The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-03-28
Warning Sent Out by U. S.
Weather Bureau Because of
Excessive Precipitation
CENTRAL VT. HELD
UP BY WASHOUT
A Considerable Section of
Track Near Roxbury
Was Undermined .
.Floods MAY be expected in the

rivers of northern Vermont during
the next As hours"
The above was the warning which was
sent out from the U. S. weather bureau
at Mortified to-day following a night of
very heavy rainfall which started at 6
o'clock and continued without let-up
until this forenoon, when the rain turned
into snow. The rainfall between 6
o'clock last night and a. m. to-day was
304 inches, which was described by the
weather bureau man as very heavy"
The warning of floods was given in
spite of the fact that the rain had turned
TO snow and the weather had been tight
ened up with a cold snap. The weather
bureau reported that the rainfall all over
New England and northern New York
had been very heavy during the night.
Rivers, and streams of smaller size
were transformed over night into boiling
rushing torrents, many of which over
flowed their banks ere daylight and were
still rising to-day. Roads were flooded
in many places and railroad lines were
inundated and quilted.
The Central Vermont train service was
almost at a standstill on the main line
as the result of many small washouts
and one big gully torn under the track
between ROxbury and East Granville.
This washout, which was reported to be
200 feet long, was about a mile south of
Roxbury village, where an ordinarily
quiet brook meanders along the lowlands
parallel with the railroad line. Turned
into torrent by the rain, this brook
and its small tributaries worked havoc
with the underpinning of the railroad
and soon had scooped out large hole
The night trains passed by safely but
during the early hours of the morning
the whole surface for a distance of 200
feet collapsed or weakened to such an
extent that the northbound passenger
train due at Montpelier at 9;l2 was halt
ed on the south side of the washout and
passengers and mail were carried by to
waiting caboose on the north side Of
the hole, and the caboose was then
snaked to Montpelier Junction. There
the southbound passenger train was
turned about and sent backward over
the route il had Just traversed, taking
up the run which would ordinarily have
been made by the train halted south of
the washout.
To get around the washout other
trains were sent during the day over
the Montpelier & Wells River iron by
the long round about route to Wells Riv-
er and thence south, such a program be-
ing in order until the washout south of
Roxhury could be filled.
II was not all due to rain that the
transportation companies had their diff
ficulties to-day. The Barre & Montpelier
Traction & Power company had the un-
usual experience for so late in
March as the 2Sth--to have its cars
showed in and the service shut off. This
happened at the turn out switch on the
| Aldrich fat. A large number Of com
muters who are employed in Montpelier
found themselves stalled on the switch
when the snow drifted in over the track
from the impetus of real blizzard; and
road conveyances had to be sent from
Montpelier to carry them the remainder
Of the distance to the Capital city.
The Washington street electric car got
through from the car barn early this
morning and has been stranded for the
greater part of the day at the corner Of
Washington and Elm streets, waiting for
the company's snowplow to get through
| and open up the track. The first snow
pow got through to Barre early this
afternoon having met with great opposi-
tion in the shape Of nearly a foot of
closely packed snow.
Telephone and telegraph companies
also suffered, not so much from the snow
as from the water, as a large number Of
poles were reported 1attened by the ac~
ton of the water, aided by the heavy
winds. In the vicinity of Waterbury and
surrounding towns as many as 20 poles
we're reported to be down In this city
the telephone service was disrupted in
some cases.
Much Water in Barre.
Stevens branch overhowed its banks
this forenoon and flooded cellars, stone
sheds and highways in different parts Of
| the city. Jones Bros. Co had nearly three
feet of water in their stoneshed atm
o'clock, while many other sheds in the
northern part of the city were obliged
| to close down because of the water Gun
ners brook for time was up level with
the street and North Main street, near
| Second street, had more than a foot of
water. Both Gunner's brook and Stew
ems branch began to 60 down this aft
ernoon, thus relieving the apprehension
of a disastrous food.
The Berlin street bridge was just out
of water for time and several houses
in that vicinity were surrounded by wa
ter.
In the south end of the city the Strait
on stoneshed was the only one com
PEELED to close down, and there the trou-
BILE was with the power.
Because of the heavy fall of snow and
the inability of the sidewalk snowplows
to get the sidewalks cleared by early
afternoon Supt. White ordered the
schools to close this noon, the children
being told not to return this afternoon.
Water Rising in Montpelier.
In Montpelier at | o'clock this after
noon the water was still rising. Worces-
| ter branch was overfowing its banks,
setting back into the Easements of the
stores, and there was q prospect of con
siderable damage being done. In the
Perry garage three autos were standing
in deep water, while Abram Galinsky's
! horse was marooned in the barn.
Governor Appoints Chiropractic Board.