Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 April 1886 — WATERS LET LOOSE. [ARTICLE]

WATERS LET LOOSE.

The Bursting of a Dam Near East Lee, Mass., Results in a Terrible Calamity. Twelve or Thirteen Persons Drowned and Property Worth $250,000 Utterly Ruined. [Springfield (Mass.) telegram.] An awful calamity, the result of carelessness. took place this morning at the village of East Lee, in Berkshire County. The dam at Mud Pond Reservoir gave away, causing the death of eight people, and wrecking property valued at $150,000 or $200,000. The dam, which was situated two and one-half miles from the village, had shown signs of weakness for some time. The persons responsible or owning the privilege of its water supply had been notified, but nothing was done. The pond covered many acres of swamp, and was increased from its original limited size by extensive dams built by a club of manufacturers as a storage place for water. The torrent where the dam burst gushed forth in a resistless stream and rushed down the valley, gullying out a channel from fifty to two hundred feet in width. The villagers got their first news of the accident by seeing the flood pouring down the street, the water being from four to five feet deep, and bearing with it trees, parts of houses and barns, fences, wagons, and every form of movable property. The people fled to the slopes of the valley, along which the torrent was pouring, and saw the houses moved and toppled about like chips on the river. There was not much of life or many buildings to be lost till the village was reached. Here it wrenched Edwin Sturgis’ barn, swept away a bridge spanning the brook, which is but small as it runs naturally from a small pond, and then rushed down the channel of the stream on which the dwellings and manufactories are located. Couch & Oakley’s millwright shops, John Dowd’s manufactory of paper machineiy, and A. N. White’s carriage shops were all destroyed. Mr. White’s family consisted of himself and wife, 48 and 45 years old, respectively, their daughter Ida, and baby son. They were in bed when the flood struck their house, and were all killed by the crash of the building and also sunk in the waters. Theodore King and wife and Mrs. Chas. King lushed from their house to escape, and were carried off by the flood and drowned. The house was not destroyed. Simon Dowd, 60 years old, was drowned. Further down the stream John McLaughlin’s machine shops, Harrison Garfield’s “Forest,” and Farmer Decker Sabin’s place were ruined. The boilers and all basement machinery were taken out by the flood, and, though weighing tons, were carried like corks. John Veran’s paper mill was also gutted in the basement. The flood passed East Lee and went on down rhe road, destroying lawns, gardens, fences, and moving smaller buildings, but had not power to utterly wreck a large house, though the damage done amounts to many thousands of dollars. Probably the total loss will exceed $170,000. A great many hands are thrown out of employment. There is much excitement and grief.