Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-01-13

broken and ill ran for nlSher ground
Mr.. Wilson was the first to speak:
"My God, what will become of my
wife?" He then started to run to get
ahead Of the water. A few others
started also, but soon came back
finding themselves wholly unequal to
the undertaking. A number now
cried sERun, Chamberlain, run y
I will now speak of this Chamber
lain: He was a young man in the
very prime of life and strength, %
years old, over six feet tall straight
as an arrow, great wrestler and
runner, in which capacity he had no
equal among the settlers far and
near. Quickly throwing off bis
jacket he sprang, it is said, over
fallen tree fully five feet from the
ground and disappeared in the forest
and in few minutes passed Wilson
The channel now became damned up
from the great numbers of trees,
but this soon gave way and the
earth was in few minutes cut
down to a depth of one hundred
and fifty feet and fifty rods in width.
The time occupied from the letting
of the water into the ditch until the
bed of the pond was seen, was about
25 minutes. As the torrent now
rushed down the decline towards
! Mud Pond, it cut a channel nearly
175 feet deep and fifty rods wide,
taking along large rocks, one in par
ticular, which may be seen to-day in
a field, which is estimated to weigh
not less than one hundred ton, being
carried one mile. Pieces of land
were taken up and carried away
with trees standing on them, but
were quickly torn to pieces. The
speed of the torrent increased as it
approached Mud Pond, into which it
rushed with such great force as to
lower the pond and land surrounding
it, nearly fifteen feet. On the east
and west side of this pond are high
and very steep hills approaching each
other at the north in a circular form
each ending in sloping foot hill
one tapping by the other. Through
this pass the pond had its outlet
This was no hindrance to the great
column of water which swept away
all barriers, and rushed into a mar
row valley with steep wooded hills
either side; here the water rose tC
a great height clearing the hillside;
of timber and low ering the surface
to the level of Mud Pond under
whose eastern hill Chamberlain was
running, his path continually obstruct
ed by fallen timbers from the higl
lednnC Hnrn hn----a~ -----~=-'-
to his knees by the water, but by
climbing higher to his right he es
caped. All this time he kept along
side the water. From this marrow
valley the water turned somewhat t.
the west into another valley abOu
20 feet lower, at which point, Bartol
River, coming from Stone Pond
turns directly north. This narro'
place was covered with a dens
growth of soft wood timber from tn
edges of the river up the hill elthe
side. The great amount Of debris an
broken trees which were carried int
. this dense growth damned up tn
water which rose above the trees an
again Chamberlain was caught, as /
was on swampy ground in a depre'
:, sion between two hills. Again turl
II inc more to the right he had gre;
difficulty in forcing his way throus
:, the thick, tangled underground. /
was soon safe and was near the hes
! of the water and within about OF
mile of the mill. In few mlnut
- the lam again gave way with a te
= rife crash, sweeping everything b
- fore it, lifting pieces Of land fro
the hill-sides and carrying the
- along with their trees standing
] them. From this point the colur
- tho nnrth-wpSt I
- about one fourth of a mile, then agS
~ turning to the north where the hi
,o approach each other, leaving Gee
GO long gulch between, at the north e
=, of which was situated the mill. Ht
80 Chamberlain passed the water VIII
on rose to a great height. AS it enter
ho the channel it appeared to h
:. like a wall seventy feet high. FIR
- the top large numbers of trees w
-, dropping; small islands with tr
~ on them would topple over as Il
,u+ reached the edge, which he descrlt
no as being several feet in advance OF
-. base. Chamberlain was now
hausted, and, coming in sight OF
house, he ran to the door shout
for "Give me some whiskey, quick L
tcb for your lives, the water is comln'
md Looking around they saw the wal
nov water coming from the woods, tt
,oh falling and whirling end over
.tb The house being on high land,
hon not reached by the water.
am In a few minutes Chamber
dis came in sight of the mill, and se'
Dot a horse hitched to post by the
he he knew some one was at work
the side. The mill was at his left, q
him a decline about 80 rods. This
rew the moment that tested the cou
n to and resolution of the man. He
div. plainly that the attempt to reach