Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-02-16
THE FEBRUARY FRESHETS.
THE STORM LOCALLY.
Largest Rainfall for Year, with a
Single Exception.

Total Precipitation Nearly Three Inches
---Ice Piled Up on Retreat Meadow
and Pushed over the HORd---PArt OF
Mr.. PrescOtps Dam Carried Away.
While towns to the four points of the
compass were sustaining damage from the
high waters and the crushing ice foes, and
people lived for the time in fear and tremb-
ling at the prospect of greater danger, resi-
dents of Bratteboro and other nearby
towns were calm and serene, and were sus-
tanning no material damage.
The storm which began late Monday and
continued for over "a hours brought the
heaviest rainfall of year, with a single ex-
ception, the total precipitation being 205
inches. Streams rose rapidly, but not to
an unusually high point. The ice went out
of the Milestone and West river. The cur
rent from the Milestone cut a channel
through the ice in the Connecticut to the
New Hampshire shore. The Retreat
meadow was flooded, and when the ice
came out of West river hundreds of tons
of big cakes were piled up on the meadow,
which is now buried TO depth of four to
ten feet over three-fourths of its surface.
Ice was pushed into the road for distance
of % rods this side of the pumping station,
and passage way had to be cut through
for some distance. Above the station the
road was blocked for a long distance in
two or three places, and the ice was pushed
TO within few feet of the house occupied
by Mr.. Adams.
The largest amount of damage was at
Mr.. Prescott's mill on Milestone brook.
The ice carried away about one-third of
the dam, almost directly in the centre of
the structure. Above the dam was a big
ice jam, which extended over large part
of the road as far as Mr.. Sargents.
A few cellars were flooded in the village,
but the damage was slight as a rule al
though in a few cases a fire department
steamer was used to get rid of the water
c. b. Park, on reaching his South Canal
street home, found that several hens had
been drowned, and his horses were stand
ing in water.
The ice broke up in the Connecticut
river during Tuesday night, but did no
damage, and did not collect in large guam
titles on the shores near this town.
The rain was followed by high wind,
which prevailed through a large part of
Tuesday night.
Owing to flooding of tracks of the Fitch
burg road at Orange all west-bound trains
left the main road at South Ashburnham
junction, going to Keene, Y. H.. over the
branch, and to Greenfield on the main line
over the Boston d Maine by the way of
South Vernon. Perishabe freight was
sent the same way All east-bound trains
left the mainline at Greenfield and reach
ed South Ashburnham over the same route.
An ice gorge in the Ashuelot caused
sudden rise of the water at Sawyer's cross
ing near Keene, n. H., and new pier of
bridge at that point was carried away.
Two dams at East Sullivan were carried
away. The West Swanzey manufacturing
company had three or four feet of water
in its dye house. An old two-story I'M
occupied wooden mill of Giffin q Dana,
at the North end, Keene, was undermined
and carried away.
A Boston-bound passenger train on the
Massachusetts Central railroad went~D of,
the tracks near the Quinapoxet station at
9:10 O'Clock Tuesday night. The locomo-
tive and the combination smoking and bag
gage car were completely wrecked. Five
trainmen were seriously injured. The
train was delayed by a washout at Ware
and was five hours late at Oakdale. At
the time of the accident the train was run
ming at the rate of 10 miles an hour. Had
the accident occurred so feet further down
the train would have gone into the Quina-
poxet river.
Old rivermen say that Albany, n. Y,
experienced the greatest food since 1857.
Merchants place the damage done at half
million dollars. All the lines OF the
United traction company are tied up, the
power house at the lower end of the city
being submerged. In many instances the
residents of the south end were compelled
to abandon their homes.