The
Flood of October, 1955 was devastating to the local communities
along the Norwalk and Saugatuck River. Millions of dollars
and several lives were lost as a result of the estimated 12.58
to 13.88 inches of rain (reports on the amount of rain varied
greatly) that fell between Friday Oct. 14 and Sunday Oct.
16th, 1955. Below are articles and facts relating to the flood
that raged 52 years ago this October.
Enjoy
the History of Georgetown and please return for future updates
of Georgetown and it's history. Please let me know if there
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The
Flood of October, 1955
by Brent M. Colley
In
1955, the worst natural disasters to strike Connecticut since
the hurricane of 1938 occurred within a 2-month span. Two
hurricanes, one tropical storm and a pair of floods ravaged
homes and businesses throughout the state in the months of
August and October.
The
August disaster was a result of back-to-back hurricanes in
mid-August 1955. Hurricanes Connie and Diane arrived toward
the end of a wetter-than-usual summer, combining to drop over
24 inches of rain on the Northern regions of Connecticut between
August 13th and August 20th , leaving record levels of flooding
and widespread havoc in their wake.
Many
Connecticut rivers, particularly the Housatonic, Naugatuck,
Still, Quinebaug, Mad, and Farmington, overflowed their banks
as never before; towns and cities in Litchfield and Hartford
counties were particularly hard hit. The downtowns of many
cities were devastated, including Winsted where the downtown
was completely washed away. Property damage mounted into the
tens of millions of dollars. Almost 100 people were killed,
an estimated 4,700 were injured, and countless others were
left homeless.
Surprisingly,
towns and residents of the Norwalk and Saugatuck Watershed
in the Southwestern section of Connecticut did not sustain
rainfall accumulations as high as those to the north and were
spared of flood conditions in August. Their time was yet to
come.
In
October, a four day tropical storm dumped an additional 12-14
inches of rain on southwest New England. This event was not
as widespread as the August storms; however, the Flood of
October, 1955 was devastating to the local communities along
the Norwalk and Saugatuck Rivers. Millions of dollars and
several lives were lost as a result of the rains that fell
between Friday Oct. 14 and Monday Oct. 17th, 1955.
*Newspaper
reports from several local publications varied greatly on
the amount of rain and the amount of time it fell in. These
numbers varied from the 12.58 inches reported by Georgetown
Weatherman's George Howes to as much as 13.88 inches reported
in Ridgefield. The timeframe also varied from 36 hours to
48 hours depending on source of information. Regardless of
the exact amount and timeframe, a great deal of rain fell
upon an already saturated watershed on the weekend of October
14th, 1955.
All
of Fairfield County was hit, but Branchville, Georgetown,
Norwalk, Wilton and sections of Ridgefield were hit worse,
because of the Norwalk River.
According
to Charles Howes, Georgetown's weather observer, and his assistant
Conrad Borgensen. Starting at 7am on Friday morning, Mr. Howes
recorded .62 inches by 5:30pm, and another 2 inches by midnight.
By noon Saturday another 2.23 inches had fallen; and during
the next 24 hours 7.82 inches of rain was dumped upon this
area.
By
mid-afternoon Saturday, the Georgetown Fire Department and
all available men were stationed at the bridges into town
and at Branchville. The danger: fire and/or explosions from
the washed-out gasoline tanks of the Branchville Motors garage,
their contents riding the crest of the flood, causing alarm
for several hours.
By
6pm the Norwalk River had flooded Route 7 from Branchville
Station to just south of the Georgetown Motors garage. The
Branchville train station, businesses and homes in the area
were swamped, the bridge near Branchville cemetary completely
washed away.
Shortly
after 6pm residents were evacuated from Branchville and Georgetown,
some by boat, others by heavy-duty trucks. Residents that
did not have relatives or friends they could not reach in
the area were taken the Georgetown Firehouse where they remained
overnight.
The
Press reported the Peatt family on Mamanasco Lake brought
in boats and "went to Branchville to rescue some people whose
houses were surrounded by still rising waters of the Norwalk
River."
