USA > Vermont > Essex County > Guildhall > A history of Guildhall, Vt > Part 6
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We first give in this chapter some of the changes and occurrences in the atmosphere which have sufficiently stamped their impression upon the minds of early settlers to be remembered.
The first remarkable event in this connection, which we give was the famous BLACK FRIDAY of 1780.
The winter of 1779 and 1780 was a remarkable season, auroral displays being frequent, large spots appearing upon the face of the Sun, the weather taking an unusual severity, and snow six feet deep remaining on the ground from the first of November to the middle of the following April. A backward spring followed, and it was said that previous to the dark day there was a smell of sulphur in the air. May 19th., or Black Friday, was marked by a terrible darkness, a broad belt of gloom extending from the northern half of Pennsylvania, all over New England, and far into Canada.
The morning of the day was overcast with clouds and rainy. Before nine, the rain in a great measure ceased, the clouds appeared more agitated, and the air began to darken. For several hours in the middle of the day the obscurity was so great that those who had good eye-sight
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could scarcely sec to read common print. The birds and fowls in many places retired to their roosts, as though it had been actually night, and people were obliged to light candles to dinc.
Rev. Samuel Stevens, M. D., L. L. D., a well known Astronomer of the time, and a collator of the first annual almanac published in America, said : "It is my opinion that that darkness was not caused by any eclipse, transit, or blazing star, but by an admirable condensity of large quantities of exalted particles that consisted of different qualities."
The next remarkable event was the great snow storm of 1804 ; on October 9th., of that year, it being extremely cold, it snowed without intermission, until over twenty inches had fallen.
In the month of March 1807, there was another great snow storm. This storm was accompanied by a very high wind. On the first day of May of this year the snow in the woods was fully 42 fect decp, and extremely cold weather.
1815 there was a large amount of snow, and May 22d., of that year 9 inches fell; this late storm was follow- ed by cold nights and warm and pleasant days, which made a great run of maple sap; so great indeed was it that, it is claimed to have been the greatest on record.
The next year (1816,) is noted as the "COLDEST YEAR." One writer says in relation to it; "this
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was before the time of thermometers in this region and it was not ascertained how cold it really was, yet all who passed through that winter say it was the coldest before or since experienced." June &th., half a foot fell and it froze so hard that vegetation was almost ruined; this freeze was followed by a drouth, and it was with the greatest efforts that even a small late harvest was secured.
The year 1819, has been styled the "DARK YEAR," for the many dark days during the year. Among them we think that November 9th., was the darkest ; although probably not as dark as May 19th., 1780. During the afternoon stars were seen through the breaks in the clouds.
October 12th., of this year (1819, ) there was a very fine display of the aurora borealis.
The "WARM YEAR," was 1828; for that year many rivers, streams and ponds dried up, and were not closed by ice during the ensuing winter. Through the summer months there were some as warm days as were ever here experienced.
January 28th., 1837, there was another remarkable dis- play of the aurora; the sight is said to have been wonder- ful, and the finest ever witnessed in this section of the country.
THE TERRIBLE GALE OF 1854.
On a night in the month of December, 1854, which from all appearances, would have turned out a pleasant one there was the most terrific wind storm which ever visited this place ; it was beyond a proper description from our pen.
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As people who passed through that night related to the writer the scenes at the time, it made them shudder ; one man said, "it was terrible, and we thought the end of the world had surely come." From the description given us, we give the following brief account :- It was between 10 and 12 o'clock in the evening when the win I began to whistle quite loudly, and soon this terrible storm, which came from the Valley of the Upper Amonoosuc River, struck our village; it carried almost everything before it; trees, fences, chimneys, out buildings, etc. were as jack staws in the hands of a giant! The noise was like the sounds which would be heard from ten thousand cannon, cach firing a hundred rounds in ten seconds! To say it was awful, would be mildly stating it. The toll bridge, which was over 300 feet long, and something like the present one, was taken from its settings and hurled into the rapids many rods below. A shed 40 feet long and 18 feet wide, which stood near where the Congregational parsonage is now located, and back of the ol l Essex Bank Building, was taken bodily and carrie l in a sontherly di- rection over all the houses and landed upon the meadow just south of Mr. Geo. Hubbard's dwelling. Thus the wind held sway, until it had satisfied itself, and it cleared off' calm so suddenly that the reality of passing through that night seemed like a dream.
