Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1910-06-17
RUNAWAY POND"
Centennial of a Notable Historic
Event in Glover
tooth Anniversary Of the Letting OF of
Long Pond in that Town Appropriately
Celebrated on Monday

tooth Anniversary Of the Letting OF Of
Long Pond in that Town Appropriately
Celebrated on Monday.
The Tooth anniversary of the letting
of Of Long or Runaway" pond in the
town OF Glover was celebrated on Monday
the 9Th inst, with appropriate exercises.
Glover is in Orleans county, a little more
than 20 miles from the Canada line At
the beginning Of the 18th century the
township was practically an unbroken
wilderness. In its southeastern part, ex-
actly on the watershed, or height OF land,
between the valley of the Lamoille river
on the south and that OF the Barton river
on the north, lay a body OF water two
miles long and half 10 three quarters of
a mile wide, known to the early settlers
as Long pond. From its situation on the
hills 400 feet above the sea level this
The water in the main part of the pond
was very deep from 100 feet to $50 feet.
The pond lay due north and south, its
outlet being a small stream flowing from
the extreme south end into the town Of
Greensboro.
A large proportion of the pioneer set
tiers Of Glover came from Keene, n H,
these men beginning their clearings in the
wilderness about the year 1900. By the
year 1910 the town had a population of
between 300 and 400. During these years
a grist mill had been built on a stream
which ran through the valley five miles
below and north of Long pond. This
stream was the upper branch OF the Bar
ton river and had its source in two or
three small ponds lying to the south and
west. 1t was a small stream, and fur
nished, especially in the dry time, an I'M
certain amount OF power to run the grist
mill From the location of Long pond,
high up on the hills, with the land slop-
ing off abruptly from the north end the
idea was conceived of opening a chan
mel from the north end which would
change the outlet to that end of the pond
and cause the water TO flow down through
the valley to increase the stream which
ran the grist mill The day finally chosen
for this undertaking was Wednesday, the
sixth Of June. The reason for this
choice was undoubtedly that this was the
New Hampshire election day"-meaning
the day on which the New Hampshire
legislature met and the governor was
inaugurated. This was always a holiday
in New Hampshire and these pioneer set
tiers having come from New Hampshire
naturally kept up the observance OF the
day. The work at the pond was to he
done by a bee" according to the Gus
tom Of the times, and by agreement a
company of settlers, so or 60 in number,
gathered at the north end OF the pond
with shovels and axes, in the early fore
noon OF the day. On the northeastern
shore OF Long pond there was a margin
or plain running back north nearly on
level for a few, rods, when the land
dropped off abruptly to the north. The
men who had gathered dug a ditch down
through this land on the border OF the
pond, beginning a short distance from
the edge of the water. When It was
thought that a suitable ditch or channel
had been dug they cut an opening from
its upper end into the pond expecting
to see the water flow down through this
ditch. When the opening into the pond
was made 1t was found that the water OF
the pond was confined by a hard crust
consisting Of several layers of hardpan
and gravel. To the surprise of those who
were doing the work the water, instead
of flowing down through the ditch, sank
abruptly out .of sight into a quicksand
and almost instantly the crust or hardpan
and gravel was broken through and the
sides of the channel began to cave in as
the water sank into the opening in in
creasing volume. The homes of the set
tiers were all on the east side OF the
valley and those who CHANGED to be on
the west side Of the channel had to
spring for their lives to reach the east
side so that they could get to their homes.
From the north end of the pond the land
fell off abruptly, as already said, and in
an incredibly short time the great body
Of the water in the pond was pouring
through this opening and tearing through
and uprooting the dense forest on it's
way to the north. The scene was beyond
description. While confined in the mar
row valley north of the pond the flood
poured down in the form of a great roll
ing, roaring wall Of water, forest trees,
rocks and earth. Occasionally this mass
would dam and be held for a short space
and then the dam would break and the
flnnd nnniinne ON its WAN nf daatrl1ntinn