USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Bristol > History of the town of Bristol, Grafton County, New Hampshire, Volume I > Part 51
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1862. The first of April the snow was of such depth that all the walls and fences were covered. The days were quite warm and the nights cold so there were hard crusts mornings, strong enough to bear heavy teams. Each morning hundreds of men, women, and children of Bristol were seen coasting from the base of New Chester mountain to Beech street.
1863. Diphtheria raged extensively.
1869. October 4 commenced what was considered the most severe rain storm and freshet since 1826. In a little more than twenty-four hours eight inches of rain fell, and the Pemigewas- set and other streams overflowed their banks and great damage was done to crops and other property along the streams. The roads were badly washed and large quantities of timber, lum- ber, and debris passed down the Pemigewasset.
1870. About this year the first hard coal was brought to Bristol. Now 1,000 tons, exclusive of soft coal used at the mills, are sold in town.
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1871. On the night of Dec. 7, fire again raged on the west side of Central square. This time the fire commenced in the tin-shop next to the bridge and was only stayed by the brick walls of the Cavis block. This block was badly gutted and White's block was cleared of its contents.
1877. Aug. 16, the reunion of the survivors of the 12th Regiment occurred in Bristol. A permanent organization was effected. There was a parade, a free dinner, a large number of speeches from the band stand in Central square by visitors, and a ball at the town hall in the evening.
1878. On the 21st of April, the store of Hon. Cyrus Taylor was burglarized, and a sum of money and some wearing apparel were stolen. In September, following, a young man by the name of Herman Scott was arrested for the crime. He impli- cated another young man, by the name of Joseph Strickford, who worked on the same farm as himself at the time of the crime. Many believed Strickford innocent and contributed money for his defence and the people took sides for and against the accused to an unusual degree. Scott was sent to prison but Strickford was acquitted. Subsequent events convinced most of Strick- ford's friends that they had aided an unworthy person. He soon after disappeared from town.
1878. On the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 3, an attempt was made to rob the Bristol Savings bank, then located in George M. Cavis's store. Explosives were used which blew off the outer door of the safe and blew out both the windows of the room. The inner door of the safe was not opened, and the rob- bers, supposed to have been four in number, became frightened and left without obtaining booty. No serious efforts were made to apprehend the criminals and they escaped capture.
1878. On Monday, Dec. 9, five or six inches of snow fell. Tuesday rain fell copiously all day, and Wednesday morning all the snow had disappeared and the streams were at flood height. The Pemigewasset was within three feet of the top of the wall at the depot, and the river was filled with debris and drift wood. At the foot of the lake a stone set to mark the height of the water in 1843, was covered to the depth of ten inches. The New Hampton stage reached this village by the south road. The Groton stage driver came down the west side of the lake, left his stage on the north side of Fowler's river, crossed the river in a boat, and proceeded to Bristol afoot over Hemp hill. For a third of a mile north and south of Smith's river the rail- road bed was washed away to the depth of from three to six feet. The storm extended all over New England, destroying some lives and a large amount of property.
1878. John Wilmon, twelve years old, was saved by tramps from drowning.
1878. Feb. 21, the thermometer registered twelve degrees
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below zero, and the roads were badly drifted. No mail left Bristol for the north. June 6 and 7, heavy frosts ; crops badly damaged.
1878. Jan. 7, the house at the corner of High and Pros- pect streets was consumed by fire.
1880. May 22, Bristol and vicinity were visited by very severe thunder showers and a gale. One barn was unroofed and other buildings damaged by wind, while several were struck by lightning. The summer was unusually dry. Many wells failed, streams were low and manufacturers all over the state suffered for want of water.
1881. The winter of 1880-'81 was a very severe one. Nov. 23, six inches of snow fell affording good sleighing. Two days later the thermometer registered twelve degrees below zero. For eighty-three days after the first storm the sun was not warm enough to soften the snow in the highways. The week follow- ing Jan. 29 was the hardest of the winter. On the date named a blizzard commenced in the morning which increased in fury during the day and night following and the next day the roads were impassable. Travel by rail was much impeded. July 25, there was a very severe thunder shower, accompanied with wind and hail. In fourteen hours four and one-fifth inches of rain fell.
