Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-04-23
Mills and Dwellings Borne
Off by the Flood.
THIRTEEN LIVES LOST.
Very Little Warning of the Impending
Catastrophe-Trees and Houses No
More of an impeachment than
Reeds Enormous Losses.

PITTsFIELD, Mass, April 20.-A terrible
accident has occurred at East Lee result
ing in Il large loss of life and much dam
age to property At & o'clock this morn
ing the village of East Lee was inundated
and devastated by the breaking away of
the dam at Mud pond reservoir, noun
tain lake about two and a half miles from
the village The pond covered many acres
of swamp and WAS increased from its orig
inal limited size by extensive dams built
by a club of manufacturers as "a storage
place for water East Lee, the village
whose halfdo2en paper mills are situated
on the stream, received the first news
of the accident when the flood came
pouring down the streets with water
from four to six feet deep, and bringing
with it trees portions of houses, barns,
wagons and every form of movable prop
erty The people fled to the slopes of the
valley along which the torrent was pour
ing, and saw houses moved and toppled
about like ships on a river The flood
passed East Lee and went on down the
road destroying gardens, lawns and forests
and moving the smaller buildings, but it
had not the power to utterly wreck
large houses, although the damage done
will amount to many thousands of dol
lars. AS soon as possible the people went
Tlp the line of the flood toward the pond,
and found the ruin worse as they APP
preached the starting point of the torrent.
fortunately the track of the flood was
along a sparsely inhabited country, but
what destruction there was for it to do in
wrecking three or four houses along its
way was thoroughly ACCOMPLISHED and
much stock, besides property, is lost.
At night fall the entire population seem
ed to be gathered along the track of the
flood which in half an hour ruined this
happy valley. Thirteen bodies recovered
lay sheeted in the little chapel aud two
biers beside them awaited the finding of
two who were swept away by the torrent
Chairman Phelps of the board of select
men has been all day assuring the distress
ed of proper and abundant aid in tn cir ca
lamity and trying to organize companies
to search for the missing ones. The latter
purpose has totally failed as men even
hired at the best pay, would not make Il
steady search. but wandered about intent
only on seeing the sights. 1t is expected
the missing bodies will be found to NOR
row and all will be buried with one flu
neral Thursday afternoon.
Description of the Pond.
Mud pond was originally a small pond
in the middle of swamp in the noun
tain valley, about Two miles from East
Lee a suburb of Lee two miles from here.
Thirteen years ago several manufacturers
on stream partly fed by this little pond
decided to build Il dam and make the pond
storage reservoir. \ dam was built lo
feet high across the valley of stone
and earth, and wide enough ON
top for driveway 1t made the
pond cover 80 acres of varying
depth holding a vast amount Of water.
For year it vas watched, but as it be-
came compact no further attention was
paid it. The pond has been very full thi,
spring, and people living near have had
some fears, At haif-past five, Mr. Gous
sett, who lives near the pond, heard the
rush and roar of water and the crash OF
trees and knew his fears were real
lied. lie gave the alarm to his
next neighbors. Dwight Baker and Lev
Shultes ran across lots heading the pour
ing food and alarming the families in tn,
track Of the water. They describe the ap
pearance of it as wall of logs, trees, dirt
rocks, etc, 10 or ID feet high, the sole
material apparently being in front like
bieastWork, pushed on by the floods. 1t,
first appearance in the village wac
at the bridge twenty feet Ion.
spanning the stream. plauks and lOg
We're gathered into the advancing
walls, and II swept clean Sturgia'o marble
shops with monuments, tools and every
thing. II next poured into the dam o
poWd's grinding shops flooding the build
lngS, undermining them and blowing new
channels around the dam The houses o
Mis- Isaac Gardner and james Fletchc
were next struck. The families Wcr
aroused barely in time to get on thel
night clothes and reach higher ground
Both houses with all their furniture ant
clothing were wrecked and their ruins
went on with the tide Whites carliag,
shop in the third story of which lived
family was next destroyed. They were il
bed but heard the noise and sprang to tn
windows. In a moment the lower par
crashed in, the building parted in theimid
die, the Hood came in and all the inmate
We're washed into the torrent and drowned
The bodies of all but one of the daughter
were found half mile below with thei
heads crushed and limbs broken. Sim
son Dowd's house was turned around ol
its foundations, but not destroyed. a
the flood came, DoWd was just going int
his hen house. The door slammed be
hind him and the hen coop and Dow
went down, He has not been found.
The building occupied by u. Moran rs
store and pOstOilCe was To" .'Tn nearly OF
end and destroyed. Conc / Oakley
nillWright shops were utteuy deotrOye
and the machinery and roof Of the struc
lures were mingled with debris far below
Several rods below FoOt's mill, which wa
destroyed, was a row Of tenements occu
pied by poor families. The tenemen
nearest the stream was occupied b.
Theodore King his wife, son Charles, an