St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-10-25


route 20 remove their valuables
| and be ready at any time
to remove away from near the
river Reports were weekly sent to
the papers. usually stating that the
water was rising six or seven feet
per week. In June, however, the
rains came and then the water rose
| nearly four feet per day. On the
tenth of August the water was with
in forty-6ve feet of the top and here
| was a lake FIVE or six miles long,
over mile in width, and nearly 900
feet deep. Orders were then issued
for all people to empty their houses,
removing what they could, and re-
| move high up away from the river.
Telegraph wire had been erected so
as to give information all along the
line. There was one small city or
town on the banks of the stream
some sixty miles from the dam, con-
tanning about 300 people. This
was the old capitol Of one of the
native states, and here stood the
old kings palace, beautifully built of
carved black stone, covering several
acres of ground, and here were some
thirty or more temples with their
idols worshipped from olden times, ex-
pensively built of stone, some of
which were well endowed by lands
given by the old Rajas. Here also
was a mission house for a native
minister and a good mission school
building and school, and the govern
ment had good buildings also. All
were abandoned. On Saturday,
August 22d, we received a telegram
that the lake was beginning to over
flow. Weat once went to a hill which
overlooked this town, wishing to
see the food if there must be one.
Nothing, however, occurred that
day, but the next day we learned
that the food really came in the
night, and that the town and all
villages and bazars, ETC., near the
river were destroyed. The next
morning our missionary, Rev. Mr..
Gill, visited the town, and found
palace, temples, mission house, etc,
entirely swept away. Three hun
dred feet OF the dam broke, wearing
away gradually at first, but as the
tremendous rush of water increased
it swept out everything. The water
in narrow valleys rose to the height
of 16O feet and at Srinugar, the
town referred to, so miles down the
stream, with a meadow nearly a mile
wide, the water rose 40 feet above
high water mark. The food was
three hours in reaching the so miles
away town. So great had been the
precaution that very few if any
lives were lost, but the temples with
their idols so long worshipped are
gone forever. History does not tell
of many such lakes or such floods. |
A lake 500 feet or more deep still re-
mains and will no doubt become
permanent. Many wished to see
this rush of water, making a rushing
wall 100 to 100 feet high, but the
break was in a very rainy dark night |
and no one saw the wonderful sight. |
he a+-I
Lanterns had been placed in chief |
stations at various heights, but the |
water rose so much higher than had |
been calculated that the highest |
lantern was soon under water, and |
the people rushed farther up the |
The kilograms received |
in the darkness were very exciting. |
From the dam, first that 25 feet had |
gone. Soon another that the entire |
lake had seemed to be gone-''Look
out for the worst" AS the water |
came along down kilograms came,
water 16O feet high, Bazaar, hospital |
and everything gone. Look out"
Hence engineers, telegraph operators
and the people rushed up the hill
sides, the telegraph men dragging
their wires, etc, with them, as the
telegraph must be kept free; and all |
the time as dark as a rainy night |
can be. All is quiet again and the
people are mourning for their houses.
We are in these mountains recruit
ing for Jew weeks, but soon return
to our Lucknow home.
One encouraging fact in mission
work in India, is the organization of
a ~ ,Ord'S Dav ITuiOnD couonnSed of |