Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-03-27
ANGRY WATERS.
sEAKIy SWEEP AWAY A VILLAGE.
Ausonis, Connecticut, Endangered by tue
Bursting OF Three Dams-Homes ana
Factories Totally Ruined,

| bursting OF Three Dsms-Homes and
Factories rotsily Ruined,
Beaver brook, little stream, usually
about four feet wide, running through the
town OF Derby, Conn, and emptying into
the Naugatuck river, was suddenly con-
Nerted into raging torrent on Wednesday
afternoon, and within an hour had
wrought over quarter Of million dollars
damage to property in the manufacturing
village OF Ansonia. Many dwellings wero
swept away and throe large factories were
torn from their foundations and DESTROYED.
On Beavers brook are located several
factories owned by various manufacturing
Trims, aud IL was discovered some weeks
ago that the inoessant rains of many weeks
past had materially weakened the walls of
one of them, the largest, known as tho
Quillinan dam. a large force of men was
az work ON Tuesday building up the
enfeebled ramparts with stones aud brush.
The work of these men was swept away
with tremendous crash at D O'Clock
Wednesday afternoon, the lower wall Of
the dam, giving way, aud thirty million
gallons of water dashing out iuto little
Beaver brook.
Schunok's dam, almost as large as Quill
liman's, standing half mile down the
stream, succumbed To the tremendous
pressure of the rushing water and its CON-
tents went to swell the current One after
another, two adjacent and somewhat
smaller dams burst. On Beaver brook were
situated the dwelliugs of many workmen,
| employed IN south Ausonia factories aud
dozen of those gave way before the
| Hood, in number of instances inmates
| having almost mracuously escaped from
death.
The houses of Henry Green and Richard
| Hamilton were the first to move, the food
| tearing them into splinters and sending
the debris dashiug madly down the valley
y. Martlnez's house was picked up and
| tossed upon its side, high up on an en-
| bankment, where it struck with force sufii
| cient 70 fall to pieces and tumble into the
current. Michael Donovau's dwelling
and barn went the same way, and another
house was swept down the stream and
landed right side up in Centre street,
| half mile or more from its site. Other
| dwellings were damaged and destroyed,
some swept wholly away.
A half score of foot bridges were torn
! up and sent whrling down the stream.
which from lis original width of few
feet had rapidly broadened in torrent a
hundred yards wide and many feet high,
racing along at terrible speed, carryin,
debris of every description, household
furniture, chicken coops, fodder. cord
wood and fences oommingling IN this
seething flood with heavy timbers, and in
some instances the entire walls of destroy
ed buildings. Daniel Bartholomew big
factory, occupied by the Derby bit com
paUy, was the first manufacturing estab
llshment to succumb. 1t gave way sud
denly with an overwhelming crash, and
the structure, of frame and brick, was
| whtrled from its foundations into the water
| and many rods down the stream before it
fell into pieces. Several thousand dollars
! worth Of goods packed aud nearly ready
for shipment were mingled in the destruc
tive torrent with heavy machinery.
An evidence Of the terrific power Of the
Hood may be found in the fact that a
beayy iron shaft, thirty feet long aud
weighing many hundred pounds, was
swept away from the Bit company's works
and carried against large hickory tree
around whose body it curled as though it
had been 50 much tin foil. The Schunck
mill, occupied by a firm Of fishing tackle
Manufacturers, two story building about
| 100 feet long by 10 feet wide, went down
almost simultaneously with the destruo
ton Of the Derby bit factory, and it, too
was wholly torn up even 10 its foundations
and its contents scattered far down the
valley BY the currenI. The Sperry manu-
featuring company also lost its factory
building, which stood upon hillside some
feet above the highest mark reached by
the iiOCd its foundations were under
mined, and the building fell in two but
Was not Carried far, the rush of the waters
having nearly subsidCd before the walls
gave way.
OIhcI buildings used for manufacturing
purposes were much damaged, but No
| others were wholly destroyed. There are
few ofthe many mills along the Beaver
brook which will escape heavy Outlays Tor
| repairs, IN some instances amounting to
| thousands of dollars
The damage to property by the break
! ing Oi the three dams is estimated at over
a quarter Of million of dollars, aud scores
OF workmen are thrown out of employ.
mont. The roar of the flood as it first
! broke through in Williams dam, with
| tue crush OF falling masonry, was heard
| down the valley before the waters
reached the dwelling houses and facto-
Ties tho people had been anxious
for days about ugly rumors of weakening
walls, and when the first echoes of the dis
aster broke over them, there was a uni
Versal aud distinctive apprehension of the
truth. All fled hastily, and SO were saved
from what might have been certain dc
struction to scores of lives. AS it was,
q ere were many wonderful escapes aud,
in several instances, deeds of marked
heroism we're performed. The family of
k'ohaId Lynch, consisting Of his wife and
tLree little children, came nearest to being
swallowed up in the raging torrent, their
house having been struck by the flood be
fore the mother had a chance to gather up
her little ones, 3, 3 and 7 years old. The
house trem6led and the foundations were
Just ready to give way, when Michael
heTr' mere lad, rushed in to the stricken
woman assistance, and helped her and
her infants up the hill to safety. A
moment later Richard Lynchs cottage
was whirled out into the stream and
dashed to pieces against the stone abut
ments OF the Naugatuck railroad bridge.
| A gYUI nNEYs y.s.r.r.nS