Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 June 1919 — MONTICELLO DAM GOES OUT [ARTICLE]

MONTICELLO DAM GOES OUT

And Town la In Darkaeae as a ~ Consequent Result. The dam in the Tippecanoe river at the north side of Monticello and which supplies the electric power for Monticello and several other towns In White, Newton, Benton and Pulaski counties, went out Sunday afternoon, taking about 60 feet of the west end of the structure, including a great deal of the machinery with It and entailing a loss of approximately $30,000. The break was caused by seepage which finally wore a hole In the dam sufficient to let the water through In quantity large enough to tear the structure to pieces. It la said that several of the 11 other towns to wfilch current is furnisbed-—lncluding Remington, Goodland, Brook, Morocco, Kentland, Fowler, Wolcott, Monon, F'rancesville and Medaryville—can be supplied by local auxiliary steam plants in some of these towns which can be operated in such emergencies, hut Monticello was wholly dependant on the local plant—which was also supplied with auxiliary dteam power but which went out with the dam—and as a consequence the town is in darkness and a number of industries depending on electric power are closed dovfn. People gathered at the scene from miles around Sunday afternoon, it was Baid, and watched the gradual tearing to pieces of the big dam. Later dispatches from Monticello state that connection was made Monday afternoon with the auxiliary plant at Fowler, and all industries and lights were In operation by the middle of the afternoon. • Work on repairs to the dam have been started, but It will be several months before it can be completed. The damage Is now estimated at $40,000.