Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-10-13
ANXIETY AT BENNINGTON.
Residents Fearful That Saturdays Rain
Would Cause Another Inundation-
Later News OF Flood Damages.

Bennington, Oct. at was quite an
anxious day yesterday for fear that the
heavy rain that fell during the night and
wniCn continued more or less all day
would raise the streams so that there
would be more trouble. Men are at work
at the head of County street getting the
channel of the river back where it was
before Wednesday, The ground on the
treets and yards damased is so soft tn I
but little progress can be made in clcar-
nG up BRIDGES have been thrown across
County street In several places. The first
train for Troy since Wednesday noon viii
probably leave here Tomorrow. The Hoo
SICK Falls electric railroad is running to
within half mile of the village where
teams are taken. 1t Will be several DAYS
before the entire trip can be made. Sew
eral Of the losers say they will bring suits
against the town and village 10 recover.
With the resumption of communiCa ton
! with neghborlng towns more particulars
are received as to the damage done by the
food OF Wednesday afternoon. The viii
lagc of Huos,ck Fails will show losses
from $1,000 to $lC0l,Ct0. A number of the
| largest business places in the village are
undermined, streets and highways have
caved in, bridges are carried away, and
one washout ON the electric railroad was
| $50 feet in length. The flood struck that
village from three directions the lars est
body OF water going from what Is known
as Woods pond, about 20 feet of its em-
! bankment giving away soon after the
! storm struck it. One of the principal
| streets In the village is washed out Il dis
lance of 100 feet in length, and S to ~
| feet in depth. The flood carried every
thing before it, Several buildings were
carried off and went into the Hooslch rlV-
or. Tho boiler house at the shirt factory
! of Han Hartwell & Co, was swept from
/ its foundation and went down with a
~ lNl hn lnnf1 Nl.ss..-
Church was carried into the river ana
the large livery stable OF Frank Riley
narrowly escaped the same fate, The en-
ployes of Hall & Hartwell. together with
those in the Superior knitting mill We're
rescued by the ilremen with the use OF
ladders, as ii was thought fer a time that
the mills solid brick structures would 20
down. A. North Hoosick n long covered
bridge over the WollComsuc was taken
away, ana so was the covered bridge AT
White Creek which spanned the same
river.
At IIoosclI Junction the Hathaway
! bridge, Il fine iron structure on the Fitch
| burg road, is down, and engine No 156
| together with n Nat car arc in the Hoo
sick river. 1t gave way just as the engine
| WAS leaving 1t, the engineer and fireman
escaping by jumping. The sleeper leav-
ing Boston at p. m. was the last train
to pass over the bridge before 1t Went
down.
Arlington and Sunderland both report
| heavy damages. Bridges are car
ried away. roads washed out, and fields
covered with debris of all kinds that was
carried down. In some places the fences
are completely gone, and hay stacks hav,
also disappeared.
! 1t is certainly wonderful that no more
, lives were lost. Had the flood come In
the night the loss of life could not have
failed to be large. A subscription paper
is now being circulated here for the re.
lief of the poorer people who lost or had
much property damaged. AS yet 1t has
been almost impossible to do anything
towards cleaning up, as the water is We,
standing in pools and there have beer
heavy showers Friday and Saturday.