The record-union., 1897-07-15
Heavy Rains Cause the Dam Of a
Big Reservoir to Break.
Everything in the Path of the Great Bank Of
Water Washed Away.
Buildings Torn to Pieces and Their
Occupants Carried Away in the
Raging Flood-Five Bodies AL
ready Recovered and Other Peo-
pie Missing.

POUGHKEEPSIE On. V, July IA
The two large reservoirs in the Fish
kill mountains, which supplied water
to the towns of Mattewan and Fish
kill, burst their walls at o'clock this
morning, and the water that was re-
leased swept through the Dutchess
Valley, causing ruin and death.
The water ran into the creek,
and two miles below, near Dutchess
Junction, washed away brickyards and
buildings, including a boarding house
occupied by laborers. 1t is reported
that nine were. drowned and that others
are missing.
The flood at Duchess Junction
washed away 200 yards of the Hudson
River track, and trains are stalled on
each side of the break.
There were two reservoirs in the
mountains, the lower one half a mile
distant from the other. The upper dam
gave way, letting the volume of water
into the ravine.
Van Buren & Timothy's brick yard,
on the Hudson, just below Duchess
junction, are a mile distant from the
site of the lower reservoir. Without
warning the flood reached them
through the ravine and made terrible
havoc. Buildings We're torn to pieces
and their occupants carried away in
the raging flood.
The water works system was oper-
ated by a private company and sup
piled the villages of Mattewan and
F'ishkill ont the Hudson.
A temporary trestle has been built at
the break in the Hudson River Rail-
way track and the Montreal express,
south bound, has passed over 1t will be
late this afternoon before trains can be
run on time.
Trains We're stalled all the way from
Fishkill to Poughkeepsie One of these
was a Cook excursion train, the passen-
gers on which expected to start for
Europe to-day
The reservoir, the bursting of which
caused the havoc at Duchess Junction.
is situated in the Fishkill Mountains.
about mile east of the junction. 1t
collects the surface water from the
north side of South Beacon and the
south side Of a neighboring mountain,
and is 800 feet above tide water. It's
overflow reaches the Hudson by way
of small stream known as Towanda
Greek.
AT the west end of the ravine are the
devastated brick yards.
The reservoir is of oval shape and
about oOO feet long and 300 feet wide
and 30 to 80 feet deep. 1t is used as
an auxiliary supply to the regular
water works system of Mattewan and
F1shkll Landing, from the main source
OF winch 1T is distant about four miles
Inc largest reservoir of this system 10
considerable lake near North Rea
con, which has massive masonry and is
intact. A second reservoir. situated
much lower down the mountain. which
was built to reduce the pressure in the
pipes, is also unbroken. These two
nave no direct connection with the
Duchess junction reservoir though all
three feed into the same pipes.
There were about thirty laborers in
the houses that We're swept awav. All
escaped but nine. Many had arms
broken, and others suffered minor in.
juries
The identity of the bodies taken ont
has been established as follows: Peter
Mulligan and wife, Mrs. John Conrov
wife Of the engineer of the brick ward
Willie Ferry, Selma Lowrey. aged g.
John Zinca, a Hungarian laborer
Flve bodies have been taken from the
Wreckage left in the wake of the flood
and there are known to be two and
probably three more lying somewhere
beneath the piled debris.
Dead-Mrs. John Conray. aged az.
Mrs Mary Ferry, aged 80, widow.
William Ferry, aged 9; John s. Ruka
2S years of age; Philomena D. I,1ka g
years of age
Missing-John Conroy, aged . wears.
Julia Conroy, aged &, and an unknown
Hungarian.
Most of the ruins have been searched
ana 1t IS possible that some bodies
nave been swept into the river. The
water still runs through the ward
which is covered to depth of several
feet with debris
The three buildings in which the Ia
borers had quarters We're totally
wrecked. In the ravine there are
great rocks, some of them weighing
five to ten tons each, rolled down tha
mountains by the torrent.
About 1000 yards above Murnbv.s
boarding house directly in the center
OF the ravine, was a small settlement
OF Arabs, thirty or forty in number
occupying half a dozen huts. Tbara i,
not vestige of the settlement left b,,t
so lar as known no Arabs lost their
lives
The wave was about fifteen feet
high. This is shown by traces along
Its passage. When it reached a point
about 100 feet above the buildings If
had spread out until it was about 20o
feet wide and ten feet deep. moving
with resfstless force. 1t tore ont nv
the roots trees that We're from one to
two feet in diameter
Conroy, who lost his wife and two
children, states that they were not in
the building when the flood came.
SUGAR TRUST.