Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1920-04-02
BRIDGE CARRIED OUT.
Continued from Page l.)

in both directions being detoured through
Keene, n. II.
AT no time has the amount of water
flowing over the crest of the Vernon dan
been excessive for this time of year, tho
depth of the overflow at midnight Sun
day being about eight and half feet
which is only foot and half more than
the flow in summer time when the flash
boards are in use. All the flood gates al
the dam were wide open.
When the bridge was built it wa:
placed five or six feet higher than the
old one, and it was believed that the
bridge was out of harms way for al
time, but later the Vernon dam was
built, and ever since then in times of high
water the possibility of damage to the
bridge has been apparent.
Question of Liability.
Whether the Power Co. is liable for the
loss of the bridge is question to be de.
termined, but it is the opinion of the sc.
lcctmen, or at least some of them, that
the company is liable.
A new bridge cannot be bought for any
thing like the amount that was paid for
the old one, and at the present prices of
steel and labor it is believed bridge
such as necessarily will have to be bought
VIII cost from $4,000 to 100000. Doubt
less it will be set up enough higher than
the last one to be secure against ice dam
age.
Conditions Seemed Ideal.
The mild weather of last week and
the gradual, although rapid, disappear
ancc of the snow, together with the APP.
parent rotting of the ice without warm
rains, were conditions which seemed
ideal for clearing the river with min.
inum of damage, and it was a common
remark that the snow and ice were
going away in the best possible fash
ion.
Up to Saturday afternoon there hai
been some question as to what might
happen to the Island Park pavilion al
the east end of the bridge if an ice
jam from some point north SHOULD
break away and come tearing down the
river for a rear-end collision with the
ice which then remained intact almost
as far as one could see from the bridge
This thought doubtless was prompt
ed by the memory of q happening OF
like nature few years ago, when al
ice jam plowed through solid field OF
ice down across the island, smashing
the north wing of the baseball grand
stand and moving the pavilion off its
foundation.
Notable Spectacle.
But shortly before 5 O'Clock Satur.
day afternoon blocks of ice from the
north cut channel through the solid
ice north of the bridge, following
the current which had worn it thin
Then few large cakes broke off north
of the mouth of Milestone brook
which had become somewhat turbulent
and at 80 O'Clock the entire mass OK
tending from the bridge north to an
opening above the head of the island
began to move in immense sections.
As the river narrowed down the big
sections began to crush and grind and
some ice cakes were forced out of the
river channel on to the Island Park
premises. They piled up against the
pavilion piers, reaching to the lower
Veranda, making notable spectacle,
but doing no special damage.
Cakes which stood on edge were
seen to be 10 inches to q foot thick,
and as the river became clear and the
spectacular scene vanished a sense of
satisfaction was felt in the idea that
the danger for this year had passed.
At that time, although there were
pools of water on the island ball field
due to the melting of the snow, the riv
cr was not high enough to overflow any
part of the ball ground.
The effect of the warm sun on tn,
super-a abundance of snow in the woods
however, was just beginning to be felt
All the flood gates in the big dam a
Vernon were open and were discharg
ing all the water they could, but tina
was not enough and the rest had to e,
over the crest of the dam.
Flood Proportions Reached.
Brooks swollen by the contents O
other brooks fed by smaller Tributaries
had been pouring into the Connection
for days, and the accumulated volum,
during Saturday night reached flooC
proportions, so that by Sunday morn
ing large part Of the island had beer
overlooked.
The water continued to rise Sun
day, hut comparatively little ice wa
running until 5 o'clock in the after
noon. Then jam which had formed
between here and Putney came int