1881. Sept. 6th of this year occurred the "Yellow Day." For several days previous, the smell of smoke had filled the air. There were no clouds, but the sun and sky were red in the early morning. As noon approached this changed to a yellow, and everything to be seen, buildings, foilage, and the sky, assumed the same shade. It seemed strange and weird, and an unusual soberness rested on everyone, as through expecting some coming calamity. Lamps were necessary in dwellings and stores, cattle came to the barns as for the night, and hens went to roost. In some instances schools were dismissed. Two or three days passed before the atmosphere was as clear as usual.
1881. September 25 and 26, memorial services were held on the occasion of the death of President Garfield. Sunday, Sept. 25, appropriate services were held in all the churches, and all were tastily and appropriately draped. On Monday, in response to a call issued by the selectmen, all places of business were closed and memorial services were held at the town hall. At I o'clock the bells were tolled, and at 1 : 30 a procession was formed in Central square in the following order :
Marshal, Capt. W. A. Beckford Bristol Cornet Band - sixteen pieces
Nelson Post, No. 40, G. A. R., C. N. Drake, commander - forty-five men
Union Lodge, No. 79, A. F. & A. M., I. A. Chase, master - thirty-six men
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Stark Engine Company, George H. Knights, captain -thirty- five men
The procession moved slowly to the town hall which was soon densely packed. The hall was tastily decorated. On a background of the stars and stripes was a picture of Garfield, and under it his memorable words spoken in New York on the occasion of the assassination of President Lincoln : "God reigns and the government at Washington still lives." On the plat- form was a white monument, about which on three sides were gathered the members of the Grand Army, who opened the exercises with a portion of the G. A. R. memorial service. Hon. L. W. Fling presided, and the singing was by the com- bined choirs of the village under the leadership of David P. Prescott. There was speaking by the president, ex-Gov. N. S. Berry, Rev. H. S. Thompson, Rev. A. B. Sherwood, Dr. H. B. Fowler, I. A. Chase, Esq., F. M. Beckford, Esq., H. A. Ran- dolph. To close the band played "Nearer My God to Thee."
188r. During the night of Oct. 6, there was a severe earth- quake shock. It sounded like the rumbling of a heavy train of cars, and passed from west to east. Many were awakened from sleep.
1882. Monday, Jan. 23, the thermometer registered fifteen degrees below zero, and the wind blew a gale ; Tuesday morn- ing, twenty-eight below ; Wednesday, clear and still, the ther- mometer indicating thirty degrees below. From the first to the 25th of September, 9.90 inches of rain fell.
1882. Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 19, a shock of earthquake was distinctly felt, passing from east to west.
1883. James T. Sanborn brought to town the first carload of pressed hay from Canada, which was sold at $18 per ton. Domestic hay was selling then at $20 per ton.
1883. A severe winter drouth prevailed all over New England in the winter of 1882-'83. Many manufactories were idle for want of water to turn the wheels. Bristol did not feel the drouth at all as enough water was stored in Newfound lake to furnish a supply, and the lake could have been drawn down five feet below its lowest point that year. March 8, the thermometer registered thirty degrees below zero. June 20, there was a great rain, and a freshet on the Pemigewasset river. The flume at Franconia was enlarged at this time and the hang- ing boulder carried from its place. Less than half an inch of rain fell during August, and the month was pronounced the dry- est for twelve years. December 23, the thermometer dropped to twenty-two degrees below zero.
1883. In June of this year, the Rocky Mountain locust first made its appearance in this section. On the meadows of the Pemigewasset valley vast numbers did great damage to the growing crops. The next year they came in still greater nun1-
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bers. One farmer caught ninety-two bushels by a simple con- trivance. A box ten feet long, four inches wide and seven deep was attached to a pair of wheels. Back of the box was a tin a foot high. In moving these wheels through the grass the grass- hoppers would rise, strike against the tin and fall into the box, which contained a liquid composed of sour milk, kerosene oil, and water, which killed them.
1884. January 22, the thermometer was eighteen degrees below zero at 5 a. m .; at noon, thirty-two above. Week ending March 13, twenty-four inches of snow fell. April 17, there was a very heavy rain. A portion of the Rollins saw-mill dam was carried away, and a landslide on Water street buried the road several feet deep.
1884. May 17, a shock supposed to have been an electrical disturbance occurred about ten o'clock in the evening. There was a loud explosion thought by many at the time to be the bursting of a boiler at one of the mills. The shock was purely local, not extending over twenty miles.
