Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-03-17
RUNAWAY POND.
BY o. V. PERCIyAL.


ment in the vicinity at the time and
will long be remembered. Five miles
south of the present site of Glover
village, pond one mile long, one
half mile wide and from eighty to
one hundred feet in depth lay at the
height of land, its waters being dis
charged southwark and forming the
head waters of the Lamoille river.
The shore of the pond ON the north
was very low, scarcely above the wa
ter. 1t appears that hard crust, re-
sembling frozen gravel, covered bed
of quicksand, makiug the unstable
barrier which held the water on this
shore. Three miles and half below,
a grist-mill had been built where the
citizens of the surrounding country
had their milling done. In the dry |
season of the year the water was usu-
ally low and some inconvenience was
suffered. Aware of the facts in re-
gard to the situation of the pond |
above mentioned, it was arranged |
that bee should be made when all |
the citizens interested should go to
the pond for the purpose of digging
channel northward, that the water
might be discharged that way ac-
cordingly the 9Th day of June was
set as the day when the work should
be done. This was sort of public
day with these Vermonters, nearly
all of whom had come from New
Hampshire, on account of it's being
election day in that state. They pro-
posed to have a jolly celebration while
they hoped to do the miller, Aaron
Wilson, kindness by increasing his
water power. The names of those
who participated in the event, so far
as is now known, were Spencer Cham
berlin, Richard Goodwin, Silas Wheel
er, John Crane, Silas Clark, Joseph
Owen, Daniel Frost, Loring Frost,
Asa Brown, Joseph Gray, Hezekiah
Bickford, Nathaniel, Silas, Jona.,
Zenas, George, Barzilla and Lindol
French, Aaron Wilson, Levi Par
fridge, Elijah Stone and perhaps,
others. Some of these were from
Barton and a few from Sheffield. 1t
was not very difficult operation to
open the channel so that the water
commenced to flow north. As the
exultant party saw the possibility of
accomplishing their object, they stop
ped for little rest and a generous
drink of whiskey, which, in those
days, was necessity when the high
est state of happiness was expected.
While they were waiting, an unusual
sound was heard, the water ceased to
flow in the newly-cut channel, and,
as it proved, the whole bank at that
point was undermining and showing
out. Chamberlin stepped into the
channel, but the banks giving way he
was saved by his companions who
seized him by the hair of the head
and helped him to more solid ground;
there was not moment to be lost
for the earth was being swept from
beneath their feet. They reached
higher ground and saw the end of
the pond, as it were, swept out and
the raging torrent go rushing past.
The party when they saw the extent
of the catastrophe and knew that the
miller and perhaps others were liable
to be swept away, bethought them
selves TO save them if possible.
Spencer Chamberlin, tall, wiry man,
who was as fleet as deer and capa-
BILE of great endurance, set out On a
rapid run hoping to get ahead of the
torrent and alarm the people below.
He took to the high lands alongside
the rushing waters, which were sweep
ing everything before them, and in
about two miles saw that he had
reached the head of the current. But
the great column of raging water
sweeping forests and the smaller hills
in its course was close upon him,
urging him to make such a run as
! few men ever made. He reached the
mill not moment to soon, for the
miller in the sound of grinding had
) not heard the roar of the approaching
, food. Chamberlin and the miller
, each seized bag of meal and rushed
l for the hills; the water very soon
+ overlook them and they were glad to
: drop their meal and save their lives
A horse was hitched near the mill
5 but nothing was ever seen of him
e nor has any part of the mill been found
/ to this day. Fortunately, in this early
/ day, there were few houses in the val
f lev as far north as Memphremagoe
n and no lives were lost.
!. About a mile north of the escaping
;. pond was another smaller body o1
: water, known as Mud pond this wa'
Il filled with dirt and debris and th,
e waters helped swell the torrent. Il
n its upper course the water cam
/ through rather narrow valleys wher
o everything was swept away that tn
4 water could move, but in the wide
d courses less damage was done, thougl
e the timber was swept down and car
II ried away or piled into huge jams
% some of which are not cleared ava
! to this day. Some idea of the amour
of material borne along by the cur
rent may be had by the fact that o.
q the wide valley at Barton village,