The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-02-25
RainstOrm Results in Flood
Conditions and Causes
Much Damage
WEST RIVER TRAIN
SERVICE HELD UP
Ice in West River Breaks Up, but
Connecticut Holds Firm-Many Gel
lars Flooded Three Feet in BAPTIST
Church Basement.


Church Basement.
| The rainstorm which began Tuesday
night and has kept up continuously
| since caused food conditions last night.
the results Of which are especially
noticeable in the West River valley.
where the train service has been Sc
riouslv interfered with. Considerable
damage also has been done in BrattIe-
| boro.
William b. Houghton lost six valua-
| hIe fox hounds and Shetland pony
! by drowning during the night. One
! hunting dog and two COWS were saved.
! The animals were all in the cellar OF
his stable on the Putnev road. at the
| Goodall place, and it is thought that a
| big drain that is supposed to carry
! water of during flood conditions be
| came stopped with ice and the water
poured into the cellar of the stable.
Of the seven dogs one managed to
get on top of a large box and was the
only one to be saved The two cows
stabbed there which were rescued were
standing IN water so deep that they
were holding mp their heads to keen
them out of the water.
Mr.. Houghton said this noon that he
| had been years i'll getting together a
Ip2ek OF hounds and that the animals
lost were not for sale at any price.
The pony was owned by his son, David.
and was valued ut over 5000.
At the Vernon station of the Connec-
ticut River Power Co. the big gates of
the dam were opened last night and are
all open today and the water was ris-
ing at the rate of three-tenths of a
foot an hour at noon today. The ice
IN the Connecticut near the dam is
estimated to be Is inches thick. and it
Is not anticipated that it will break up
| for some time. The officials of the
company have news that the ice in
Wells river is fast breaking up and
that it has begun to 90 out at East
Ryegate.
At the Bradley farm near the mouth
OF the West river, II. NJ Barrett re
ported this noon that the ice had been
raised considerable and had broken
away from the banks, but that the big
ice Jam above the pumping station,
which formed there when the ice broke
mp in January, is holding back an inn
mense quantity Of water and ice and
until that goes out there will be no
Isudden rise at the mouth of the river.
The train service on the West River
branch of the Central Vermont rail
road began this morning its annual
struggle with the spring freshets. and
those having homes and farms along
the banks of the West river are keen
; ing at least one eve in the direction
of the river, for the ice has begun
to break up. The heavy ice in the
Connecticut holds firm, and it is ex-
pected that some days will elapse be
fore this shows signs of dissolution.
h.
1 river branch today is near West Towns
hend, where the water has flooded the
track TO such depth that it is i'm
= possible for the trains to get through
and the highway is so badly flooded
that travelling salesman who tried to
get through this morning said the
water was over the horses back.
The southbound passenger train could
, get no farther than T0wnshend, an6
the mixed train, northbound, whicl
! tried to get near enough to transfer
- passengers, was unable to negotiate
the water
Two passengers, DIR. o. V. Heffion O.
Wardsboro and Rev. Alfred Cornell OF
; West Townshend, who were insisten
a on the transfer, climbed the mountain
+ and in that way managed to get from
} ! one train to the other, but none of tn,
= Others cared to make the journey Will
. such trail to follow. The water a.
O. +. Burnap's house in West Towns
Il hend was reported this morning to b,
Z up to the windows on the lower foo
and the family hal taken refuge il
Il the second story.
At various points along the Yves
. river where there is telephone com
: munication it was learned that the ic,
p, u had gone out and at other points be
Il tween them the ice is piled high il
II the river. Here and there the high
t way is inundated to a greater or less
I er depth and the residents along tn
, highway in the low places expect con
siderable more trouble.
There was no trouble or the mali
line of the Central Vermont or tn
II Boston & Maine railroads and the troll
e ley service was uninterrupted
n The signal for no session of the pub
I lie schools this afternoon was soun le
e on the fire alarm at 11.30 o'clock thi
= morning.
IS Many householders last night an
10 today found water in cellars that ar
. usually Hdry as bone. - Waite
q leached into the basement of Masonl
AZ temple rapidly last night and in NOR
Us than one house this morning the keeE
le ing of fire in the furnace was
problem for water was rising instea
of falling.
o. When George D. Reed, janitor of til