The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-03-15
MONTPELIER WAS A-wASH
There Was Serious Turn of Affairs For
Short Time.

| Montpeller was unexpectedly noode'
yesterday afternoon between 3 and q
ice jams and the rain being responsible
for the trouble. The greatest damage
was at the upper end of Barre street
where the stonesheds are located. Here
in one shed alone, that of the DeCol
laines company, 81 900 derrick was
demolished, when two guy wires becam,
cut and let the derrick fall against q
box car. ~
As soon as the water began TO y,
back on Barre and Berlin streets, thu
high water call was sounded on the fire
alarm and hundreds of people began to
gather along the river bank. The water
rose rapidly and dynamite was used in
several places to break up ice jams. On
the Berlin side, ice was piled in the road
almost to the doorsteps and it was
night before road had been cut enough
to permit traffic. At 10 o'clock last
night the waters had receded TO about
the height of Thursday afternoon, and
unless more rain should come today, il
| is thought the worst of the trouble is
over.
The flood came without warning and
dozens of men had narrow escapes from
drowning in the stonesheds. At the De-
Collaines shed, where the derrick was
destroyed, an Italian stepped off fiat
car and dropped into four feet of wa
ter. That shed, the Mills. Gitehell and
National sheds were filled with earth
and cakes of ice, with an average depth
of three feet of water in each shed.
The water set back and flowed onto
Main street and into the cellars, though
the signal on the fire alarm gave store
keepers and clerks chance to remove
some of their goods from the Easements
before the deluge came. In the cellar Of
the Davis restaurant there was a rise
of three feet and seven inches, and four
feet of water remained there after II
had receded from the street. The goods
in that basement were damaged to the
extent of about S25. The meadow back
of Christ church was flooded and the
cellar of the Exchange stable the hogs
being rescued with difficulty. None was
drowned. The land between State street
and the Y. NJ. c. A. was under water.
The Wells River yards were filled with
ice. but there was little delay in the
despatch OF trains. When the flood was
at its height. Central Vermont train
was passing the Wells River station and
some Of the crew had to wade out and |
clear driftwood from the track before
the train could proceed. Four feet OF
water stood in the stable Of Jake Galen- |
ski on State street when he went in ana |
led out one of his hack horses. The !
lower end of State street was impossible |
for teams and had 10 be fenced off last |
night.
The Central Vermont train, bound Tor
the Central Vermont station for the
,'clock passenger train last night, ran
nto an open switch near the elothesuin
shops and headed for the storehouse used
'or the Wells River passenger cars, but
vas stopped before damage was done.
The Wells River tracks through to
are reported in good condi-
ion.
The trouble seemed to start with a
am at the baseball grounds near Ben
amin Falls, which set the water back
nto the highway. swept down trees, tele-
,hone poles and fences and timber from
he temporary trestle at Dodge's hridga
When the jam reached the curves at
he Pioneer. ii swept into one end OF
he Gill shed, smashing that in, flooded
he Bertoli Bonazzi and Columbian
heds and the Moody & Almon electric
liant and caused damage the extent
t which cannot be estimated for a few
avs. Further down, at the Sabn meal
W, another ice jam was encountered, !
hrowing the stream out Of it's banks.
Tnder the Red Arch bridge workmcn /
ere Just ready to blast out the ice
hen it started of itself. Blasts were
1t off under the Langdon street and /
nion house bridges. Below the city
mother jam was reported at the Three 2
lille bridge and much damage was done !
,ere by ice and water.