The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-11-01

came fearfully swollen. The Milestone
brook, which has its source in the hilly
country west, and mostly in Marlboro
and which always rises suddenly when
great rains fall, kept rising and swell
ing and overlooking its bounds, about
noon becoming higher than ever before
known, and carried everything before
it. Bridges and houses and lumber.
and every variety of thing came tum-
bling along through its channel, borne
down to the Connecticut, to be carried
down its swollen tide.
All the bridges across the brook be-
teen the. railroad bridge here and the
covered bridge at West Brattlehoro,
(near the then Mrs. Muzzey and Clark
Jacobs places, now cement bridge
were carried away, besides several
above the west village. This covered
bridge stood, a monument of good
workmanship. Although considerably
washed on each side it was only moved
a trifie at one end, and usual trafhc over
it was soon resumed.
The current of the brook was so pow
erful that it swept across the Connect
cut river. SlIIhIuS lilc tdSlOlh bdAA
| near the further abutment of the bridge
to the island and partly demolished IT.,
| so that the current kept weakening it
as the FLYER rose, and finally soon aft
err 9 D. m the east end of the bridge
commenced falling, and with mighty
crash it tumbled over and went down
| the river.
The whole distance from the site of
| ~. Ir,l oil "
up the brook to Centreville was scepe
of desolation and ruin truly appalling.
| the banks of the stream strewn with
the accumulated labors of long years
| of inventive genius and patient indus
try. What took a quarter of a century
TO create was destroyed and swept away
in few minutes. So sudden was the
rush of waters that many persons had
| hardly time to escape with their lives,
while two persons were carried away
| by it.
One of the Estey Co. shops then oc-
| cupied the site of the present S. A.
Smith Mfg Co. factory, and was en-
tirelv surrounded by the swollen flood
but left without great injury, though
large quantities of valuable lumber
were carried away, and sad havoc made
with the adjoining grounds and roads
Flat street dwellings and shops were
filed with water to depth of five OF
six feet, causing great damage. while
Frost block at the corner of Flat and
Main streets was entirely surrounded
and Rays livery stable floor complete
" covered Some 200 rods of the Vim
ton paper mill canal was destroyed.
| On the site of the present Park build
ing was a two story and basement
frame building, occupied principally by
Smith & Coffin for a planning mill an6
sash and blind making. The rapid wa
tiers tore out the entire northern end OF
the basement. washed through and car
ried off with it all machinery and lum
Der, and everything loose or fast, whe
Their foatable or not. MILESTONE brool
bridge was a very substantial one, new
the previous spring, and the timber
/ stood the great strain of the torrent o.
water rushing through, and the massiv'
piles of lumber constantly being hurled
against it, until nearly noon. when i
| suddenly crumpled and quickly floate'
| away over the falls, a seeming mass o
/ kindling wood.
/ simultaneously with the wrecking o
Il the bridge fell A E. Dwinell s furnitur
II shop, large four story frame buildin
H (where the Wilder building now stands
H containing large quantity of machin
|! cry. planning mill, ETC.. with a larg
II stock of furniture on the upper floors
Il So suddenly did the large buildin
II crumble and fall into the hungry wat
H ers and over the falls that the onlook
II ers scarcely realized il was gone ere tn
\ rapid tide was crossing with full head
II way over the rocky foundation wher
II an instant before it had stood. Deaco
II Dwinell S loss was very heavy, som
II $4,000, and ruined him financial,
II Gle was confined to his house by sick
II ness when his shop was swept ava,
II and continued TO grow more and MOI
II feeble to his death, at 65, which OF
H cured Just at the commencement of til
II terrific fire which made such furthe
II devastation q days later.
H Next north of the Dwine'l factor
II vas sIrall building containing A.
Boynton's shoe shop and office of
II K. Allen, lumber dealer, and opposit
II (present location of Barrow S store
II was George Boyd S fish market, whic
II were quickly carried along, and gre.
II portion of the wall on the brook sit
II of the Newman & Tyler machine she
II (now Stellman 50 fell into the waite
II then the saw mill and brick foundl
H building Just below as also large Sc
u ton of the road to the railroad ste