The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-09-11
CORRESPONDENCE.
The Water Question and Damage by
the Late Freahet.

cent 1reSl6G WHICH occurred aug. GtIu.
1t was stated in many papers throughout
the country that the water which flooded
the village came out of the stream at or
near my foundry, which is not true. ~,
During the period from 1864 to the
present time, have occupied the prem
q Uses where my dwelling house, foundry
and shops are located, and have lived
there nearly twenty-five years of the
time. Since have owned the premises
have expended more than four thou
sand dollars in work of excavating in
the channel of the stream to make IL
wider and deeper, and in building more
than eighty rods of substantial walls
along the sides, so as to prevent over
flowing, and had l not done the work
named, the water would have gone
through our village not less than three
feet deep at the time of the recent high
water, and no t1dter ran out Of the stream
on nly lands on the south bank of the
stream, nor on the north side except at
place next my west line where an over
dam, which is located there, has existed
since 1914, and the banks on both sides
of the Valentine pond were raised by me
about two feet in 1889, at which time l
also excavated that pond from one to
three feet in depth over its entire area,
and enlarged the area, all at my own ex-
pense so as to be able to keep the stream
within the channel.
Furthermore, when l last repaired my
own dam, l made the overflow or crest
of the dam, some eighteen feet more
than it was before, so as to allow more
room for the escape of the water, and
carried substantial wall above the dam
up the stream on both banks as far as
my property extended and all the walls
have built have stood through the flood
of 1869 and to the present time without
being overlooked or damaged but to a
triflng extent. have also from time to
time removed the gravel from my own
pond so as to keep the water course clear,
thus cleaning both my own pond and my
neighbours. ..- s....s.. .......
Right here I will leave the subject Of
water ways, to call attention to our high
ways (some of which were not so very
high after the freshet), and will name but
two or three points to illustrate the case,
and will first call attention to Stafford
street, from the bridge northward to
Scott street which was overfowed for
hours by a, large. rapid stream which
flowed across the roadway and sidewalk,
also along the street to Scott street and
in a torrent down Scott street to the Tiff
fanny Brothers Shops. =,
Stafford street was graded by me at that
place, and built from the material on the
ground, and has scarcely been touched
since that time and no sign Of any ddm-
age by wdter appears on that street or side
lvdlk. s-., .
Scott street was graded by me in 1875,
from the material on the spot and never
had any other material on it and has
never been repaired since it was made
and the surface is washed just enough
to show the handsome bed of gravel
which forms the substratum of the road
way, which was put there to stay. Please
look at it. ...
Then look at the great mass of sand
considerable of which is quick sandy,
and other light, fine material which has
just been put into the large washout
near the mills of Messers. Cooper &
Son, and in behalf of all the mill owners
in the village, below the Benton bridge,
as well as other property owners, liable
to be damaged by overflow from the
stream, and the taxpayers of the whole
village and town, 1 emphatically protest
against such folly and reckless disregard
of public and private rights, as shown
by placing such material in such manner
on our streets. lHe e.. r,
Strong language Mr.. Editor, but it
comes straight from the pocket-books
of the parties damaged, which will ex-
plain thus. N.
Had the owners of the water courses
above the Cooper mills enlarged and
walled them as has been done by II. w.
Putnam, the Graded School or myself
and some others, the stream would not
have overhowed near the Cooper mills
and caused the large washout at that
place, which the taxpayers must repair.
All the material washed out at that
place went into the stream and filled the
several mill ponds, to clean out which
will cost the mill owners a large sum as
well as interfere with their business.
The filling of the water channels
with the washout material, caused much
of the overflow into our streets and
on to private property, causing damage
and expense to both individuals and the
village corporation, yet while blaming
no one in particular for what has hap
pened, consider it a hard case that 1
must be taxed to put that sand in the
street near the Cooper mill only to have
it washed down into my mill pond and
fumes, where / must pay heavily to re-
move it. Every heavy shower brings
down large quantities of 1t.
Moral:--It is cheaper to take care of
our streams, than to repair damages
caused by neglecting it.
There is no reason for wasting public
money in putting worthless material on
our streets to be carried away by the
first rainstorm, when we have good ma
terial which can be put on TO stay, at the