Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-11-01
AN OCTOBER FLOOD
Work Delayed at the Dam, But
No Serious Damage Done

The Windows OF Heaven Were Opened on
Monday and Tuesday and the Connect.
cut River Made Haste to Respond-the
Greatest Fall Freshet Since the His
torlo One Of 1ses-the cofterdam
stood the Test.
The past week has not been one Of
rragrcss at the site Of the Connecticut
river dam, but in spite of rain and flood
30 has not been q week of disaster Rain
t.lln falling Sunday afternoon in very
mild and innocent way and continued
through the evening, but during the night
b. changed into n downpour ana from then
until late Tuesday afternoon it rained as
n the flood gates of the skies had been
opened.
At daylight Monday morning ii was evil
dent that the river was rising and by
noon Of that day it had begun to climb"
II rose rapidly and steadily for the next
20 hours, reaching its highest pitch at
about 10 o'clock Tuesday night. The to-
tal rise between banks in the natural
course of the river was 10 feet, but at
fra cofferdam where the channel has
been narrowed the rise was about IA
feet The water began to flow over the
deck Of the upper crib about o'clock
tuesday afternoon and before night 1t
was gong over at d ueptn VI ABOUT lhree
feet.
At the Holyoke dam the maximum rise
of water was a little more than seven
feet but this was spread out over a spill
WAY 1920 feet long instead of being con-
tracted in a narrow channel as at YER
non 1t was estimated that at Holyoke
from 70 900 to so, 900 cubic feet Of water
was flowing over the dam per second.
This would indicate a volume at the YER
non site of from $4,000 to $4,000 cubic
feet per second. So far as shown by any
records or other reliable information the
flood of this week has been the highest
fall food since the great flood OF 1869.
Under all the tremendous pressure the
cofferdam has stood absolutely secure. A
few planks have been torn off on the
lower side, but the main structure is en-
tirplv uniniured. Two boilers for the big
pumps, and two boilers for small hoist
ing engines which had been erected on
the cribs, have had rather lonesome and
desolate look, with their smokestacks
sticking up out of the water, but the ma
chinery is uninjured so far as its work.
ing value is concerned.
The most serious damage done by the
high water has been the wrecking OF
the suspension foot bridge which finally
went over about o'clock Tuesday after
noon. the pressure of the water and OF
the debris which foaled down becoming
the New Hampshire end. Mr.. Howes the
superintendent of construction, Mr.. Lowe,
the auditor and Mr. Lee, member OF
the Office force, who attempted to cross
the river above the bridge in fiat bot
toned skiff Tuesday afternoon, had a
dangerous experience when the boat be-
CAM unmanageable and was swept
against the bridge. Two of the men got
out Of the boat and waded across the sub
merged floor to the New Hampshire side
while the third, who was swept into the
water. saved himself by Selling one OF
the wire cables. The boat went over the
Golfer dam and down the river. Mer
crossed the bridge safely as iate as
o'clock Tuesday afternoon. The bridge
will not be rebuilt at its old location, bu
will be swung from the Vermont shore Il
the end Of the upper crib of the cofterdan
and from there trestle VIII provide
footway across to the New Hampshire
side The water began falling about Il
O'Clock Tuesday night and has since peel
going down rapidly.
The only serious loss from the HOOD ma!
been the loss of time, and the fact that
carries the beginning of the construction
work so much further toward the coli
weather Work was resumed as lar a
possible Wednesday. 1t will require from
10 days to two weeks to clean UT
straighten out and get everything In or
der to go ahead with the work. The wa
in which the cofferdam has stood tn
strain put upon it shows that the judg
ment Of the engineers in its constructio
was good. 1t is estimated that the pres
sure upon the upper crib at high waite
was u feet per square inch or about on
ton for every square foot
The big rotary pump which has bee
erected to pump water from the cofferdar
was put to work last Monday mornin
before the high water came and abou