1884. May 30, the ground was white with apple blossoms and freshly fallen snow.
1884. A lithograph of Bristol village was made and sold this year.
1884. July 19, there occurred a succession of very severe thunder storms. The lightning was incessant and vivid, and the rain fell in torrents. One cloud passed over Bristol Peak from which the forked lightning fell in rapid succession, a bolt from which struck the barn of Caleb L. Clay, and in a moment the structure was a mass of flames. All his buildings were destroyed together with fifteen tons of hay, two hogs, and sixty-five hens. The smoke from burning buildings in Hill could be seen from Mr. Clay's at the same time.
1885. Jan. II, rain commenced to fall and continued all that day and the next, bringing the Pemigewasset to flood height. All the ice was broken up and carried down stream. An ice dam formed near Smith's river bridge, flooding the railroad. When the dam broke it left the track covered with ice for thirty rods to the depth of four feet. The highway on the New Hampton side of the river was also made impassable by the ice. There were eighty-six inches of water on the apron at the outlet of the lake, an increase of fifty-five inches above the lowest point in the fall.
1885. Mar. I, snow in places in the highway was from ten to fifteen feet deep. This was softened by the warm rays of the sun, and traveling was rendered very difficult. Mar. 13 and 18, twenty degrees below zero; Mar. 23, fourteen degrees below zero. This month was distinguished for its severity - below zero every morning but two for three weeks. For three days preceding Apr. 25, July weather prevailed, the thermometer ris-
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ing to eighty-two in the shade. Apr. 26, snow fell to the depth of four inches.
GRANT MEMORIAL SERVICES
1885. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant died July 23, and on Satur- day, Aug. 8, memorial services were held at the town hall. Capt. R. W. Musgrove presided. The Bristol Cornet band escorted Nelson Post, G. A. R., to the hall, where the Post per- formed the burial service of the order. Addresses were made by Rev. Mr. Sleeper, of Worcester, Mass. ; Rev. J. N. Murdock, D. D., of Boston ; ex-Gov. N. S. Berry, Rev. John A. Bowler, and others. The hall was filled to the door. The addresses were eloquent tributes to the distinguished services of the deceased.
1885. Aug. 13, two and one-half inches of rain fell, mak- ing seven inches in less than three weeks. The Pemigewasset rose twelve feet in twenty-four hours and a large amount of drift- wood and debris was carried down stream. Railroads were badly washed.
1885. Aug. 25, the first frost of the season - eighty-five days from the last snow and freeze of spring.
1885. Dec. 31, rain commenced to fall. This was Thurs- day and the rain continued almost incessantly till Tuesday following. During a portion of Tuesday the lake rose one inch each hour, and the water measured ten feet, eight inches on the apron of the dam. At the east end of the bridge at the foot of the lake the water was a foot deep in the highway. Just before the train started Tuesday morning, a landslide, just north of the engine-house, buried the track three feet deep and a boulder six feet in diameter was lodged between the rails. The falls on Newfound river were in their most beautiful robes. Considerable damage was done to highways. Total rainfall for 1885 was forty-six inches.
I886. The freshet just described was followed by a severe snow storm. Colder weather set in and the thermometer con- tinued to drop until Jan. 13, when it stood at twenty-three below zero. The rushing waters on the falls were encased in ice and the ice work which rapidly formed presented a magnificent sight. The high water and ice combined caused the mills to shut down, some for ten days. Great damage was done to trees from the weight of ice, those a foot through being in some instances broken down.
1886. The week ending Mar. 4 was very severe ; several inches of new snow, a gale of wind, and ten degrees below zero. Numerous chimneys were blown down and other damage was done. Drifts were fifteen feet high, business was sus- pended, and mail communications were interrupted.
1886. During the week preceding Nov. 12, four inches of
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rain fell, raising the water in Newfound lake to ten feet on the apron, a foot higher than the usual high-water mark. The rainfall for 1886 was 41.50 inches. The year was remarkable for its absence of thunder storms.