In June 1856 there was a great hail storm which did much damage. They were freqnent that year.
The winter of 1861 and 1862 was notel for the great
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amount of snow which fell; the fences were entirely covered, so that their situation in many cases could not be seen. In the middle of March the snow was frow 5 to 7 feet deep; April it was 4 feet, and the track on the roads was nearly as high as the fences. Our oldest in- habitants do not remember so much snow in one wiuter.
THE YELLOW DAY.
The famous Black Friday of 1780 will no longer stand alone in the history of New England, for September 6th., 1881 was a phenomenal day which the youthful people will be likely to remember when they shall have become the oldest inhabitants, and one of which the old people now living in this section, in refreshing their recollections, are not able to parallel in the respect, namely, the extra- ordinary aspect of the earth and sky.
Its gloom did not strike such terror'into the hearts of the people as did that of May 19th., 1780; but it found its Way into timorous souls to a considerable extent, and there were probably more people filled with wonder and dred than would be willing to confess to the fact.
The day was an uncomfortable one, although the mer- cury did not climb to an extraordinary height,-the oppress- iveness arising from the extreme humidity of the atmos- phere combined with an ordinary summer temperature. At an early hour in the morning a very peculiar appearance was perceived in the air. No fog or haze was perceptible, except when looking off toward the horizon from an eleva- ted position. But the Sun was thoroughly obscured, and
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the atmosphere was pervaded with a yellowish light, which lent a strange appearance to every object. The clouds had a treacherous look, and in the perfect stillness of the atmosphere-so perfect that the leaves upon the tallest trees did not quiver-it was difficult to resist the impression that some frightful outbreak of nature's forces was about to ensue. Some timorous peoples' minds were directed by it to the Scriptural prophecy concerning the brassy appearance of the sky, which is to be one of the features of the last day. In every place where there was grass or foliage, the green hue of the leaves was changed from its natural shade to something much moro vivid.
There was a weird luster to the surface of the streets and buildings. The interiors of the buildings grew dark as the day advanced, and the outer nir, as viewed through any opening, seemed to be pervaded with the reflected light from some vast conflagration. It became necessary to light lamps, and they emitted white flame'strangly re- sembling the electric light. Nothing unusual was observed at the telegraph offices, in regard to the presence of electri- city in the air ; although some strongly affirmed they could feel it in the tips of their fingers. People were surprised and puzzled. Many asked if the end of the world were not at hand. Some, possibly, feared it might be.
The phenomenon became more marked in the afternoon than it was in the forenoon. As late as one o'clock, it, was possible for a person sitting in a window to see to read or write without the aid of artificial light. But after
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that hour the gloom deepened rapidly, the sky grew still more hazy in appearance, and the gloom was that of late twilight. The climax was reached at about three o'clock, and after that, light began gradually to return; although perfect daylight was not restored. Before eight o'clock the moon had come out, the clouds had disappeared, and the atmosphere resumed its normal condition.
In regard to the cause of the phenomenon, various opin- ions were advanced. A majority were of the opinion that it was the smoke from forest fires. Some people have been heard to advance the opinion that the earth had become entangled in the Comet's tail ;* but this opinion is only a bit of facetiousness.
Prof. C. F. Emerson, Professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy at Dartmouth College, said: "It must be something in the atmosphere which absorbs the shorter and longer wave lengths, leaving only those which give the color of yellow and green." Ile thought it might have been owing to the pollen from fir or pine trees, together with the smoke from the forest fires in Canada.
At Harvard Observatory, while disclaiming any pro- fessional knowledge of the origin of the phenomenon, the astronomers are inclined to attribute it to the Canadian fires. They think the smoke may have been carried up and caught by the upper current of air, and that the darkness was intensified by the excessive moisture of the lower atmos- phere.
