Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1896-03-04
WATER AND ICE.
NEVER SUCH A FLOOD OF ICE AS LAST
SuNDAY--WATER NEARLY AS HIGH
AS LAST APRIL.

Hampshire Great Destruction OF Property
Travel Impeded- Damage in and about
Bellows Falls Story in Detail.
After protracted rain OF from sc to 80
hours all over Vermont and New Hamp-
shire, came the famous flood of last Sun
day, in some respects the most severe in
many years.
In Vermont the damage was consider
able all over the state. At Brattleboro
the buildings on the island were sur
rounded by water, and the stock in the
various barns were removed Some of the
farmers below the village were obliged to
remove their cattle to higher land. Above
the village on the Bradley meadows an
acre of land was washed away, and 100
feet of the track of the narrow gauge rail
road, operated by the Central Vermont,
was washed out, and a trestle near West
Townshend carried away.
AT Barre every basement on both sides
of Main street, cellars on many side streets
and nearly every granite shed for several
miles around were completely covered.
Thousands of dollars worth of goods were
lost by the inundation of the waters. A
low estimate places the entire loss at S20,-
900. At Montpelier the loss was also con-
siderable.
In New Hampshire the aggregate prop
erty loss was many thousands of dollars.
The loss at Manchester was 100000, at
Woodsvil!e 100,000,000 feet of logs got
loose and went down the river. Damage
to railway and highway bridges, and i'm
peded travel was reported from every quar-
ter.
IN AID ABOUT BELLOWS FALLS.
All was quiet here until about 10 o'clock
Sunday morning. Although it had been
raining hard for Sc hours there was not
water enough Saturday night SO all the Fall
Mountain mills could be run at the same
time The steady rain and the thawing
of the deep snow i'll northern Vermont and
New Hampshire caused the river to rise
with remarkable rapidity and at 10 o'clock
the ice began to move with great velocity
and tremendous force. For several hours
the water rose over one foot an hour and
for time it seemed that everything along
the line must certainly be carried away At
midnight it was still raining and the water
still rising but about O'Clock Monday
morning there was decided drop in the
temperature and the storm ceased. The
water began to fall at once and the danger
was over.
The meadow above the village looked
like huge sea Of ice all day Sunday and
Monday The water filled the cellar under
both the house and barn on M. H. Ray
place, and the buildings were completely
surrounded. The cattle and horses were
moved to place Of safety Sunday noon,
and the family made headquarters at G.
stock from his barn cellar to the floor
above had it not been for the assistance
of Mr.. Webb and his hired man, this
might not have been done in time to save
all the stock. The family moved upstairs.
Frank Richards had to move % hogs to a
place Of safety. J. b. Allbee drove his
stock to c. +. Webb's'barn about 9 o'clock,
and turned his hogs into the road to care
for themselves. He lost about five tins OF
hay and had the lively sport of pitching 10
tons from bay to the high beams above.
| The family moved up stairs. The water
covered the lower floor to the depth Of 8
inches, being II inches lower than the
record made on the 10th day Of last April.
The damage to the mills was not serious.
A few of the buildings near the river bank
were partly submerged, but having learned
wisdom from the experience OF last year,
all the lower windows had been removed
and perishable property taken to place OF
safety. The Fall Mountain company lost
eight Of their piers or parts Of them at least
The cost of constructing these was about
$1,000 each.
/ 1t was feared for time that the West
minister bridge at Walpole and the Cheshire
bridge would have to go, but the damage
did not prove to be serious. The West
six feet Of water in>places. r. II. Blair on
this road was Inconvenience little
There was landslide near his residence
and the water flooded the highway badly.
: Travel on the railroad did not assume
anything like regularity until Monday
night. The Montreal sleeper due to leave
here at 4.4O Sunday morning did not get
away until IL, owing to land slide at
CIRCUITS station where the dirt was piled on
the track five feet deep for GO feet. The
sleeper from New Y ork over the B. & M.
due to reach here at 1896 Sunday evening
did not get further than Brattleboro There
was no travel on the G.. V. until Monday
morning. Fitchburg trains run as usual.
SOUTH ACwoRTH.
The oldest inhabitants say they never
knew Cold river SO high as Sunday morn
ing. c. b. Cummings tenement house
was flooded and the tenants thought at one
time they would be obliged to leave the
building. The McKeene iron bridge has
gone, also the John Fink bridge, and the
Newton bridge. The Hardy iron bridge
came near going, it is somewhat bent bu
is considered safe. 1t is impossible at thi.
time to state the amount of damage il
town but it is very heavy.
WEST ACwORrH.
Sunday the people in this corner of the
town had the same experience with higl
water and ice as they did few years ago
when the Bellows Falls and South Ac
worth stage, as many will remember, came
near going down with the mad waters o
Cold river. Fortunately the driver Mr.
Cook, and the horses were saved after
hard and dangerous struggle. The coach
fittings and mail bag were lost, the latte
was seen going into the Connecticut river
The Newton bridge was also carried off
Last Sunday morning about O'Clock al
t.aYaT ..f I