Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1911-02-15
AN OLD ADDRESS FOUND
CONTINUED. FROM PAGE ONE

HOI 50 NUN however as To permit
person to ascend without the help of
ladder. The meadow grass sent it's
long. white, thread like roots quite to
the bottom of the muck, which rested
on bed of gravel. and as the rains
washed away the earth and left these
white roots futtering in the wind, like
the dishevelled hair of an aged wo
man. the appearance was very singu-
lar and unique, and for a long time at
tracted much attention from travel
lers.
It was at first supposed that the
valley was entirely ruined for farm
ing purposes. In some places there
was left compact bed of gravel al
most impenetrable by crowbar. At
other points the ground was covered
with deep, soft mud. upon which
neither man nor beast could 60 with
out sinking. In still other places,
there was deposited sand. so fine and
light that after it had become dry it
drlfted with every changing wind like
snow in winter. So hopeless seemed
the task of subduing this newly Great
ed wilderness that some occupants of
lands in the valley entirely abandoned
their possessions and removed to 9TH
er parts of the country. After the
y
made to reclaim the devastated fields.
1t became common law of Barton and
Glover that every man should set fire
to every heap of trees which be
passed. So much earth was mingled
with these heaps that they did not
burn at all freely, but as successive
rains washed off the earth, and sue
cessive fires were set, the heaps grad
ually disappeared, though remnants of
them may still be found here and
there. 1t was more difficult to get
rid of the trees which were partially
or wholly buried in the earth, and un-
to this day the farmers pillow often
strikes snag that was deposited fifty
years ago. AS the water drained
away from the mud, and it became
terra firma it proved to he of admir-
able material for cultivation, and
the intervale in Barton was a far
richer possession to its owner than
it could otherwise have been.
The sandy and gravelly parts of the
new land were also brought gradually
to tillable condition, though there
still remain some unreclaimed patches
of such land. About hundred and
twenty five acres of the bed of the
pond became level plain, and pro-
duces good crops. Near the north
end there is strip of black earth en-
tirely destitute of vegetation, and so
elastic that man standing upon it
can shake the ground for some rods
around him.
The question Of responsibility for
the supposed I'M ry to lands and ac-
tual damage to mills and other build
ings was soon raised by Mr.. Blodgett,
who employed William Baxter, Esq.
of Bloomington, then the leading law
yer in the country. to commence a
suit against the principal actors in
| little distress to the people of Glover
losses of their own by the same event,
and none of whom possessed any more
property than was essential to their
com fort from day to day. The case
remained in court long time without
coming to trial, the defendants con
,inually endeavoring to effect settle
! ment on some terms which would not
ruin them. The most judicious men
in Glover tried repeatedly and
in vain to bring Blodgett to a
compromise. At length David Bragg
announced his intention to have an in
terview with Mr.. Blodgett and try to
settle with him. The. other defend
ants endeavored to dissuade him,
fearing that his temper, which was
somewhat peppery, might get the
better of him and enrage Blodgett SO
that no settlement could ever be
effected; but he had made up his mind
to go and go he did, He first ap.
pealed to Blodgett's pity by giving
an account of his own numerous losses
both before and since coming to Glow
err, which he narrated with a pathos
that drew tears from his own eyes il
not from those of his auditor. But
neither argument, persuasion, nor
entreaty awaited him anything. To
all his appeals the only answer was.
81 must have my. damages. He held
his temper in check till patience
ceased to be virtue, and then he
burst out with not few oaths inter
luded, Help yourself tt en- you
-- Bartimens. we've got Two more
ponds in GLOW r. on higher grouac
than that. We'll let the n ho.h out
and drown you all out as QUICK as we
would a lot of woo dchucks. >
Then mounting his little bla:6 mare.
h made all speed to Glover, to repor
the i'll success of his mission
WneCnor as consequence OIL Bragg
threats or of some other and more
persuasive motives, Blodp e t was final
ly induced to accept partial compen
alton for his loss paid by the most o
the defendants, and so the suit wa
br ught to close.
the thought must already have oc
Cured to every reflective mind: Ho j
providential that this event took place
when If did re- cOu11 hardly have
failed to take place at some time o
other Had its occurrence been post
poned for fifty years, inaginatior
,udders at the thought of its dread
fll consequences. 1t occasioned los SCI
and sufferings which were nard to en-
dure. but those losses and suffering
r would be multiplied ten thousand fol;
had the event not transpired till now
? Not life was lost, but now it woul
e not be possible to prevent the de
D struction of many valuable lives. 4
: few hundred dollars worth of propert.
were destroyed, but as many hundre'