"In regard to this idea which some have advanced, we addressed Prof. E. C. Pickering, of Harvard Observatory, and he very kindly replied as follows :
HARVARD OBSERVATORY. CAMBRIDGE, NOV. 20, 1885.
Dear Sir. Your letter of Nov.18 is at hand. No Comet or Comet's tail was near in September 1881. The conspicuous Comet of that year (Comei 1881 III.) was then so remote as to have ceased to be visible to the naked eye. Comet 1881 VI passed Its perehelion in September, but not near the Earth. Yours Respectfully EDWARD C. PICKERING. EVERETT C. BENTON, ESQ., 20 Kilby Street, Boston, Mass.
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CALAMITIES.
We think the people of Guildhall have been fortunate in the fact of so few calamities ; although at times events have taken place most shocking, while others have been very sad, accidents which seem to have been almost un- called for. We shall not attempt to rehearse all the sad events which have transpired in town, and shall ordy give those of most note. The loss of property by fire, storms, and similar causes has been very light, in comparison with other towns in this vicinity; the loss of life by acci- dents and from contagious diseases has also been light. Guildhall is one of the healthy towns in the State; when we consider the fact of so few deaths from contagion es- pecially in the village, we must be inclined to feel that it is a favored spot; while at Groveton, Lancaster and other places near, large parts of, and in some instances, whole families have been taken away by diphtheria and similar diseases, our village escapes with possibly a few light cases.
This rule has held good in most cases, but one we must give way to a little, and in this instance we understand that Guildhall village had fewer cases than neighboring towns. About the year 1824 this part of the country was visited by a terrible disease in the form of dysentery. and the number of deaths was very great; it raged for over two months. At this time Dr. John Dewey, who was then located in the village, was the leading physician in this section. Hle was constantly with the sick; for weeks at a time did not take off his clothes or lie down for a nights sleep. It is due to his great skill and extraordi- nary perseverance, that the disease was stopped so soon.
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FRESHETS.
At times considerable damage has been experienced by the water in the Connecticut River, and sometimes the smaller streams in town, overflowing their banks. Fall freshets, though not as common and the volume of water not nearly No great are the most destructive, from the fact that many farmers have not harvested all their erops from their lower meadows.
The first freshet we will mention is the fall freshet of 1771. Most carly settlers pitched their tents upon the meadows, with a view of making their residences there, but they were driven off by this freshet; some of their fields were buried in sand to the depth of 2 or 3 feet and they not only lost more or less of their crops for that year but their soil for a number of years. Some of their habi- tations were invaded and taken possession of by the waters.
The next great freshet was in the year 1842, and it happened in a queer time of the year. July 5th., there commenced a heavy rain storm which swelled the streams to a height seldom, if ever, before that time known. Hap- pening as it did, at that season of the year the damage was great to the mills, roads and farms.
We now come to what probably was the greatest rise of water ever known in this section. The Connecticut River was so high that the whole valley looked like a great lake: Guildhall Village was nearly surrounded by water, while opposite in Northumberland Village the streets were covered in many places to a considerable depth, and very heavy damage was done to several of the streets: in some
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instances they were gulled out from 15 to 30 feet deep. Many thought that everything in the vicinity of the falls would surely be swept away, including the toll bridge, saw and grist mills, paper mill, straw shed, and several dwellings ; but luckily, as soon as the waters had passed the mark of its previous highest altitude, the great river seemed to feel satisfied, and slowly the waters receded until the danger was over. This was the great freshet of the spring of 1876.
We next give a very extraordinary occurrence, in the form of the
"NORTHERN ARMY."
This town, with others in the Connecticut Valley, had a queer visitation in the summer of 1770. It was an army of worms which extended from towns in this im- mediate locality to Northfield, Mass. We give what Rev. Grant Powers says of them in his "History of the Coos Country," although greatly abbreviated. "They began to appear during the latter part of July and continu - ed their ravages until September ; the inhabitants denomi- nated them the Northern Army, as they seemed to ad- vanco from the north. They were altogether innumerable for multitude. They were seen so thick that whole fields would be covered, and a man could not put down his finger in a single spot without placing it upon a worm. They were unlike anything that the present generation has ever seen: there was a stripe upon the back like black velvet, on either side a yellow stripe from end to end, and the rest of the body was brown. They were sometimes Peen not larger than a pin, but in their maturity, they were
.
