Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-11-08
THE WEEKS DAM STORY
The Connecticut, Still Showing a
Thing or Two that It Can Do
River at Flood Tide and Water Making
a Clean Sweep over cofferdam-Elmore
Island Obliterated.

a Clean Sweep over observation-disclosures
Island obterated.
The site of the Connecticut river dam
at Vernon has been a waste of waters
Wild this week-but so far as can be
discovered at the present pitch of water
no serious damage has been done to the
cofferdam. At the time of going to press
last Friday the water was falling rapidly
from the freshet pitch which was
reached on Tuesday night of last week,
and the indications were that work could
soon be resumed on the cofferdam, but
on Saturday afternoon rain began falling
again and during the night there was a
tremendous downpour which made the
river rise rapidly on Sunday. The water
dropped somewhat during the next two
days, but on Wednesday there came an
other heavy rain, lasting through the
day and night and part of the day
Thursday and this brought the water to
the highest mark of the season so far.
The gauge at the dam has indicated a
height only six inches greater than the
highest point of last week, but the ind-
cations at Brattleboro measured by the
quantity flowing over the upper end of
the island are that the general pitch of
the river has been much higher this week
than at any previous time this fall
The current of the river, thrown by
the cofferdam to the Vermont shore, has
continued to make very serious irroads
into the Stockwell and Stone farms Just
below the site of the dam, and Elmore's
island a historical landmark at that
point, has been almost entirely swept
away. A week ago the island was some
six or seven acres in extent. Last night
not more than half acre of land re-
maned. Large trees standing on the
island have toppled into the river, their
tops only remaining to show where the
island was. The barn used for storage
of hay grown on the island toppled and
fell into the water at $50 Thursday
morning. A flock of sheep pastured on
the island were taken off Wednesday
afternoon in one of the rivermen's boats,
which was taken down over the crib for
that purpose. At the site of the dam the
water has made serious inroads on the
Vermont shore. The water has come
within a few feet of the building erected
and used as an engineers office, and the
| long sheds just below, used for storG ge
purposes, were emptied of their contents
yesterday. Yesterday afternoon a mat
tress of tree-tops was placed over the
bank at that point and up to last night
it had prevented any further washing
out.
The deck which was built on the upper
crib was washed off about II o'clock
Wednesday night. Some of the planking
! has been stripped off the lower crib.
Two derricks have been toppled over as
been set near the river bank on the New
| Hampshire side to operate a ferry boat.
| This comprises all the visible damage
! that has been done. So far as can be
seen or estimated by the engineers the
! cofferdam has not been stirred or its
strength affected, and the only serious
loss is in the delay which such a pitch
! of water causes 1t is estimated that at
the present time $4,000 cubic feet of wa
! ter second are flowing past the site of
| the dam.
1t is to be expected that the water
will fall slowly because the heavy rains
extended north, and all the streams are
swollen to freshet pitch as far up as
| White River Junction and beyond. The
power company have learned, however
that there has been no unusual rainfall
| Connecticut. Word has come that the
extension which was being made on the
dam at Wilder. VT, has been swept out,
on the White river at Sharon has gone
out before the high water Both the
| cofferdam and the concrete of the dam
tion on the Black river in Cavendish have
been completely swept away.
Friday Morning.
This mornings report is that the water
has fallen foot and half over night,
no further damage has been done, and
the outlook is cheerful should today's
clear weather continue. The fragment
of the island still remains and the water
has made no further inroad on the Yer
| mont shore