The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-03-28
WORST FLOOD IN
BENNINGTON IN
MANY YEARS
River Leaves Its Banks and
Races Through Streets
WOODFORD WAS HARD HIT
One Dwelling Was Washed Away
and Several Bridges Were Torn
From Abutments.

Bennington had trying and at
times anxious experience with high
water Thursday afternoon and even
ing. The property loss and damage
to highways and sidewalks Will be
considerable, but no actual suffering
resulted in the immediate vicinity OF
the village. During the afternoon
number of pieces of timber and some
articles of furniture came down the
Roaring Branch, evidence that
house had been washed away some
where in Ihe Woodford valley. In
the locality known as Bennington
flats. the food reached its greatest
proportions and two families, those
of Edward Jepson and William j. FER
cey, were forced 10 leave their homes
and seek refuge on higher ground for
number OF hours.
The freshet was due entirely to the
heavy rainfall. Because of the open
winter, there was neither ice in the
streams or snow on the mountains
Usually during the last week OF
March there is anywhere from one to
four feet of snow on the big water
shed of the Roaring branch, and had
this condition existed when the warm
rain began, Bennington would have
experienced one the biggest, If not
the biggest, food in history.
The river flowing through the vii
lage was bank full at noon and rose
steadily during the next five hours.
Between four and five o'clock, the ac-
emulation of water from the Woo.
ford valley began to reach the VIII
lage and the stream broke away from
! its bed and poured into the streets.
One of the worst openings was on
Scott street, where the flood tore out
| the highway and carried the mud in
| to the yard in the rear of the Ben
nington graded school. This is one
of the worst damaged sections in the
village limits.
The water that came through the
school yard turned north over School
street and the street was impossible
| for several hours. At the corner of
| School and Gage streets 1t was neces-
sary to construct temporary bridges
and women and children were car
ried bodily over the food in the arms
of men who volunteered for the pur-
pose. At the corner of North and Riv
er streets a similar condition existed
and foot bridge was in use there for
several hours.
The Roaring branch left its bank
west of the Branch street bridge and
the flood poured across the fiat in the
vicinity of the Vermont soldiers
home. At one time the fiat resembl-
ed big lake with the exception that
the water was in rapid and angry
motion. Park street extension was
badly washed and considerable work
will be required to put the highway
in shape.
A large volume of water came
| through the village in the small brook
that parallels South street and the
usual flood in times of high water ran
over Union street. The catch basin at
the corner of Union and South streets
was completely wrecked and will
have to be rebuilt. The trustees be-
lieve that some of the sewers have
been plugged by the mud that flowed
into them, but an investigation can
not be made until after the water sub
sides.
All lines of travel were put out of
commission by the highwater. No
mail has been received here from
the north since Thursday morning,
and it is not likely that trains will
be running on schedule again during
the present week in that direction.
The north bound flyer over the Rut-
land railroad could not proceed be-
yond North Bennington and was ac-
cordingly run into the local station,
where it will probably remain for the
rest of the day. at least. There are
washouts at Arlington, Dandy and
Wallingford.
Communication between this wi.
lage and Troy was not so badly Grip
pied, and is likly to be partially re.
sumed during the day.
A washout on the Chatham division
just south of the Dewey crossing in
this village, has put that line out OF
commission. The culvert over the
Dewey brook and a stretch of track
leading up the long grade toward Old
bennington washed away. The cul
vert is a complete wreck and the
track is unsafe for some distance.
On the Hoosick Falls branch of the
electric railroad through communica
ton was suspended early in the after
noon and the 1890 car at night was
the first to make a through trip. The
line from North Bennington to Hoos
lex Falls was tied up this morning.
A washout and a landslide between
South Pownal and wnliamstowr
crippled the service on the Benning
ton and North Adams line. but pas
sengers we're carried by during tbs
afternoon and night The regular af
ternoon train over the Boston and
Maine from Boston reached Norti
Adams only a few minutes behind
schedule. but shortly afterward tn,
road was crippled by washouts ans
service was practically suspended.
Local telephone service in the vii
lage has been fairly well maintained
Some Of the village lines are out o
commission. The rural lines. how
ever, in all directions fail to work.
Il was impossible to learn the eS
tent Of the damage by the food il
WoOdford until noon today when IN,
/ predictions that uora havoo had hoa,