Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1911-02-08
AN OLD ADDRESS FOUND
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE


landing the caution that he had CIV
en- his hired boy, was with the party
at the pond, expressed some fears
lest the water might rise enough to
float away several thousand of boards
which he had in Wilson's mill yard
and started with two or three hired
men to remove these to higher ground,
but his companions laughed at him
for what they considered an act of
supererogatory prudence.
In fact so entirely free were they
all from apprehension of the actual
result, that in their fancied security
a majority of the party had merely
hair breadth escape from perishlng IN
the catastrophe. There was in the
pond raft of long cedar logs con-
structed probably by some fishing
party. This lay along the edge. of
the pond, in such manner as to fur
nish very convenient place of obser
walton, and on it there collected near
ly forty men and boys, all gazing Gag
erly down the channel. They were
alarmed by loud cutlery from those
on shure, and turning saw long,
wide crack in the earth on the land
ward side of the raft. Over this they
leaped with all the haste that could
be inspired by sudden alarm, the
more clumsy of them being caught by
the shoulders and helped ashore by
those who were already safe. They
never saw the raft again, for before
they had collected their scattered
senses enough to look back where it
had lain, both that and the land over
which it laid had disappeared. For
the very instant of their escape the
barriers of the pond had given way
and the mass of waters was pouring
through the channel, and plunging
with mighty uproar down into the ra
vine below.
Not long time now elapsed before
the pond was completely emptled. 1t
was a quarter before eleven o'clock
when the first rivulet of water was
let into the channel and at twelve
there remained only stream of thick
mud flowing from the very lowest bed
of the pond. The departure of the
waters made a noise like thunder and
shook the solid earth for great dis
lance. Mr.. Jenness of Sheffield, who
had prophesied evil concerning the en-
terprIse, heard the noise at his house
several miles distant and guessed
what was the occasion of it. A Mrs.
Norton of Glover who lived from four
to five miles distant from the pond,
dSSbLIt'(l CIdI sic IGhLu IL NISIAllSLIy
and that the dishes on her shelves
ratified with the agitation. When the
principal part of the water had run
off and only a river of mud remained,
there occurred singular phenomenon.
1t seemed as if a sudden chasm had
been created in the centre of the cur
rent for a great distance, which was
as suddenly filled by the rushing to-
gether of its two sides accompanied
by a loud shaping noise, and the
throwing of an immense quantity OF
mud to a great height in the air. A
reaction from this conclusion then
took place and carried the muddy
waters far up the banks from which
they had receded. Silas French, Jr.,
and LOring Frost, who had gone into
the bed Of the pond, following the re
treating waters, "to see what they
could see, - were caught by this re-
fluent wave, one of them as high as
the hips, the other not quite as high.
AS the waters rushed impetuousIy
down the valley the tall trees of the
forest fell before them like grass be.
fore the mowers scythe, and were
borne onward with resistless force.
They were, however. so numerous and
so close together that after a while
they presented quite an obstacle, sc
great, at least, as to considerably dim.
inish the rapidity of the current. In
deed, after the waters had once de-
sCanded into the valley, their course
through the dense woods was no fast
er than an active man could and &C
tually did run. Solomon F. Dorr, who
was one of the men ACCOMMODATING
Mr.. Crane to the sawmiil, (Which, by
the way, they never arrived at,) saw
the flood rushing down the valley to.
wards him, and fearing that his two
little sons might be at the gristmill.
whittier they were accustomed to re-
sort, Mr.. Wilson being their grand
father, he ran to warn, and if need
were. to rescue them from the ap.
preaching danger. He had from two
to three miles to go. He kept in adj
vance Of the waters, travelling on the
hillside above their reach, till he ar.
rived at Ohm Cranes house, where he
stopped moment, threw off his coat
and vest, and hastily swallowed a glass
haustion. which while he was doing,
the water got the start of him. H
had, however, good path in which tt
run the rest of the way, and being
alarmed for the possible fate of his
children, as we'll as stimulated by his
draught of whiskey, he increased his
speed, again got in advance of the
torrent. ran rapidly to the mill
crossed the river on the dam, which wa.
an upright dam with a broad fiat top
and rushed into the mill, shouting a:
he approached, with all the breath HI
could spare. He had time only tt
cast one hasty glance around and Sc,
that his children were not there
when the noise of the rapidly APP
preaching waters warned him to max
his own escape. He snatched up ba,
of meal and attempted to carry it OF
but was obliged to drop it and scram
BILE up the steep hillside with tn
waters following him so closely as t
wet his legs half way to the knees.
Ripley was at the mill TO get
grist ground. He ran out and mad
good his escape, but his horse, whic
was hitched near the door was swep
away by the rush of waters. Tn
mill itself as we'll as the sawmil