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as long as a man's finger and proportionably large in cir- cumference. They appeared to be in great haste except when they halted to devour their food ; they filled the houses of the inhabitants and entered their kneeding troughs as did the frogs in Egypt; they would go up the side of a house and over it in such a compact column that nothing of boards or shingles could be seen; they did not take hold of the pumpkin vine, peas, potatoes or flax, but wheat and corn disappeared before them as by magic : they would climb up the stalks of wheat, cat off the stalk just below the head and almost as soon as the head had fallen to the ground it was devoured. To prevent this the men would 'draw the rope' as they termed it, that is, two men would take a rope one at each end and pulling from each other until it was nearly straightened, they would then pass through their wheat fields and brush off the worms, and by perpetual action they retarded destruc- tion, but it was doomed finally. The inhabitants also dug trenches around their fields a foot and } deep, but this also failed, as they were soon filled and the millions that were in the rear went over on the backs of their fellows in the trench and took possession of the interdieted food.
About the 1st., of September the worms suddenly disap- peared and where they terminated their carthly career is unknown, for not the carcass of a worm was seen in just 11 years. Afterward in 1781, the same kind of a worm appeared again and the fears of the people were much excited, but they were comparatively few in num- ber. They have never been seen since."
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This was a terrible blow to the new settlement at this place, as it destroyed the principal grains of that year, and had it not been for the two sources open to them, they must have deserted the town : one was the extraordinary crop of pumpkins ; the corn being cut off, tho pumpkins remained untouched by the worms, and they grew aston- ishingly. The other source of support opened to them was by the immense number of pigeons which came through this section immediately upon the disappearance of the worms. Nothing could equal their number unless it was the worms which had preceeded them. One writer says that "they were so thick that 3 men in 10 days captured 400 dozen."
Mr. Fred Smith proved the fact of their being so very plenty when he wound up one of his pleasing stories by saying in substance. "They got the old gun which took a pound of powder and an equally large quantity of shot to load it, and went out into the field before daylight, hiding behind a large pine stump, propping the gun into position upon its top. At daybreak the pigeons began to come from all directions and congregate in the field; at the proper time a hat was thrown among them, which made them rise in the air and the gun was discharged ! The report was tremendous! It took 15 minutes for the smoke to clear away, and when the morning sun began to shine through the breaks in the clouds of smoke they were greatly surprised, astonished and dumbfounded to find that they had not killed a pigeon! ! They had delayed
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a little too long before firing the gun, the pigeons had risen a little too high: but they picked up 13 bushel bas- kets full of legs and toes." The reader must themselves judge how much of this story to believe ; the fact does re- main, however, that pigeons were very thick at that time.
STEAMER "MARION" DISASTER.
We now pass to that terrible disaster, which cast such a gloom over this community, and took from our midst two of our smartest men: wo refer to the accident of May 28th., 1873. For the better and cheaper transportation of ma- terial used in manufacturing the various articles pro- duced by the mills at the village, a company was formed and a small steamboat built, which together with a barge 30 feet long and 12 feet wide, was used to accomplish the aforesaid object. They operated for one or two seasons below the falls ; going down the river several miles, loading the barge and returning; this did not prove to be a very satisfactory undertaking, as they went down stream un- loaded and returned loaded, and as the current in the river is very strong just below the falls it took a long time to return. To overcome this obstacle they proposed to take the steamer and barge above the falls. We give what appears in the Essex County Herald of May 31st., 1873, somewhat changed, yet we think it explains the situation better than we are able to. An accident, resulting in the death of Joseph Chase, of the firm of Robert Chase & Co., and Benjamin F. Poole, son of Jonathan Poole, Jr., occurred here about six o'clock, P. M., May 28th.
