The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-04-08
USUAL SPRING FLOOD
HITS THIS VALLEY
Merchants on Main Street Were Put to
Extra Efforts to Save Their Goods
From Damage, Great Vol
ume Of Water.

The rain and warm weather Of yes
terday and Tuesday brought the water
Ia the Stevens branch 20 the highest
point seen for several years. Luckily
the ice had gone out gradually so that
y did not dam in the stream and cause
the water to set back, otherwise the
damage to goods stored in the easements
Of stores along Main street would have
been considerable A II was, 4 majority
Of the easements along the side Of the
street next the stream had water in
them last evening and several on the
opposite side OF the street were also fill-
ed to the depth OF several inches. The
basement Of browns drug store got the
most water, there being three feet At
one time last night The Times press
room got soaking, the pit beneath the
press being filled with water, and three
men being kept busy keeping the water
down SO that it would not reach the
stacks Of print paper in the storeroom.
Little damage was done in any Of the
Easements although in several instances
il was necessary to move goods out Of
the way Of the encroaching food. SUI
perintendent OF streets Bruce states
that there has been no damage to the
highways because Of water. The land
ia the vicinity Of Young brothers granite
plant was covered with water last ey-
ening, the water covering the ground to
the depth Of several inches within an
hours time. The railroad sidings were
covered in places in the lower end Of
the city.
Spilled in The Flood
William Milne and "A. Barron had an
unpleasant experience shortly after four
o'clock yesterday afternoon as the re-
suit of the high water Soon after fin
ishing their days work ii the granite
sheds the men got a boat and launched
ii on the food Of water in the vicinity
of the George Strait0n plant. They
were padding around when in some way
the boat was overturned and both were
plunged into the icy food,
Luckily the water was not deep
where they had their unfortunate spin
and they beat a hasty retreat for the
shore and hurried to their homes in their
wet garments They did not step TO
try to recover the boat and II was seen
carly last evening floating serenely along
its way toward Lake Cbamplain.
Narrow Escape From Drowning.
Elmer Bickford, clerk at the Mont
peher house, and Henry Fisher narrow
~ escaped drowning last evening while
driving from Middlesex to Montpelier.
Below Green Mount cemetery the water
was four feet deep in the highway and
when the drove into Il, the water came
into the buggy and the horse was nearly
swept of its feet The young men
shouted lustily for help. Assistance was
sent down from Montpelier and they
were extricated from their perilous pre-
dicament.
A Hard BLOW Also.
This section was not only cleansed in
the flood but it was struck amidships
by one of the most severe wind storms
of the season last night, the movement
coming from the northwest and being
responsible for a great deal Of damage
ii northern New York Il had spent
much Of its fury By the time that it
struck Vermont, but 1t was a hard blow
In some places through
out this city trees were blown down and
other slight damage was done.