The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-03-29

end of the island so DETECTED the cur
rent that "a channel from eight to l.
feet wide and from 10 TO u feet deep
was opened from one end of the island
to the other This in all fprobability
accounts for the extremely low land
just east of the present baseball
grounds. Before the flood of 80 the
island contained 20 acres, it is said, and
was in a high state of cultivation. At
ter the high water it was hardly half
that size and its rich soil was covered
with sand. In fact, the island suffered
so severely that a local newspaper pre-
dicted that lit would never again be-
come a habitabIe abode for human be
ings.' 1t is estimated that this flood +
caused damage to highways amounting
to $4,000.
But the venturesome spirit of man
Kind evidently was not taken into con
sideratiOn by the prophet of '62, for .
the flood of April Is, 1869, which was l.
only two feet lower than that of seven /
years before, caught five families liv- |
/ ing on the island and obliged them to /,
change their abode temporarily. This /
/ freshet was caused more by continued /
rains than by melting snow, and while |
it did considerable damage to the is
land the amount was comparatively I
trivial.
Many people living today remember
the memorable freshet of Oct. /, 1869,
when milestone brook, in the greatest
rampage of its career, swept across the
Connecticut with such force that it
undermined the east abutment of the
toll bridge and eventually caused the
destruction Of that historic structure
The river itself was dangerously
high at that time but it's condition was
Overshadowed by the might of Whet
stone brook, which swept down the
valley like a tidal wave and left a
path of devastation from Centreville
to its mouth. The Frost meadow was
; completely submerged and all the fac
tories and stores along Frost and Flat
t streets were fearfuIly damaged, every
thing not on the most solid foundation
= going down before the rush of water.
- The plant of the Estey Organ com
I pany, then known as Jacob Estey &
f Co, was located on Frost street at
Q that time. AdOlph Friedrich, Poland
p er employed i'll the factory was unable
to escape from the building before the
= Hood reached it. In attempting to make
= his way to the bank he climbed on
. pile Of lumber which was swept
h. down stream, carrying the unfortunate
man over the falls i'm spite Of frantic
efforts to rescue him. Friedrich, i'm
o. company with + A Wells OF High
: street, was one of the very few who
i ESCAPE" iE"'" 'he wreck Oh the steamer
e tL.LI'" .NH''Iie" "heh IL L"uh4tfe0 IN
to?' on JUS way nome from 1aifofnla,
r. HISS NIUE htnhet' a Io-Eeaf-oht
J., S,L'' 't9o ioSt Hef ne tH the 1FeShet or
o. 0nf WAS III the upper part OF the
+ VI't ,'"'I'E me 'a"h'Fl "heh Inal
hrifiip,tr t.nliarSa4 u. .
= oGli"'"T 'o'i'PSe1 an" she was earned
'oWh stream am crowned.
i lhr Town suffered between 9Io.ouu
= ahd 9!''""o damage TO ITS highways
=. from TINS nooH ana property estimate.
! III lulIN HiVV'uo" was destroyed. ulgh
n water was prevalent throughout TINS
ton ana thefe was hot town III
~ Lhc comfy thaJ did not report great
= damage from destroyed highways
-: "fffA"' bridges anu coHaP9ed buha
- !uNH. according 10 the records OF DaN
~ Poo'n' prev lousy quoted the spring
- HooI OF o. was three lnehes hIghel
u at I.oHSheaboN, Mass. thah Jhat IL
'e the faII 1t IS remembered, says Z
ut recent LongmeadoW item, that the
VI hlea"oWS looked hke vast ocean II
re these Hoods the water coming to the
/ loot OF the hills Before the ralIroa'
Il was raised to ITS present height boat
ne tracks. and though farmers were aux
IL lous the boys enjoyed the sport an,
er numerous muskrats were caught.
pit After ITS mad actions OF 1869 tn
a tonneetIcut river lived temporal
in llte for nearly - wears, but April /,
> 1870, saw flood which has been de
mt scribcd as suitable companion t
at those which previously held the recoro
a BY some it was called even create
of than its immediate predecessor. Swo
We len by continued rains the norther
ce tributaries OF the Connecticut sen
es down such volume of water tina
It's the island was again covered wit
a. the exception of a small point of hig