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Mr. Chase, for the purpose of moving his barge above the dam, had erected a capstan on the N. H., side of the river, near the end of the toll bridge, and attached the barge to it by a line. The current of the river is very rapid at this place, the water being sufficiently high to cover the dam, making no break where it flows over. Upon this bargo were Mr. Joseph Chase, Mr. Benj. F. Poole, Mr. E. R. Stuart, Mr. Rollin Brown and Mr. Wm. Poole, and fastened to the barge by a short line was a small skiff. As the barge was cast off from the shore, it was quickly carried to the middle of the river by the force of the current, and was slowly drawn up the stream by winding up the rope around the capstan. As the forward end reached the dam the water broke over it; the men at the time being on the rear end. The force of the current immediately carried it under, but not until Mr. Chase, foresecing the accident, had time to cut the skiff loose.
When the barge went down the occupants were at once swept out, and all were struggling in the rapids. Mr. Chase unfortunately became entangled in a piece of line which was attached to the barge. The men in charge of the eap- stan, seeing the accident, let go the line which held the barge, and allowed it to float down the stream. As soon as the strain on the line on the capstan was loosened the barge floated, but it was filled with water. Mr. Chase was then seen for the last time alive struggling in the water below the barge, and as it flonted down stream it went over him and held by the line in which he was thus eu- tangled he met his death.
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In the meantime the others had made for the skiff which in some way was capsized and filled with water. All succeeded in reaching it with the exception of Rollin Brown, he finding himself sinking threw up his arms. Stuart seeing the sign of distress, left the skiff to which he was clinging and went to his assistance; both went under once, but rose again to the surface, when by great effort they reached the boat, to which they clung as it floated. Franklin Poole at the first sinking of the barge went down, but coming up, succeeded in reaching the boat, but being seized with a fit of coughing, and doubtless strangled by the water, he fell from the boat and sank to rise no moro ; his body remained in the river until the 10th., of June, when it was found about two miles below where the accident had taken place, and tho people here felt greatly relieved as they thought the body would never be recovered; although searching for him was constantly kept up. Mr. Chase was found under the barge with a line wound around one leg below the knee, which had been drawn so tightly as to plainly mark his leg through his clothing. Every effort was made to re- suscitate him but in vain; life was extinct when he was taken from the water. Hle was under the water 10 to 15 minutes, and had in some manner received a bruise, the marks of which were plainly visible on his forehead. Those who sought safety on the skiff, with the exception of Poole, were rescued after having drifted about 30 or 40 rods don n the stream in the current.
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That any were saved from the perilous position is the chief cause of wonder. It is generally believed by those who witnessed the scene, that but for the presence of mind and manly efforts of E. R. Stuart, Rollin Brown must also have been drowned. Much credit is due him for his noble conduct, and the consciousness of having saved the life of a fellow mortal, is doubtless a sweet reward.
Mr. Chase's death was a sad loss to our village. Mr. Poole, though not so generally known, nor so prominently connected with the business interests of the place, was equally missed by the circle of his friends and acquaint- ances, as he was of a kind and obliging disposition, and had many warm friends. Mr. Poole was in the 27th., year of his age, and Mr. Chase in his 41st., year. Both were unmarried.
CHAPTER IX.
Mr. Osgood's Mill-Mr. Bartlett's Mill-Dean Brook-Mills at the falls in the village-Carding Mill-Potashes-Hat Facto- ries-Blacksmiths --- Trade --- Hotels --- Maidstone Lake --- Physicians.
The proprietors of the early town were zealous in their endeavors to promote the settlement of their lands and from the record of a meeting held March 18th., 1779, we find the following: "Whereas Mr. Abner Osgood is building a grist mill in said township, which we suppose will be of great advantage to the settlers, and to encourage him in so good an undertaking-Voted, that we will give him, in case he effects said work, one whole dividing right or share of each proprietor, and that he have liberty to lay out one hundred acres of said right at the place where he builds the grist mill, to be in a square piece, half on one side of the stream and half on the other where he builds said mill; provided, he completes said mill and continues to keep it in good repair, and will hold the same by and under the proprietors." This is from the proprietors records of the town of Mailstone, as they then supposed their town line extended beyond this place; but the mills were built in Guildhall and although Mr. Osgood lost what Maidstone promised, our town more than made his loss good.
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