Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-03-07
THE BELLOWS FALLS NEWS|
DANGER FROM HIGH WATER.
Golfer Dam Built to Keep Water Out
of Railroad Tunnel-Mills Shut
Down-People on Rockingham Road
Left Homes in Boats.

Bellows Falls has every reason to be
thankful that 1t escaped the high water
of the first part of this week as easily as
it did With the exception of the tearing
away of a section of the Rutland round
house, little actual damage was done To-
cally.
Saturday, the water in the Saxtons river
was very high, and on account of an ice
jam at the Sabin bridge. set back on the
electric road track nearly a mile, making
IL impossible to run cars more than half
way to SaXtons River village. The
snow plow was on the other side of the
trouble and thus it caused but little incon-
venlence. Sunday morning. the ice jam
broke and let the water down so that cars
ran all right again. Monday morning
water coming down the hill from the
cemetery undermined the track of the
road for about fifty feet just beyond the
road leading down from Oak Hill ceme-
terry. Again the road managed to have
car each side of the break, thus keeping
up traffic all right This was the second
time the track had been undermined at
this place this spring.
Sunday night the water in the Connec-
ticut was rising rapidly, but its height by
I the next morning was a surprise to all
At that time owing to the large amount
of ice running, the water was at about the
same height as in the spring of 1895.
stream of some size was running through
the Boston & Maine tunnel under the
square. This, If allowed to continue,
would soon undermine the entire square,
depositng the sand and wreck on top of
the paper mills below The railroad was
torn up for a few feet at the entrance and
a solid Golfer dam was fitted into place
The water receded enough by noon to per-
init of this dam being removed and traf-
iic resumed through the tunnel.
Early in the morning the ice and tim
Der running in the river tore the end off
the portion of the Rutland round house
formerly used as II repair shop. dropping
the stone and brick work into the river
and carrying the woodwork down stream.
The mills of the international Paper Co.
were badly flooded. as in several previous
freshets. perhaps more damage being done
this year on account of the much greater
weight of ice running in the river because
of the early season Work in the portion
of the village known as under the hill'
including the paper mills of the Interna-
tional Paper Co., the Robertson Paper
Co.. the Moore and Thompson Paper Co.,
Wyman Flint q Sons. John T. Moore &;
Son. and John Robertson q Son, as well
as the grist mill of Frank Adams & Co.,
was discontinued, the only water wheels
turning being those of the Fall
Mountain Electric Light & Power Co.
Work has been resumed partially in these
mills at the present time. but owing to the
large amount of ice in the canal above
the head gates, it will be some time be-
fore all viii be working at their usual
rate
For about an hour Monday morning ice
was striking the long Boston & Maine
bridge over the dam and some apprehen-
sion was felt for its safety If the river
rose much more. No damage was done
however, owing to the rapid falling of the
river during the day.
Farmers near Bellows Falls suffered
great Inconvenience and in many cases
positive losses on account of the water.
Water surrounded every farm on the
Rockingham road from that owned by
Carleton Webb to that of Charles Allbee
and families either moved out altogether
or lived in the second stories of the
buildings. Boats were used in getting in
and out of the houses as well as along the
highway. barn owned by l.. T. Lowell
on what is known as the upper
meadows" above the mouth of the Will
liams river, slipped its moorings and went
down stream, carrying with it in addition
to hay and produce. a number of fine
sheep.