Caledonia County Vermont News
July 18 1810
Danville, Vermont, June 16
Wonderful Casualty
On the 6th inst., the day after the annual training, a number of inhabitants of Glover, Barton and Sheffield, collected for the purpose of digging a small drain at the north east end of a pond, which is three miles long, and in some places about one mile wide, situated principally in Glover, but a part in Greensborough, with an intent to obtain a larger supply of water for a Mr. Wilson's mill in Glover, which was scantily supplied by a stream issuing from a small pond a short distance north of the one above mentioned. It appears that the outlet of the large pond took a southerly direction, and formed a considerable branch of the river La Moille and lay something in the form of a bellows, with the widest part north - and that the outlet of the small pond takes an opposite direction into Barton river to lake Murphramagog.
The adventurers began digging at the broad end of the pond, calculating to cut a small channel, to convey the water into the small pong first, which would naturally take its course to the mill, three or four miles distant, in a northerly direction. They dug a ditch about 6 rods long, 4 feet deep, and 6 feet wide, at the end of which was a rapid descent from 60 to 100 feet, and a more gradual but considerable declivity from thence to Barton river. The water began to issue, and it was found that this slender bank, which had resisted the waves for many centuries, was nothing more than a bed of quick sand, except about 4 feet at the margin of the pond, which was composed of gravel and earth exceedingly hard.
Immediately on the water making its way in a small stream over the extremity of the band, the earth and sand broke off, and in few moments had gullied a hole near 60 feet deep and of considerable width, and this continued until the gulph extended within a few feet of the margin of the pond - when the mass of water in the pond beginning to feel the force of this new outlet, made a desperate effort, and at one sweep drove near a half an acre of the opposite bank, with all its timber standing on it, with a tremendous crash, over the precipice to the north, and in a few minutes cut for itself a channel from 10 to 15 rods wide and near 150 feet deep to the bed of the pong, and the whole mass of waters rushed at once down the descent towards Barton river.
On its reaching the small pond its force was so great that it dashed in an instant the whole of its water from its place, and pursuing the course of the outlet of that pond, in few seconds reached Wilson's mill, which it demolished in an instant, taking in its whole course from the pond the earth, timber, &c, 10 or 12 rods in width and near 20 feet deep, a distance of 6 or 8 miles in length - carried off all the bridges the whole extent of Barton river, had covered thousands of acres of land from 4 to 16 feet deep with loom, sand and timber - totally destroying all the crops, intervals, &c.
Happily no human lives were lost, nor any live property except a valuable horse which was hitched near Wilson's mill, and a few sheep - but unaccountable havoc perhaps never was made in so short a time and for such a distance, by an event so singular. The damage is estimated by some at 20,000, some at 40 and some 60,000 dollars.
A more particular account of this wonderful occurrence, it is expected will be given hereafter by some gentlemen who witnessed the scene, and who have viewed the ruins.
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