Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1886-04-29
FEARFUL WATERS.
The Bursting Of . Dam in Hlassaoh asetts
Causes the Death of Many Persons.

The Bursting Of . Dam In Alassaoh asetto
Causes the Death of Many Persons
PrTTsFfELD, Mass, April 20.-At an
early hour this morning the great dam at
Lee, ten miles below, gave way and swept
the town out of existence. The noise
sounded like an explosion. and mes
sengers were sent ahead of the flood to
arouse the village people. Sixteen lives
are known to be lost The water Is running
rapidly. The torrent runs twelve miles an
hour. The destruction to property is im-
mensa The population of Lee was 5000.
Eleven bodies have been recovered.
PITTsrIELD, Mass, April 21.-Another
dispatch, giving further particulars Of the
terrible dam burst, says: At six o'clock
yesterday morning the village Of East Lee
was inundated and devastated by the break
ing away of the dam at the Mud pond res
sryoir, Mountain lake, two and one-ha'f
niles from the village. The pond covered
many acres of swamp and was increased
from its regular, limited size by extensive
dams built by a club Of manufacturers as
store place for water. The flood came
pouring down the streets, the water being
from four to six feet deep bringing with
it trees, portions of houses barns, fences,
wagons and every form of movable prop
ery. The people fed to the slopes of the
valley along which the torrent was pouring.
The food passed East Lee and went Oh
down the road, destroying gardens, lawns
and fences and moving the smaller build.
ings. 1t had not the power, however, to
wreck utterly the larger houses, though the
damage done will amount to many thousands
Of dollars.
AS soon as possible the people went up
the line of the food. Fortunately. the
track of the food was in sparsely inhab-
tied country, but what destruction there
was for it to do in wrecking three or four
houses on its way was thoroughly accom-.
piiehed. Much stock. besides property, was
lost. Explorers found the bodies of six
persons by ten O'Clock a. H., and were
searching for others. The scene is one OF
terrible desolation, and the town of Lee
was wild with excitement. Up TO noon
eleven bodies had been found, and
it was then expected that several
more would be discovered. The bod
les recovered and identified thus far are
as follows: Mr.. White, wife and two young
KIM and his wife: three persons who were
living in the track of the flood are still miss
ing. Whites carriage shops were destroy cd;
Harrison Garfleld's paper mill undermined;
Decker's paper mills also damaged, and
John McLaughlin'S machine shops totally
wrecked.
AS near as can be ascertaincd Mud pond
dam gave way at $50 O'clock yesterday
morning. 1t had shown signs of weakness
for some time, and parties responsible for
and owning the privileges of its water sup.
ply had been notified, out nothing had been
done. The calamity is the result Of care
lessnes5. The channel quilted by the rush.
ing water is from IS to 200 feet wide, and
while the evidences of its terrific power are
plaincst as the pond is approached, tho
most serious loss of life and property Oc-
Cured three miles from the lake in East
Lee village. The water reaches a stream
on which manufactures are built by
a brook running through the
woods and thinly settled farm land, and
there was not much of life or many build
ings to be lost until the village was reached.
There it wrecked barn, carrying off
bridge spanning the brook, which is but
small as it runs naturally from a small
pond and then rushed down the channel Of
the stream on which dwellings, and manu-.
factories are located. Couch & Oakley's
miIiwright shops, John Dowd's manuiac-
tory of paper machinery, and A. n. Whites
carriage shop were all destroyed.
Whites family, consisting of himself and
wife, aged forty-eight and forty-tive years re-
spectiveIy, their daughter and an infant son
were in bed when the flood struck the house
and were all killed by the building crashing
in. All the bodies except that of the baby
have been rescued. Theodore King and
wife and Mrs. Charles King rushed from
their house and were carried Off by the
flood and drowned. Had they remained in
it they would have been saved, as the
building was not destroyed. Simeon
DOwd, aged sixty, is known to have been
drowned but his body has not yet been
found. Further down the stream John Nc
Laughlin's machine shops, Harrison Gar.
fields mill and Farmer, Decker Il Sabin's
mills were all ruined. The boilers and all
the basement machinery were taken out by
the flood and carried away like so much
wood. John VernOn's paper hill was also
Quilted. These disasters throw great
many hands out of employment and liter
ally paralyze all East Lees industry's. This
loss in property is fully S200p0O, while the
expense of repairing roads, etc, will reach
$40, 900 more. Charles King, before re.
ported dead, is alive, but badly injured,
and it is thought he will recover.