Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1920-04-02

view, and the grinding, crunching mass
completely obscured the water from the
railroad bank across to the base of
Wantastiquet mountain and as far up
and down the river as the eye could
reach.
Meanwhile the river continued to rise
land in Il short time the ice cakes which
protruded out of the water farther than
normal began scraping against the low
er trusscs of the bridge.
News that flood was on spread
through the village and persons began
gathering on the bridge. As the wa
ter rose the hammerings of the ice
against the trusses became more fire.
quent, and the people began to scent
danger.
Bridge Roped Of.
The police took in the situation and
| telephoned the selectmen that there
might be trouble. They were instruct
| cd to rope off the bridge TO keep back
! the crowd. which now numbered sever
al hundred. Ropes were secured at the
fire department headquarters and were
ldrawn across the bridge approach on
| the Vermont side.
| 1t was but few minutes after this
that open water again appeared and
| damage was believed to have been
avcrted, but it was not SO.
| At the Vernon power station it was
said that the water there at $50 that
night had risen but about two feet
since 3 o'clock the previous afternoon,
and it was believed a jam was hold
| ing the water back farther north. Telc-
phonic inquiry made by The Phoenix
Office of persons living near the East
| Putney meadows brought the informa-
| ton that big jam which formed there
| in the afternoon set back the water
and ice so that it covered large part
of the 500 acres which make up the
meadows to depth of several feet
| The ice and water ran through the rail
road culvcrts and flooded the highway
which skirts the base of the high bank
to the west
The jam at East Putney broke away
about 8 clock, swapping off trees on
the river banks as though they were
toothpicks in a giants hand When
the river here began filing a second
time, therefore, it was known that the
East Putney jam had arrived.
With the water higher than ever the
thunderous grinding and pounding
against the bridge grders became 6
continuous rumble and roar. and under
the pale light of the moon it filed one
with awe and a sense of impending
calamity.
Pen Picture Of Disaster.
From behind the rounded embank
ment wall at the west end of the bridge
IL monster cake of ice insidiously crept
into view and planted itself against
the trembling framework of steel. II
would turn neither to right nor left
nor would it sink beneath the surface
and pass on. 1t was brewing trouble
simultaneously. as if by villianous
connivance, another big cake forced it
self up on the east end and found Sc
cure Judgement, hemmcd in by a myr-
lad of smaller accomplices. Gradu-
| ally the banks of anchored ice ex-
| banded toward the middle of the river,
slowly but surely sealing the fate of
their victim.
Finally the movement ceased. The
Jam was complete and comparative
quiet prevailed. Men looked at their
watches. 1t was little past 9 o clock.
Was the cessation of the grooming and
hammering favorable or otherwise [!
Would the firmly braced and riveted
structure withstand the stupendous
and constantly increasing pressure!
| The crowd waited an hour for the an
4 swer. There was an ominous creaking
| of floor timbers. Men and women fell
back instinctively to be out of harm g
way. There was man on the bridge
A moment before he had started tC
cross. Now he was returning. Why
does he. take such chance? chorus
of voices yell at him. He moves leis
urely, then increases his speed.
Then something happens to divide
the attention of the crowd between the
bridge and the man. Huge pieces OF
steel in the center of the structure be
lgin to bend, rvets snap, the flooring
hcavcs. In their excitement the peo
pie cling to each other The bridge
buckles in the middle, the high arches
topplc over, and with a mighty crash
that startles persons many rods away
it gives up the ghost and sinks heavily
to the bed of the river, said to be AZ
feet below the surface in some places
while the victor rushes over the spot
and conceals every vestigc of its vic
tim from sight.
But what of the man? He began
hurrying too late. He couldn It make
the distance and-he went down with
the bridge.
1t was the irony of fate that the ice