Year: 1874

meal when a great noise was heard,
and the old man, who was standing
at one of the eastern windows, ex-
claimed: For God sake, George,
look there y About forty feet in
length of the bottom of the reservoir
on the east side, just beyond the
gate, was shooting down the stream.
Cheney seems to have realized the
situation and emergency ut once.
With a single eye to the discharge of
his duty, and almost without stop
ping to consider the danger, he rush
ed to the gate and let on the water
in full bead, in hope that this might
possibly afford relief and aveIt dan
ger. This done, he paused a mo-
ment to investigate the condition of
the walls where the break had taken
place A glance showed him that it
could hardly fail, in few moments,
to give way entirely. Streams of wa
ter, as large as mans arm, were
forcing their way through, and new
ones appearing every moment. The
wall was constantly crumbling away,
The utter downfall was evidently a
question of minutes. Cheyney rush
ed to his house and told his father
he was going to the village to warn
the people. Together they hurried
to the barn, few rods below. and
while CheYney was throwing the bri-
die upon his horse, his father cut
him a stick. Leaping on his horses
back, and plying vigorously his lash,
he rode at topmost speed down the
road that skirted the streams to
Williamsburg, covering the three
miles, he thinks, in fifteen minutes.
1t was then about 6 80 o'clock. Rid
ing to the house of Mr.. Speelman,
who had general charge of the resor-
voir, he summoned that gentleman
from his breakfast table to startle
him with--"The reservoir s going 70
1t was but the night before that
Cheyney had been talking with him
about the reservoir, and both had
agreed that everything looked all
right for the. summer. Speelman
could not at first credit the state
ment. He thought the man little
scared, and to his startling announce
ment, replied 8, No +; it can be pos
sible - But Cheney quickly told
him about the giving away Of the
earth and streams of water rushing
through, and soon convinced him
that the danger was most imminent,
the first duty was to warn the people
farther down the stream. Cheney's
horse was exhausted, and Mr.. Speel-
man directed him to go to the livery
stable, where again precious mo-
ments were lost in convincing in
credulous people. The messengers
story could not be true Finally, a
horse was made ready, and a fresh
man got on to notify dwellers farther
down the stream.
The reservoir was constructed in
the summer and fall of 1865, though
it was not filed and used until the
following spring. Emery u. Wells,
of northampton, and Joel Bassett, of
East Hampton, were the contractors,
and the cost was $35, 900. A stone
wall was first built, which was stipu-
lated to rise from a width of eight





top, which latter was forty two feet
above the bed of the stream. This
wall was contracted to be made in
the best known cement. Envelop-
ing this wall on either side was a
mass of earth, which sloped down to
the water side. at an angle Of thirty
five degrees, and on the other side
at an angle of forty-fye degrees. A
lateral section of this earthen sup
port measured at least one hundred
and twenty feet on the base. This
wall Of earth was sixteen feet across
at the top, covering the crest of the
stone wall in depth, in order to pre-
vent danger from frost The water
never rose quite to the crest of the
dam, being kept two feet below that
line by means Of the wasteway at
the side.


SPRrNGFIELD, May 20 1t appears
that the walls of the reservoir were
required to be built three feet below
the ground. The contractors based
them on the surface, making the ca
lamity q mere question of time.
The contractors will be hanged if
caught. The empty reservoir ex-
poses the villiany practiced by the
contractors. The bodies found yes
terday, were nude and much disfg-
ured. 1t will require a week to find
all. Poor people are earning money
searching for models and brass.
Derricks are erected to lift the safes
from the streams, most Of which are
intact, being all locked at the early
hour Of the flood. The streams are
being turned from their natural
channels to save the spoils of the
food.