Norwich bulletin., 1916-04-01
THE FREsHET OF 1876
Five Inches of Rain Fell Within 24 Hours-FrankIin Square a VeritabIe Lake.

Forty years ago this week one of the worst freshets Norwich has ever ex- perienced swept down from two sides, eliminating in a Veritable lake in Franklin square. For miles around the country was under water and property to the value of several hum dred thousand dollars was destroyed. Both the ShetuCket and Yantic rivers were swollen way above their banks and the turbulent, rushing waters swept on in their mad race to the sea, carrying with them property of all kinds, smashing dams like finder and undermining the railroad.
 The issue of The Bulletin of Marcn 27th, 1876, had a very full account of the freshet, which began on Sunday, March 26, 1876, and an abscract of the four column story follows:
 One of the most disastrous freshets known in the history of this section swept the valleys of the Shetucket Quinebaug and YantiC yesterday, de- strCying bridges, mills, dams and houses and devastating the surround ing country. An immense amount Of property was destroyed, how much cannot at present be stated, but un- | dOubtedly to the value of several hun | dred thousand dollars. A heavy snow storm began early | Saturday morning. Snow fell till noon | when it was followed by a violent rain. I | afternoon and evening and till about 4 o'clock yesterday morning. At thai | time nearly five inches of water had | fallen within the 24 hours. 1 The interior of the square in the | rear of the Wauregan house was at this time covered with water to the depth of four feet. All the cellars along the west side of Franklin square
 were filled.
 The police endeavored to awaken s.s.z this slow work, at 6 o'clock an alarm | was ordered struck from box B on | Franklin square to warn people of the | danger.
 It is many years since such a Sun day has been passed in Norwich. Tho
 churches were deserted and all day
 long the approaches to the water
 fronts were lined by excited crowds
 which numbered thousands.
 Central Wharf was entirely sub
 merged, the water extending up tC
 Main street. Along the wherves ol
 the south front of the city the scare
 at noon was an exciting one. At the
 point where the waters of the Yanti;
 and Shetucket united the Thames wa!
 breaking like a heavy sea in shoa
 waters.
 At about half past 12 a despatch wa
 received from Baltic saying that tn, dam there had given way. This ex cited the gravest apprehension for tn
 safety of the Greeneville dam, ant
 hundreds hurried to that place It was not long before the rapi , rise of the Shetucket gave evidence O 2 a large and sudden influx from some
 where above. The Worcester depo
 was soon under water so that a coupl
 of men went into the waiting room il
 a boat and rescued the agents propert
 from the ticket office.
 Franklin square was a lake, tn
 water extending to the Waurega b house, where there were two feet ( f water in the cellar. In the Broadwa l, church basement there were three fec d of water. On Chestnut street as far a ;. Willow and on Bath street the wate O was part way up to the windows of tt t, houses.
 l. There was so much water in the lec s. ture room of the Broadway church ths v the Sunday school was held in tf = courthouse.
 d The rise in the Yantic was core
 spondingly rapid with that in tt
 eastern river. Into the bends of ttf
 cove great quantities of wrecked ma | terial were swept.
 sl At the Falls the railroad seems v be the greatest sufferer. From a poi1 II back of the Yantic cemetery al. d aboN |. the worsted mill dam down throue e the tunnel and beyond the pistol she e to the railroad bridge, the track e sadly undermined, the roadhed beir < "e1oAASA OoN IO e ACPlAA O4 IMO UT LIT 'l feet, the rails and ties being upturne e and dislocated in a shocking manner 1T In the gorge and at the Falls con
 pany's dam the sight was grand IT
 massive arch of stone abutting again the huge and adamantine walls of tI et stream was a perfect picture of firm n ness, and the violence and havt Is around. The water came over u IS dam in an exceedingly boisterous WE ct and the crooked, narrow passage b ss tween the vast and ragged rocks W; = filled with laundering, tossing foa IS from which the spray was washed f t-] many rods. Hundreds of people wal
 dered about the general vicinity du
 ing the day, but this particular SD t. afforded by far the most admirah le scene and attracted the largest nun at bers. Indeed, 1t was the finest sig.
 'Eo .besfound artyw9erefi in Sthis! sectio