Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1907-07-18
clouosuRsr OF JULY 10. 1880.
How the Waters SWEPT Down on q
SehooIhouse in Bethel

''The letter We publish below Is from /
the pen of Mrs. Olivia Stafford Of Port 1
land, Ore, daughter OF Paul Flynn,
who formerly lived ON the Charles ;.
Curtis place, and the school teacher
named was her sister, Jennie, who after
wards married j. j. Wilson. The school
named is still standing unused ON the
Gaysyille road ON the north side of
White river, about two miles below
Gaysyille, opposite Charles IL, Arnold's.
The freshet named IS well remembered
by old residents and Il washed out part
OF the cemetery near by, 80 that the re-
mains Of bodies were exposed TO view and
ii necessitated changing the road. A
brick yard standing near the mouth OF
Lillieville road was destroyed and the
brick can be found to this day, distribut-
ed over the soil below. The following Is
the letter.
"'The sketch Of the wedding celebrated
in the old Bethel church fifty years ago,
which you recently published, Interested
me much. was at that wedding and
remember the folds OF satin ON that we'd
ding dress as IL | saw Il yesterday. The
bride was happy and lovely and though
older by half century she is happy and
lovely still. l, too, belong to Bethel, as
il was, and the old Bethel seems to me in
retrospect very desirable place. How
beautiful its hills and streams and how
free from envy, hatred and malice its peo-
plel The remembrance crowd my menu
DRY unbidden and find myself in Hard
scrabble hollow or walking through Fin
ley bridge. l wonder who is living in
Olympus where once taught school. Ny
popularity as much impaired In that place
when tried TO make the youngsters be-
lieve that the world was round. MY pa
says il tsint'-I wonder IL that boy is liy-
ing there still.
" But there was or is little school
house at the entrance Of the Olympus
road close up under hill about which
want TO tell you true and strange story.
My sister was teaching the summer
school and the July day was exceedingly
hot and sultry. The little school OF
twelve were weary and sleepy and the
dull ideas were slow TO start. Suddenly
there came a terrible report like near
thunder, which brought every child to
the side Of the teacher, whose face was as
blanehed as the faces OF those who chung
to her for safety. At the second report,
everything seemed TO be enveloped in
/ partial darkness and the little group
awaited in hated breath, unable TO stir.
/ Next came dull, deep roar like the voice
OF many waters and as the darkness lifted
I the Mortified, but helpless, teacher saw
coming towards them wall OF water
several feet in height, filling the space be-
/ tween the hills. The little schoolhouse
was just in the track and the only thing
I that could be done was done with such
despatch that in less time than it takes TO
tell it the whole dozen were hurried
I through the side windows to a place
of safety. The way in which this was
done was always a mystery. The children
were small and had to be pulled and car
ried and helped up the steep hill that
Swallowed the schoolhouse and fear gave
the necessary strength to do il. One
little tot pulled the teachers sleeve and
said, Don't ky, teacher, we isn't hurted.
The teacher replied, Il am crying for Joy,
because God has not let us be hurt The
panic subsidized with the water in short
time, and it did not matter IL their be-
longings were swept away and they went
home bareheaded, for they were all safe
A few men lifted the schoolhouse into
place and the following day the usua
routine was resumed. But they hac
learned some lessons not taught in the
books. The teacher had learned the value
of a cool head in an emergency and tbs
pupils had learned the method and natur,
of cloudburst.' y
Several of the older inhabitants now
n, IQn- II.
Edison Emery was then living on a farm
on the "Spring road" in Tunbridge ant
was haying that day and remembers tn,
event well. The cloudburst seemed K
have covered quite a territory, but il,
principal effect seems to have been felt il
/ the vicinity of the center OF Bethel in tn,
, Camp brook and Lillieville brook neigh
borhoods.
, E. r. Hatch was working at Lille
, vile at the mill of AFRO Flint. TIL,
I water in the dam was quite low. They
saw the clouds begin to grow exceedingly
black. A man with Mr.. Hatch carried
two boards into the mill and they wer,
then stopped from all work by the water
1t seemed to sweep down the valley in
wall about four feet high. Every bridge
but one on the Lillieville road was SWEEP
away. Mr.. Hatch worked for tive
months on repair work on the road ant
bridges after the storm was over.
On the Camp brook side, Lloyd John
son well remembers the terrible havo,
done. The roads and bridges were badly
torn up and it became necessary t.
change the location of the roads in many
localities. Mrs. Freeman was then ter
years old and was one of the scholars
in the Camp brook school known as tn,
Flynn school.
There arises question as to the exac
location of the schoolhouse mentioned
in the letter of Mrs. Stafford abov,
quoted. The writer of the INTRODUCTORY
words seems to have understood tn,
schoolhouse stood near the mouth o
Lillieville brook on the Gaysville road
but there is nothing in the letter of Mrs
Stafford that would not equally well apply
to the schoolhouse near the mouth O
Camp brook, and in fact the description
will better apply to the Camp brool
building, which is located in mucl
narrower valley. The other schoolhous,
is located in the main White river val
ley, and it is unlikely that cloudburs
of any reasonable or supposable proper
tions would raise the waters in tn
White river to the extent named. Tn,
reasonable superstition is that the mali
| force of the cloudburst fell on the ridp,