The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-31
DAMS WRECKED AT TALLASSEE Great Loss Caused by Big
 Flood.
 COTTON MILLS ARE CLOSED River Rises g Feet Above Ordinary Water Level. It Will Probably De Another Year Before Break Can Be Repair
 s cd-Landslide Fills

The great dam of the Montgomery Wa ter Power Company across the Talla- D o;a River at Tallassee. was partially wreck. d by the fio.d y sterday, and tho tu! ming on of the power. which was to have occurred on the first of January. will be postponed for probably year.
 About ts5 feet of the dam Is wrecked. causing a loss of from $5o.0O0 to $75.OoO. The portion that was washed away by the flood was that which had just been completed. and the cause of 1t giving away is that the cement had not had sufficient time to become hardened The cement proof had not been applied. and this green part of the structure is now a total wreck That portion Of the dam which had thoroughly dri- d and hard -n- ed withstood the great we.ght of water and is practically uninjured, with the exception of portion of the end next the weak and unfinis he'd part.
 Actual Rise of 52 Feet.
 The top of this dau is 42 feet above the water l.vel and 1t is said that be- fore the dam broke Sunday night the wa ter had reached height of 10 feet above the top of the dam. making an actual rise cfssz feet, That portion of the dam which was completed stood the pressure, as every, c-eyiceGhad, been thoroughly covered by the coat Of cement proof. When there is the slightest fissure into which the water can be forced, the weight Is so great say engineers, that the stones are lifted from their places and destruction follows. Had the cement proof been applied and thoroughly dried, there is no doubt the dam would have withstood the pressure of the water.
 The news of the flood at Tallassee reached Montgomery yesterday. but shortly after the wires of the Western Union were broken and connection lost. The telegraph company reported that It's wires. which cross the river at Tallassee, were under water, and telephone comulu- ncation was also cut of, thus completely isolating Tallessee from the outside world. Several attempts were made to reach Tallassee, but all the bridges were either washed away or were submerged. No trains were running as the tracks were washed away in places, so the ex- act damage could not be aseertained.
 Tallassee Falls Manufacturing Co.
 It was rumored that the large dam of the Tallassee Falls Manufacturing Com pany had been completely destroyed, but this was found to be exaggerated, as only 800 feet was wrecked. The first break occurred on the west shore, which ex. tended about 200 feet. After the large dam of the Power Company broke, an- other crevase of about 300 feet occurred on the east side of the river. This dam is about three miles below that of the Mont tgomery Water Power Companys dam. and the power is used to operate the large cotton mills of this company, which will now be closed until the dam is repaired
 Henry c. Jones' who was at one time Interested in the work of the Montgomcry Water Power Company. was the first to get authentic news of the disaster. When he ascertained that damage had been done, he wired the Western Union opera tor at Millstead. a station seven miles from Tallassee, and requested him to communicate with Chief Engineer Phil brook and wire him the particulars over the railroad wire.
 First Authentic News.
 At 3:3O o'clock yesterday afternoon, Mir. Jones rec'Sved the following telegram:
 Am advised by Chapman that closure section and one hundred feet of dam wrecked last night. Cannot reach Phil brook before tomorrow"
 It is impossible at present to estimate the damage with any degree of accuracy. as it will depend in great measure to the amount of material washed away and the distance 1t was carried by the flood.
 If all conditions were favorable and as large a force of workmen were employed as could conveniently handle the work {" said a man who is well informed in re- gard to the work of the dam, ''it would require at least three months to repair the damage. It will require the same stage of the river as prevails during the dry season to reconstruct the dam. con sequently it will, in all probability. be another year before the power can be used in Montgomery"
 Loss Falls on Contractors.
 W. F. Vandiver, President of the Mont komery Light and Power Company. when asked as to the effect of the loss on the bonds of the company, said:
 While a deal has been consumated whereby the Montgomery Light and Pow CT Company will be absorbed by Emerson NcAIillan & Co. of New York, certain conditions are embodied in the contract whereby the final transfer of the proper ty Is not to be made until the dam is completed and connections made with Montgomery"
 It Is understood that the loss will fall on the contractor. William A. Chapman of Providence, R. l., who 1t is said, was given the contract under the guarantee that 1t was to be turned over to the com pany ready for operating. This had not been done.
 Another rumpr has reached the city to the effect that 'the canal of the Tallassee Falls Manufacturing Company had been completely filled by a big landslide. This could not be confirmed. but Is given ere dence from the fact that the rainfall was E-,