Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-06-07

The first instance in this country where
IA mountain lake or reservoir broke from its
bounds and swept in a resistless food
through the country below was undoubted-
ly the one which occurred at Glover, Or
leans county in this state, in 1910. The
country was new, most of the native for
est was still standing, and the population
was sparse. Most of the settlers came
from New Hampshire. On the height of
land or watershed between the Connecticut
and St Lawrence valleys five miles above
the spot where Glover village now stands,
lay pond two miles long by half a mile in
width, and of great depth. The pond lay
north and south, its north end in Glover
and its south end in Greensboro 1t had
no inlet, being fed from springs in the bot
tom Its outlet was a small stream running
out of the south end. A mile or two below
the pond on the north was a grist- mill
which stood on a small stream forming the
headwaters of the Barton river AT this
mill the Glover settlers had their grinding
done. The supply of water was scant, and
the inhabitants thought it might be increas-
ed by digging an outlet for the pond at the
north end causing the water TO find nat
ural course down into the stream which
turned the mill
The day chosen TO do the work was the
New Hampshire election day"-falling
that year on June G-always a holiday in
the state from which the men had come
"a Ia.
of the time. The men assembled with
shovels and picks at the north end Of the
pond, and ranging in a line, began digging
course for the water Those nearest the
pond cut through a solid crust of earth
about four feet thick and the water began
TO flow out in small stream. Suddenly
the stream disappeared in a quicksand, the
earth began outlying and caving in, and
those on the west side of the ditch had to
spring for their lives to reach their com
panions on the east side In an incredibly
short time the whole northern end of the
pond fell out, and the water poured in a
solid and irresistible mass down the steep
incline, uprooting the forest in its path, into
the valley below, and over the course of
the Barton river into Lake Memphremagog
twenty five miles away.
The characteristics of the flood were
those which have been told of every such
water burst since, save that it poured down
through a comparatively uninhabited coun-
try, the farms being on the hills while the
valleys were occupied only by forests or
waste lands No human life was lost, and
the only building destroyed was the mill
referred to. Instead of spreading out in ii
stream, the water rushed down in a solid
mass. its front wall many feet high of for
est trees, rocks and other debris, rolling
over and over with noise like thunder
The cattle came believing home at its
dreadful sound, and the wives and mothers
wrung their hands and waited in terrible
suspense until their husbands and sons
reached home and told the story. The ex
element caused by the strange occurrence
can be readily imagined
The site of what is now Glover village
was literally made by the deposit from the
water. For many years the bed and walls
Of 'RunhVay pond, as it is locally called
retained the characteristics which indicated
the CONFUSION of nature that had taken
place there, but at the present time the site
is either grown up to forest or is used for
grazing or hay making purposes. The two
cold springs which fed the pond are still
buhbhng up there, and the waters wander
away to the north, eventually reaching
Lake Memphremagog and the st, Lawrence
river.