Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-04-01

West river was on a rampage Saturday,
an almost unprecedented volume of ice and
water moving with n tremendous roar,
laying low two spans Of the Brattleboro Il
whitehall railroad bridge at West Dunn
merston. sweeping down upon the Brat
tleboro Gas Light companys dam, con-
structcd last year, the upper portion of
which gave way under the enormous
weight crashing into the electric power
house and carrying off a part of two sides
of the building. filling the highways on both
sides of the river with huge cakes of ice
to a depth Of 20 feet, besides doing other
damage. The spectacle was wonderful
but it cost, in round numbers 500 600,
not including the loss which will result
from the temporary suspension of freight
business on the narrow gauge railroad
The thdws early in the week caused
the river to rise so that on Wednesday
the ice broke up in the north part of the
river, pilng up at Townshend. The rain
Friday and the heavy fog Friday night
greatly increased the volume of water in
the river, and shortly before noon Satur-
day the ice south of Townshend broke
up and the great mass started down the
river with a mighty rumble that resem-
bled a bombardment by cannon
crowd gathered at the West Dunn
merston railroad bridge to witness the
sight Great cakes of ice, varying in
diameter up to $50 feet, three feet in
thickness and as clear as crystals were
crowded here and there. large cake
struck the pier supporting the middle and
west spans of the bridge and took out
one of the granite blocks Almost immed
lately another block was knocked out
and inside of five minutes the pier was so
badly battered that 1t fell into the river.
followed by the two spans which ii sup
ported.
When the bridge went down Is people
stood at the west end. In falling the bridge
carried with it a section of track extend
ing back from the bridge a distance of
six rails length. Several people had mar
row escapes from being hurt, and one man
was carried down the embankment. The
west span, which was 109 feet long, re-
manned where it fell partly covered with
water and ice. The middle span, which
was 1863 feet long, was carried down the
stream about 200 feet and was entirely
covered so that there was nothing to in
dictate where it lay until the water sub
sided. The pier was built by the Lyons
Granite company and although it stood
where the water was deepest it was in
such position that it never was consd-
cred as being in danger from an ice jam.
The bridge was brought from the north
ern division of the Central Vermont rail-
road about seven years ago Up to that
time it had been used as a standard gauge
bridge. 1t was i deck bridge, all the iron
work being below the tracks. and cost
from $25, 900 to $50. 900 1t is figured that
the loss will be over $4,000 as the spans
that went down We're so badly buckled
that they will be of little value except as
old iron.
On Sunday the official car St Lawrence
brought to BrattleborO from St Adams
Vice President and General Manager L. H.
Fitzhugh, w. f. Mullins. superintendent
of transportation, and j. NJ Morrison
superintendent of structures, and they
with Station Agent Burke, went to the