The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-03-04
looNTINuEp PROM FIRsT PACE


try. Before the company dispersed vote
of thanks and three rousing cheers were
given for Mr.. Bowers. The latter, by his
admirable arrangement and care for every
detail of this banquet, proved himself as en-
pertaining host as he Is a successful bust
ness man.
The people of Montpelier awoke last Sun
day morning to find that a repetition of the
disastrous flood of last April was imminent.
The high temperature and heavy rain last
Saturday caused rapid rise in the Wi
nooski river and Worcester branch, and
from midnight of Saturday till late Sunday
evening the water rose steadily. Early
Sunday morning the ice went out OF the
Winooski, taking with it trestle on the
Montpelier & Wells River railroad near
Dodge bridge, the Central Vermont trestle
at Tabor's, four sections of the new stone
sheds of Cotton & More, and the boat-house
and boats OF w. A. Stowell. One end Of
the Arch bridge was somewhat damaged.
On Berlin street the inhabitants of the
houses near the river were driven from the
first floors and the highway was packed
high with ice. Nearly every cellar on Main
and State streets was filled with water from
two to six feet deep, but property that
would be injured by the water was mostly
removed. W. l.. Draper met with quite a
heavy loss, as his flower and shrubbery beds
were submerged early in the day. The ice
in the branch proved stubborn and dyna-
highways below Montpelier were filed with
huge cakes of ice after the water subsidized,
and communication with the outside .word
in that direction was not opened until late
Monday afternoon. The main line of the
Montpelier 81 Wells River railroad suffered
but little damage, and trains were run on
Monday as usual. The Central Vermont
was not so fortunate Several washouts
and landslides prevented any trains from
the south reaching Montpelier from Satur-
day evening to Monday afternoon. The
Sunday paper train was held at White
River Junction. loop line was laid al
Tabor's on Sunday, and by running on the
Wells River line to Tabor's and from there
on the Central Vermont track, communica-
ton with Barre was secured. The rain fell
steadily nearly all day Sunday, but hun
dreds were on the streets all day watching
the food. The electric light dam at Middle
sex so1d the strain without crack OF
break but the bridge at the Narrows was
badly damaged by the ice and the streets in
the village were flooded, The property loss
at Montpelier, with the exception of the
stone-sheds and railroad bridges was com
paratively small; but it was an anxious
Sunday at the Capital. The electric light
station was submerged nearly all day, but
| by working in water to their knees the meI
in charge managed to turn on the lights be
| fore eight o'clock in the evening. There
! were numerous humorous incidents during
the day, and some that came near beine
fatal accidents; but, fortunately, no casual
ties occurred. The water subsidized rapidly
after midnight Sunday. The long-distanct
telephone between Montpelier and Burling
ton went down Sunday and the lines be
tween Montpelier and Barre were not il
working order until Monday afternoon
| The telegraph wires connecting with Mont
pelier were more or less down and crossed
but the work of putting them in shape wal
promptly done,