Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1895-04-18
THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY
ONE VAST LAKE.
Highest Waters Since '62---Houses Sur
rounded by Water--RaiIroad Traf-
fic Suspended---Water Up to Tunnel
--Bridges Down and Business Gen.
orally DemoraIized.

M Not since 1852 has the river reached
such height as from the rains of the
past week. Hardly had the flood of
last week subsidized when further rains
along the Connecticut valley melted
the last of the great snow banks on the
hills, and brooks poured their torrents
to swell the rising flood in the great
river. All Saturday the rain fell con-
stantly, and Sunday morning showed
rise of four feet in the river at the dam.
Except for short intervals the rain con-
tinued all Sunday and Sunday night,
the water rising at the rate of from six
to eight inches an hour till near morn
ing, when it had spread over 50 large
an area that the rise was slower.
At o'clock Sunday night the water
was only four feet from the tunnel
under The TIMES office, and steadily
gaining in height every hour. Prepar-
ations had been made earlier in the day
to build dam across the entrance to
the tunnel should the water rise to the
tracks, and a gang of men were kept
there all night ready to place the tim
bers in position should it become neces-
sary.
The greatest danger was feared at
this place, for if the river once got
started through the tunnel it would be
only question of few hours when
the square would be undermined and
the river would cut new channel
through the mill district. At 6 O'Clock
Monday morning the water lacked but
| a few inches of going into the tunnel,
and soon after the rails We're taken up
and the timbers of the dam put in
place. The boards were covered with
sacking held in place by bags of sand,
making a substantial structure through
which the water could not pass. AT 10
o'clock the water had risen above the
tracks.
At 2 o'clock the flood had reached it's
height and soon began to subside. 1t
fell slowly at first and then held its
own, there being but slight fall from
s to II O'Clock. During the night there
was big fall and at noon Tuesday it
had dropped four feet from the highest
point.
About the paper mills there was
hustling all day Sunday. One Of the
| first to be flooded was No. 2 pulp mill
of the Fall Mountain Paper Co., and
soon after the water began to flow into
the lower part of the office building,
which is used partly as a store-room.
In the afternoon all the books and
papers were removed from the lower
part of the office vault and carried to
a place of safety Several other mills
were flooded by this time, and the
water was nearly up to the machine
and blacksmith shops. Water began
to flow into the boiler room near the
sulphite mill at about O'Clock, and by
midnight had reached the fires. The
blacksmith shop was then surrounded
| by water which was several inches
deep on the floor. About this time the
two bridges near No. pulp mill were
carried away and the water began to
wash up the roadway near the office
| The Easements were afioat and bundles
of paper, logs and miscellaneous arti-
cles were being swept through the win
dows into the river.
All day Sunday the Fall Mountain
officials were in communication with
the foremen of their log drives up the
river. In the afternoon word was re-
ceived from H. w. Keene that the logs
at Woodsville were breaking away, and
a quantity of rope, chains and dogs
were sent up on the night train TO be
used in holding the logs if possible
There was also a rumor that the logs in
| White river had broken loose and were
coming down, but it proved hasty talk,
though few did afterwards get away.
From Woodsville less than million
feet were lost and part of them were
afterward saved, some being hauled out
of the eddy here. 1t is thought that
fully three quarters of them are lodged
on the river banks, and can be secured
when the main drive comes along. The
Connecticut River Lumber Co. lost
about 5000, 600 feet through the break
ing of boom near the head of the
river.
The mills were all shut down Sunday
night with the exception of the electric