THE SPRAGUE CASE
1886. The case of Mrs. Emma Sprague against the town .. was a noted one in its day. On the 14th of June, 1878, Mrs. Sprague was driving down the hill near the farmhouse of J. Mar- tin Sleeper, when, as claimed, the horse stepped on a rolling stone and Mrs. Sprague was thrown to the ground. Her arm was broken and she claimed she struck on the wheel in such a way as to cause a hernia. The broken arm never healed. Suit was brought against the town for $5,000, but contested on the ground that the accident was the result of contributary negligence in driving a stumbling horse recklessly. The case was heard by the jury at the May term of 1880, in Plymouth, and resulted in a disagreement - six to six. The counsel for the plaintiff were Sargent & Chase, Chase & Streeter; Bingham, Mitchell & Batchellor; Burrows & Jewell; K. E. Dearborn, and N. B. Bryant; for the defense, L. W. Fling and Judge Carpenter. After the disagreement of the jury the ad damnum was increased to $10,- 000, and the case was put over from term to term till May, 1884, when Hon. J. S. H. Frink, of Greenland, was appointed referee. The hearing by him commenced at Bristol, Jan. 5, 1885, and occupied twelve days, over seventy witnesses being examined. The arguments occurred at the town hall, which was filled with the people of this section. Hon. L. W. Fling spoke for two and one-half hours on the defense, and Hon. Daniel Barnard the same length of time for the plaintiff. The counsel at this hear- ing were Barnard & Barnard, K. E. Dearborn, Pike & Bar- nard for the plaintiff ; and Fling & Chase, and Hon. William M. Chase for the defense. John H. Brown and Robert A. Horner, who were selectmen at the time of the accident, were the agents of the town. The referee found for the defendant and at the November term of court, at Plymouth, judgment was rendered on the report. Exceptions were heard at the law term at Concord, July 31, 1885, but were not sustained. The last act in this famous case occurred Mar. 11, 1886, when the bondsmen of Mrs. Sprague paid the town $800 to reimburse it for costs incurred.
1887. The winter of 1886-'87 was noted for its deep snows and severe storms ; Jan. 20, thirty degrees below zero. Eleven feet of snow fell during the winter and the first of April the snow in the woods was still four feet deep. Nearly five months of continuous sleighing. May 29, distinct shock of earthquake. Summer intensely hot. The first week in June registered nine-
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ty-five to one hundred degrees in the shade during the middle of the day. For three weeks in August, the lowest point reached at noon was eighty-eight degrees in the shade.
1887. The twenty-second annual reunion of the survivors of the 12th Regt. N. H. Vols., War of the Rebellion, was held in Bristol, June 24.
1887. Dec. 23, a frightened horse ran from Cyrus Taylor's store through Central and Water streets to the depot, then took to the railroad and traveled three miles to Smith's river bridge, sixty feet long, which it crossed on the stringers. He was seen to approach and leave the bridge at a rapid rate, but in crossing he proceeded as deliberately as a man would walk.
1888. Jan. 24, twenty-seven degrees below zero. Heavy snows. Elbridge Tilton, his oxen and sled were swept from the road by a snowslide on his private road. Travel was inter- rupted. Another great snow storm Mar. 12. The roads were impassable. Town meeting was held on the 13th; but not a voter living outside of the village was in attendance. The train was unable to leave the station. No mail arrived from the north for six days ; none from New Hampton from Monday till Thursday. This was called the worse storm for a generation. The entire telegraph system of New England was prostrated. The snow was wet and froze as it fell.
1888. April 21, a hack got stalled in a snow-drift on Prospect street and was unable to move till the road agent came with a pair of oxen and broke out the road.
1888. June 23, from ninety-nine to one hundred and four degrees in the shade - said to be the hottest day for eighteen years.
I888. Sept. 5, frost killed all the corn.
1889. Jan. 13, Millard T. Robinson, in company with a woman, was driving in the highway a mile south of this village, when the horse became frightened by a sawing machine near the traveled track. Robinson was thrown out, receiving a bad scalp wound, the woman was injured and the sleigh damaged. These parties and C. C. Kendrick, the owner of the sleigh, brought suits against the town. The defense was contributary negligence. Judgment was rendered for the plaintiffs as fol- lows: C. C. Kendrick, $130; Millard T. Robinson, $1,500 ; Mrs. H. M. Brooks, $300. The costs were $462.65; total, $2,392.65.
1889. June 28, a strawberry festival was held at the town hall by Train Rifles, Capt. O. B. Ray, to raise funds to aid the sufferers by the Johnstown flood.
1889. In November, young men took a live fox to May- hew island for the purpose of breaking in a fox dog. The fox was let out and given a good start and then the dog was placed on its tracks. The fox not coming around, as was expected by
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the hunters, investigation was made, and it was discovered swimming for dear life towards the main land which it reached and escaped to the woods.
1890. Mar. 28, there was a slight shock of an earthquake. 1890. Dec. 26, eighteen inches of snow fell.
1891. In the early months of this year the grip raged. Nearly one-half the people were sick; in some cases whole fami- lies were prostrated. The doctors were overtaxed and there ·were hardly enough well to care for the sick. Great anxiety prevailed.
