of distress
And cheeks all pale which, but an hour ago,
Blushed at the praise Of their own loviness.
The dam was built by wealthy furnace COM
pany, and an unfinished furnace was standing al
its side at the time. The dam was probably cut
about o'clock, for the water reached Msssillon
about 9:15. Everything was swept before it; sew
eral buildings was washed away, including j. j.
Raynolds's large brick warehouse, with 1t con-
tents of -four, grain and cloverseed, was entirely
swept away, hardly vestige of the building re-
naming The east corner Of the Stone Block fell
down and the arches under 1t gave way allowing
the floor to fall in. The end OF brick factory
owned by Mr.. Skinner was caved in and mum
beI Of machines carried off, The fremont Hotel
was opened the day before, and here, as we said
before, they we're dancing, the men found 1t nee
essary to carry the women away through the wa
ter, which was as high as their shoulders The
canal was soon filled with floating debris, and the
water finally broke over the banks and ran on ia
the Tuscarawas river. The force OF the rush
ing water drove barrels and boxes several miles
up the canal, where they were afterwards found.
The streets were filed with mud, trees, boxes
pus of houses, &C., and for several days the citl
zens we're greatly embarrassed thereby, Although
the almost completed furnace was standing there
the owners were so frightened that nolhlng more
was ever done with it