The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-03-05


The Benjamin bridge was torn away
Sunday moving from Its abutments and
sailed away in the evening At the Pi-
oneer village cars on the Central Vermont
sidings were badly damaged by the ice.
The Montpelier and Wells River railroad
ran train over its main line to inspect
the bridges on Sunday morning and one
to Barre and all were found to be holding
firm. ln,this companys yards the water
and ice raised havoc by crushing cars like
egg shells and completely blocking their
coaling station so that an entrance could
not be effected.
The Central Vermont bridge near the
United States Clothes Pin Company's
shops had close call as the trestle sup
ports were carried away, while the bridge
just below the station was badly racked
and wrenched. The telephone lines
we're down north and south as far as
Burlington and Bethel. On Sunday
evening the sand bottom bridge over the
North Branch near the Ice house was
raised off its abutments by the food, har-
rowly escaping wrecking, but was held in
place by the four inch Berlin water main
so that when the ice had gone out of the
stream the bridge settled back again min
us some of the superstruCture.
AS has been said, the water rose and
fell alternately during Sunday and as
evening approached, began to rise rapidly,
the rain continuing. The North Branch
was considered the danger point, and was
watched with anxiety throughout the day
by hundreds of men, women and children,
coming and going, oblivious of the rain
and sush.
Superintendent Roberts was as busy as
beaver and was finally rewarded toward
nightfall by the fact that the ice in Dog
river had gone out and that the stream
from the Cotton dam was clear.
Mayor Brown and Mr. Roberts held
conference in regard to starting the ice
from the North Branch. 1t was found
that no battery was to be obtained in town
with which dynamite could be discharged
G.. A. Almon's services were enlisted
and, as it proved, too much credit cannot
be given as through his ingenuity the ice
in the North Branch was cleared Just in
the nick of time to avoid repetition of
the disaster from this stream of two years
ago.
1t was decided to set off the dynamite
from the electric lighting current. To do
this required special care, as in exploding
the cartridges there would be danger of
burning out a whole circuit of the system.
The first charge was put in in the rear of
the Jangraw barber shop and while prep
arations were being made to receive them,
Mr., Almon arranged series of three
half-pound sticks of dynrmite to be con-
nected with the electric current from H.
A ccta ha
most successful, breaking up large area
of the ice, some of which was thrown over
the Ralto building into State street,
The next charge was placed just above
the Ralto bridge with the result that the
ice started slowly at first but finally went
out with rush, grinding, crashing and
humping under the bridges amid the
cheers of the crowd and at times causing
the people to scatter because of an es-
pecially heavy crash causing the bridges
to groan and tremble.
The ice in this section of the stream
did not leave but about ten minutes lee
way before the ice above the Lane Manu-
featuring Company's dam gave way and
came down stream with a rush.
The scene was one to strike the behold
er with awe, for with the going out of the
ice the swollen waters leaped up to almost
the level of the banks, overfowing them
in some places so as to inundate Elm
street in the neighborhood of the resi-
dence of Gen. Stephen Thomas.
The waters brought the ice up so that
the bridges were endangered to such an
extent that the people stood only on the
ends. The grinding of the ice on the
iron bridge at Langdon street was espec-
tally noticeable, and the occasional snap
ping of bolt added excitement to the
scene.
Aboutten o'clock the crowd began to
disperSe, as load of anxiety had been
lifted with the clearing Of the North
Branch.
1t was not thought the ice would go
out of the Winooski until Monday but at
eleven o'clock the sharp twang of the fire
alarm bell summoned the people again
from their homes to the streets only to
find that the street lights had gone out
The fact that there was water flowing on
lower Barre and Main streets gave the
impression the stream was overfiowng its
banks. Merchants and their assistants
moved their stock up notch higher.
The real cause of the alarm was the
going out of the heavy Central Vermont
bridge near Sabin's crossing This bridge
took with it about 400 feet of track. Com
ing down stream it collded with the
Granite street bridge, showing this heavy
steel structure off its abutments onto the
ice, all floating down crosswise of the
stream.
Upon reaching the Montpelier and
Wells River car shops, this was struck,
the corner of the engine house tearing it
off and turning the boiler of the station
cry engine around on its foundation.
AT this juncture the two bridges parted,
the railr ad bridge swinging roof upward
against the car shops and the steel bridge
lodging on tine opposite side of the stream
bottom up.
This action undoubtedly saved the city
from direful disaster not appreciated at
the time by the multitude, which stood
on the Red Arch bridge, fascinated by
the spectacle. If the bridges had contin-
ued in their course and come against the
Red Arch bridge, one of two things
equally disastrous, would have occurred.