1891. May I, a sharp shock of earthquake. Doors rattled, dishes moved on shelves, and there was a noise like that of a heavy team moving over frozen ground.
1891. Aug. I, the Ezekiel Follansbee farmhouse on the west side of the lake was destroyed by fire. Uriah C. Rowen, of Groton, was accused of setting the fire from motives of revenge to the tenant, Nicholas Adams. Rowen was tried, convicted, and sentenced to ten years in state prison. He served about seven years when he was pardoned. Aaron G. Waite, an accom- plice, turned state evidence and was set at liberty.
1891. One of the hottest Septembers on record. Sept. 24, ninety-two degrees in the shade.
1891. Oct. 29, the water on the apron at the outlet of the lake was drawn down to fifty-five inches, the lowest since 1886, when the lake was drawn down to thirty-nine inches to allow the cutting down of the sand bar above the bridge. The usual low- water mark is about seventy-two inches.
1892. The grip raged again during the first months of this year. Its visitation was even more severe than in 1891. Dur- ing January and February, twenty deaths in Bristol, mostly among elderly people, which was more than twice the average for these months.
1892. Mar. 10, the snow was practically gone. Business on the roads was done on wheels. But little snow during the winter. Feb. 4, a large number of crows appeared.
1892. June 15, one hundred degrees in the shade in sev- eral places in Bristol village; at depot, one hundred and two. June 24 to 28, four inches of rain fell in ninety-six hours. Sept. 26, there was a very heavy thunder storm. A horse belonging to H. N. Emmons was struck and killed in the pas- ture by lightning.
COLUMBUS DAY
1892. Columbus Day, Oct. 21, was observed by a great gathering at the town hall. At one o'clock a parade was formed on the schoolhouse grounds in the following order :
Police - John H. Thurston and Eben Seaver Chief Marshal, J. L. Child - mounted
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Bristol Cornet Band - I. B. Gordon, leader Train Rifles - Capt. O. B. Ray Nelson Post, No. 40, G. A. R. - D. K. Cummings, commander Board of Education and teachers School children - 150 in number
After parading the streets the column marched to the town hall. The G. A. R., the band, speakers, and board of education filled all the space on the platform, and the Train Rifles, schools, and the general public more than filled all the seats on the floor, many being obliged to stand. R. W. Musgrove, chairman of the board, presided, and the following program was rendered : The proclamation of the president of the United States was read by Prof. A. T. Seymour, principal of the high school; prayer was offered by Rev. David Calley ; the Musgrove family sang "Hurrah for Old New England" ; Miss Alice A. Fellows read an essay, "Columbia" ; Miss Jessie D. Alexander gave a recitation, "Columbus"; Edward M. Briggs read an essay, "The Future of America." There were also essays on "Columbus" by J. Elwyn Roby and Miss Clara Thomas. A song was sung by Rose Follansbee and there was singing by the school, music by the band, and speaking by Rev. J. W. Savage, Hon. L. W. Fling, and Hon. I. A. Chase. In behalf of Mrs. W. L. Chase, G. B. Cavis presented the school with a flag, 8 x 16 feet, which was accepted in behalf of the school by the presiding officer. At the conclusion of these services the line was again formed and proceeded to the school grounds where the flag was raised by a detail of the G. A. R. on a pole fifty feet high on the school building, erected by G. B. Cavis. In nearly all the other dis- tricts in town exercises were held later in observance of the day.
1893. Mar. 2, great depth of snow and very severe weather for some days; traveling very difficult. A man in Groton per- ished in the storm. During the winter a great many water pipes were frozen. Soon after the first of May a pipe was taken up from the head of Central street, supposed to have been frozen the previous winter when it was discovered that the lead pipe and brass nipple had been melted instead. For about six inches no semblance of a pipe remained. The great mystery was what melted it. The nearest approach to a thunder storm that had occurred since the pipe was supposed to have been frozen was a very mild one the first week in April. Tall buildings stood within forty feet of the spot on three sides and there were three electric light poles within about the same distance.
1893. The first iron bridge in town was erected this year, spanning the river at the outlet of the lake. The iron cost $725. 1893. July 24, there was a very heavy storm of wind and rain. Fences were demolished, shade and fruit trees badly damaged, and hundreds of forest trees blown down.
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