The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-11-15
CONNECTICUTS UPS An.
Some History Regarding the Freshets Which h,
lived the Career Of This River.

A history OF the ups aud downs of the
Connecticut river during the centuries
which il has flowed through this section
would make a story OF more than ordinary
interest to all who take pleasure in IA
miliarizing themselves with local happen
. ings, And had a continuous record OF lts
varying heights been kept with any de,
gree OF accuracy the statistics would be
of immeasumbe value 10 those whose
business at present is that of Harvesting
the stream for the development OF power.
However, il happens that no historian
has concerned himself particularly with
the vagaries ol the Connecticut at tins
particular point, aud ~ rivers themselves
are not in the habit of keeping diaries and
prefer to erase from year 10 year the rec.
ons Of their past, searchers for historical
data are Obliged 20 depend ON old news
paper files and the memory OF oldest M
habitants while knowledge OF n more
technical character has to he gained by
means OF survey.
Like all rivers, the Connecticut is sub
ject to annual spring ireshets and occa'
sional high water IN the TALL Of the year,
As rule, however. these periods OF Hood
are looked upon as a matter OF course,
and il is only when conditions combine to
raise the river to a height unusual even
for the time Of year that the occasion Is
considered of sufficient moment TO deserve
more than passing comment. Particular
interest has been taken IN the actions OF
the Connecticut this fall because OF the
great interest which everyone has IN the
dam now in process OF construction. Had
II not been for this undertaking If is eX-
tremely doubtful IL half the attention
Iwould have been paid to the recent high
water.
Just when the Connecticut river reach
nj the maximum height OF It's career r.
hi course unknown to mortals. but tradl-
tion had il 80 years ago that In 1883 there
MAS flood Of such proportions that the
Island opposite Brattlcboro was entirely
Submerged. This may be. true, yet m
yiew of the fact that the island has never
Aeon wholly covered with water since
Mat time IL is probable that retrospect,
aver widening, has had something TO dot
Ayith the tale Records OF the Connect.
aut's ups and downs during the first nan
hi the nineteenth century are meagre, Dutl
N appears that in the winter Of lsJls the
bridge across the river at Brattleboro
suffered badly from a freshet he vol
ume of this freshet, however, cannot pei
ESTIMATED for the reason that the height
of the bridge which spanned the river at
that time is unknown. During the winter
.of ls24-5 the bridge across little river,
which was then called creek, was car.
ried away, and the structure which re-
placed it went out IN the hlgh water
which is recorded in January, 1913. DAVID
Booth, former Longmeadow Mass resi-
dent who kept some interesting hood uala,
Ireported height of II feet opposite that
'. -. I.y aud "A hRHult nf IN ltNt
2 inches in 1854. These figures amount
TO little nowadays for the reason that they
were undoubtedly taken from a gauge
which long since has gone out oi use. In
fact the latter date may have become con
fused with 1857 when ice came down the
river in such quantities as to MT the olu
toll bridge from its abutments and deposit
III ON the meadows in Vernon.
Undoubtedly the greatest flood OF when
there is any record took place during the,
week of April 20, 1862; at least It way
greater than anyone then living rememf
bered and fully two feet higher than any
previous known mark. After 2 severe
winter during which the snow lay from
two to four feet deep IN the valley mere,
ahouts the thermometer suddenly on April
Is jumped TO "a degrees IN the shade; AT
though there was comparatively little ICE
in the Connecticut the melting snow led
il RAPIDLY, and when the weather contl'
ned unseasonably warm with a prospt
of rain the conditions were 50 threaten
that the few inhabitants of the island d
mediately packed their belongings and
sought higher grounds. Rising with eA'
IRENE rapidity the stream so Threatened
both bridges that no one dared cross
them and communication between yer
mont and New Hampshire was complete
~ cut off.
The height of the food was reached at
about noon Sunday, April 20 and at that
time it is said that the entire island was
submerged with the single exception d
the east abutment Of the mann brldsr.
The water washed the bottom OF TINS
bridge TO such an extent that each span
was warped two feet down stream, ana
the bridge across little river was wash
ed away entirely Water covered the il"or
of the travel bridge across West river and
this structure was lifted from It's 1o9hda,
tions and washed against the railroad
bridge where it remained Tor several dals
During Friday night bridge from Yves,
morpand came down stream and landed
on the head of the island with such a
crash that everyone thought the toll
bridge had gone out. The railroad track
below the town were undermined and the
water inundated the Fort hummer farm
then occupied by David Goodell, rising
to such height that it reached the tops
Of the first story windows and made nee
essary the escape of Mr.. Goodell and hls
family by boat. Record has II that the
farmer left his sheep and pig. yarded IN
the attic for safe keeping. The BROOKS
harm was also covered with water.
This flood must have done vast damage
10 the island itself, which was then owned
by n. f. Cabot. Two dwelling houses
lind several out-buildings We're lifted from
dheir foundations and carried down
Stream, and the Westmoreland bridge
(which lodged at the upper end of the Is
land so DETECTED the current that "a chan
bel from eight to u feet wide and from
l0 to u feet deep was opened from one
end of the island to the other This IN
AN probability accounts for the extremely
low land lust east of the present baseball
grounds. Before the flood of 60 the IS
land contained 90 acres, it is said, and was
in high state of cultivation. After the
high water it was hardly half that SIZE
and its rich soil was covered with sand.
In fact, the island suffered so severely
that local newspaper predicted that IT
would never again become habltable
abode for human beings 1t is estimated
that this flood caused damage to highways