The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-07

possible. Mrs. Conley said the first she
knew CT what had happened was from
the cries of Mrs. Conley senior, woman
OF about Sc years of age, who had been
aroused by Miss Hutchins, who shouted
up the stairs 1.-THE reservoir has given
way, run for your lives" Mrs. Conley
sprang from her bed and as she did so
heard the peculiar hiss, as it were, OF an
immense serpent. There did not appear
to be any roar, but just loud hiss, and
a signing like the wind. She seized
wrapper and flung it over her nightdress
and ran down stairs followed by her hus-
band. At the foot of the stairs they en-
countered the two ConIey girls Mary and
Agnes, and almost Immediately they all
missed Mrs. Conley, senior. She, Mrs.
Conlcy, the daughter, ran across the
field. Her husband ran into the barn to
loosen the horse. He cut the horse loose
and then felt the torrent strike the barn.
How he got out he doesn't know. But
he managed to get onto the hencoop and
fioated to big rock, where the coop
grounded and threw him off. The horse
escaped uninjured. She, Mrs. Conley,
made her way round to Willis street and,
thoroughly exhausted, sat down on the
ground. Here her husband who had
managed to get safe on his feet on land,
and come over the field found her. Mr..
Conley senior, is about 60 years old and
is a Waterman at the American Express,
and therefore was not at home when the
| catastrophe occurred. Mrs. Conley said
| Mary and Agnes, the two dressed girls
| who stayed in the house, probably
thought their mother had gone into one
| OF the rooms on the lower floor and went
back to look for her and when they came
| to the door were frightened at the depth
of the water and resigned themselves to
their fate. Mrs. Conley said the two girls
were very fine young women. They were
home girls. Mary was II years old
| and Agnes who was IS did not go to
school because she had had trouble with
her eyes and was needed at home
Mr.. Russelrs Story.
Mr.. Asa B. Russell lives on Willis
street close to the reservoir. Mr. Rus
| sell said he had not much to tell. He
thought it was about six minutes past
| six when the catastrophe occurred. He
had heard the noise for the most part as
| if railway train was passing along in
the distance and yet it didn't seem
exactly like that either. Accom-
| panying this noise was noise good
deal like the kissing of escaping steam.
Then he saw the water rushing out of
the reservoir and he knew the great tank
had broken. But he said the water to
him, didn't seem to go with rush and
roar, but gradually, and he thought quite
little time elapsed before the great
volume of water broke loose.
A Narrow Escape.
Mr.. Elmer Smith, an electric light man,
had just fixed the arc light on Walnut
street just on the verge of the gully made
by the rush of water, and left the pole
when the break occurred. Mr.. Smith
thinks he should have had fine view of
the affair if it had occurred when he was
on the pole as it withstood the sweep
of the water.
The Inquest.
Coroner Littlefield was summoned and
empanelled a jury composed of A. M.
Sawyer, foreman; Charles Paine, E. M.
Tasker, Geo. O. Gosse, Dwinal M.
Haynes and Hugh F. McDonough, and
the inquest will be held at the attorneys
room, City Building, at ppm. tomorrow.
The Causes.
The Munjoy Hill reservoir was built in
1889, two years being occupied in its con-
struction. 1t covered about five acres
and was considered to have been most
carefully and substantially constructed.
It contained twenty million gallons Of
water. The Portland Water Company
employed ]. Herbert Shedd, Civil En-
gineer, of Providence, R. T., to make
plans for the reservoir, and also employed
him to take charge of the construction of
the same, giving him absolute authority
over the work. both as to labor and ma
terial to be used.
The contract for construction was let
to James j. Newman of Providence, R.
l., who performed the work. The Port
land Water Company had nothing to do
with it's construction. When completed
it was accepted by the engineer and
turned over to the Portland Water Com
pany. Since that time it has been used
for storage of water.
The reservoir cost $125,OO0 and the
damage to it is estimated at $4,000.
The reservoir wall was constructed af-
ter what is said to be the most approved
fashion. The wall, which was 40 or so
feet high, had sloping sides, SO as to af-
ford great strength. The entire bottom
of the reservoir, which rested on the
hard pan, was coated with four feet of
pure clay, which is about the most dura-
BILE matter possible. Then, reaching to
the top of the wall, was great mass of
hard clay, backed for strength by dirt
I