Morning journal and courier., 1891-01-13
THE UNRULY HOUsATONIC.

THE UNRULY HOUSATONIC. A Great Torrent at BiFmlngham-Ice | Goes Ont i'm . Freshet for the First | Time Since the Dam Was Built Railroad Bridge washed Out Buildings Go Down Stream-About | Fifteen Thousand Dollars Damage Derby Road Freighting Arrange ments All Right. BIRMINGHAM, Jan. 12.-Never has the | dam across the Housatonic river been so | severely tested by the might and power of a freshet since it's construction in 1870 than it was by the mighty masses of ice and water which were started by the pour ing rain storm of yesterday. The severity did not consist so much in the volume of water as in the great quantity of ice which came down over the dam. This is some thing which has never happened before, namely, to have the ice go down the river in freshet The ice above the dam was at least twelve inches thick and broke up about o'clock this morning. The water at the time was between five and six feet above the top of the dam and the scene of
 
 the boiling mass below, with huge cakes of ice and uprooted trees intermingled, was one beyond description and called out thousands of interested people.
 For some time grave doubts were enter tained regarding the safety of the long covered bridge, which spans the river be- tween Birmingham and Shelton. This is an old structure, only short time since condemned by the county commissioners, and supported by stone piers built up without cement. The temporary supports placed underit some time ago, were washed accomplished. The most serious injury was done to the railroad bridge of the Derby extension. The ice, in passing under the bridge, swept away 300 feet of piling snapping the big timbers like pipe stems. The heavy spiles were uprooted and carried down the river with rush.
 The east pier of the iron span of the bridge was also toppled over by the rush of water and ice, and is expected to fall into the river every minute. This iron bridge spans the bed of the river, the pill ing over the meadows and numerous small streams.
 It will take several weeks at least before the road can be restored to it's usual con- dition. Above the dam in places ice was carried by the water on the track and de- posted there in great quantities. In one place the track was covered with huge cakes for fully half mile. The company will lose in the neighborhood of $15, ,000 by the flood.
 We learned authoritative1y last night that the road is prepared to receive and forward all freight for the west and points 1 engagements will be made to transfer pas ! sengers and freight from Derby to Shelton l by team, which will cause only few min utes' delay from the usual time. A few buildings also suffered in the 1 flood, including Clark's boathouse above | the dam, which was swept from it's found ation. A barn owned by Augustus Baum, which went down the stream as we'll as the stone house on the Huntington dock, belonging to Patchin & Son.
 l The scene about the towns was of the ordinary freshet character, water making a vast lake of the meadows, which by this dealers, whose houses are situated above the dam, had succeeded in nearly filling l their buildings before the storm came and have larger harvest stored than in many l year.
 l HARTFORD STREETS FLOODED.
 HARTFORD, Jan. 12.-Hartford and vicin ity has been perfect delta of swollen wa ters. The gutters overfowed their banks the streets were traversed by hundreds O CTS rose to an alarming degree. It wa! we'll on toward noon to-day before thu clear skies had evaporated the surplus wa ter in the streets to make travel free iron discomfort
 At Spring and Asylum streets last night was a particularly bad place, where, owing to the fact that ice existed beneath the wa ter, many slipped and fell. Great hole in the railroad bridge at Asylum street le passer below. At 60 Asylum street
 broken conductor emitted giant strean that threatened to beat hole through thu protecting umbrella. It was night to re member.
 Sugar on Chapel Street.
 Officer McGann's chivalry was put t the test late yesterday afternoon. He wa at his station, corner of State and Chape streets, when small boy and big bal of sugar came along together. The bo slipped and dropped his sugar and tn sidewalk was sweetness itself in an in stant. The little fellow was in tears owe his unlucky plight and visions of the con sequences which would follow on his re turn home rendered him incapable fo action. The officer proved himself
 friend indeed, for. seeing how matter were he immediately set himself t fighting them by sending off for ne, paper bag and then bending over himsel and carefully scraping the sugar up wit a large number of the passers-by congre gated and looking on admiringly. ] only needs to be added that the office sent the boy trudging on his way home ward happy, for he had made successfu transfer of the sugar into the new ba with all a grocer's clerk dexterity.