Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1922-03-10
AYERS NARROWLY
MISSES DROWNING
CONTINUED from page oneJ

NSOulllluCu HUH page OuCI
over onto the main street. The waite
coming down from Ripton in sucl
volume did away with the neCessit.
of using dynamite to clear the stream
Excitement was rife. All would hav
gone well had it not formed a V
shaped block, with the point extend
ing up the river, i'll back of Scion Sum
ner's and Clarence RusselPs barns. Thi
became tightly packed and while mos
OF the water escaped on the bank OPP
posite to the village and through th-
yard back of the grist mill, large
stream poured through the garden and
yard of c. +. Russell and then into
E. NJ Days yard. Walter Hammer
and George Leno were let out into the
stream with ropes around their waists
and succeeded in loosening enough ice
to allow most of the water to run back
into the river, but the water kept ris-
ing until dynamite was suggested as a
means to break the jam.
Mr.. Jeffrey and Hobart Newton
drove to the Johnson camp in Sails
bury for dynamite In the meantime,
three sticks and some fuse had been
procured locally and Saff Cakes AID
George Dragon had just started out en-
the ice to place it, when warning cry
drove them back and just in time, for
within less time than it takes to write
1t, the whole mass started forward
throwing huge cakes of ice and vol
umes of water up into the gardens Dor
dering the stream, and into the street
in front of E. M. Days house, until it
flowed over a foot deep in the road
The ice just barely scraped the grist
mill bridge and the ice breaking
through in back of the grist mill, car
ried away some fifteen to twenty
cords of wood belonging to Perry
Campbell, and overturning George
Gove's heavy sleds into the raCeway.
While attempting to render aid to
a family Mr. Ayers, was caught by the
torrent, just after he had crossed the
bridge. The ice was humping against
the bridge but the main force of the
stream was swung to the side. When
caught in the current, Mr.. Ayers took
hold of a wire fence and his hands
were badly cut in his attempts to
hold up against the stream. He was
finally carried down with the torrent
and was swirled several rods before
help was passed out to him by
friendly grape vine, to which he
chung and pulled himself back out of
the current His cries for help were
finally heard and he was pulled out
of the icy waters i'll weakened and
exhausted condition. He was carried
into Mr.. Goves home where his wet
clothes were removed and with the aid
of hot drinks, he was soon made as
comfortable as possible and later in the
evening taken to his own home,
Much credit is due to Messrs. Ham
ner. Leno, Cakes, Dragon and Ayres
and also to Mr.. Jeffrey and Hobart
Newton, who were nearly turned over
and ditChed several times in their run
to Salisbury and back The roads
were icy and between Roy Sessions
farm and the iron bridge, the water
flowed over the road to a depth Of
two feet Mention should also be made
of Chester Palmer, Basil Laque, +. NJ
Day and Merle Tisdale, for trying to
build breakwater to keep the water
from running into the street in back
of Russclls barn. Many cellars were
flooded, {. T. Russell's to a depth of
four feet