Nazzareno
Ancona reported seeing the gas station on Route 7 flooded
with water half-way up the garage door, water coming in the
back door and coming out the front door "bringing everything
with it," he said.
The
dam at Perry's Pond, on Route 53, above Georgetown (now Route
107) gave way a little before 9pm Saturday night sending a
rush of water into the heart of Georgetown. In addition, there
was a landslide about a half mile up Route 53 (now Route 107),
but cars were able to get through.
At
9pm a northbound train out of Norwalk came to a halt in the
"wilds" between Honey Hill and Seeley Roads in Cannondale.
The stalled train and its 83 passengers would remain stranded
for the next 14 hours until three U.S. Army helicopters were
able to airlift them to safety in a rescue mission that spanned
3 hours. They were all transported to Danbury via buses.
By
10:30pm water was 4 feet deep in the center of Georgetown.
Factory pond was so high that residents later reported water
up to their porches on Portland Avenue.
The
nearly 8 inches of rain that fell between Saturday and Sunday
taxed the dams along the Norwalk River, in all likelyhood
already fatigued by the storms of August, to such an extent
that at approximately 10:30pm the dam at Great Pond gave way,
sending a surge of water through the Norwalk River Valley
with such force that all dams and most of the bridges in its
path crumbled in its wrath.
The
concrete bridge on Route 7 which is parallel to the railroad
trestle (between DeLuca's Hardware and Bob Sharp), crashed
into the river just before 11pm Saturday night, and shortly
after that the trestle, undermined by the flood waters, collapsed
as well leaving the tracks still spanning the river, but with
no visable means of support.
At
approximately 11pm, there was an audible "pop" as the embankment
surrounding the the dam that had served the Gilbert & Bennett
factory for over 100 years gave way sending water levels in
Georgetown and through the factory to heights estimated from
8 to 12 feet deep.
Connery's
Lumber Yard was washed away when the dam broke at the factory,
and evidences of it could be found as far down the Norwalk
River as Cannondale.
It's
safe to say Harold Connery was a good humored man... Following
the Flood, Harold was asking all his customers downstream
if they had received the shipments of lumber he sent them.
The
dam at the "old mill" (Old Mill Road) went shorty after the
dam at the factory gave way, sending more tons of water down
the valley.
As
dams to the north succumbed to the avalanche of water surging
down the valley, Cannondale and Wilton were next in the river's
path of destruction. Flood waters inflicted heavy damage on
the New Haven Railroad tracks at several points in Wilton.
The trestle in Cannondale, just below what was left of the
Cannon Grange Hall, collapsed. At the northern approach to
the Cannondale trestle, the tracks twisted crazily off their
embankment; and were seriously undermined at several other
points throughout Wilton.
Four
Wilton bridges spanning the Norwalk River - at Honey Hill,
Seeley, Old Ridgefield, and Kent Roads - were wiped out, as
were bridges at Silver Spring and Cedar Roads. Washouts made
other bridges at Old Mill Road, Wolfpit Road, Arrowhead Road
and Cannondale impassable; but these washouts and others in
Silvermine were patched up with gravel on Monday and Tuesday
by town road crews and contractors.
In
houses along Cottage Row in the center of Wilton which frequently
experienced cellar floods but nothing worse, the water rose
above the main floors- almost to the ceilings in the Grover
Bradley and George Barringer homes. The home of Mrs. Millie
Beers in South Wilton was twisted off its foundation. Mrs.
Beers was rescued by two firemen.
The
Silvermine River in the southwest corner of Wilton also went
on a rampage. Several families along the river fled their
homes as the raging waters threatened to wash them away. Many
evacuees spent the night with neighbors; several families
slept in the Wilton Congregational Church and parsonage, the
firehouse and town hall.
Over
in Redding the damage was primarily roadway and bridge wash-outs
along the Saugatuck and its tributaries.
The
small brook that courses down Route 53 (now 107), at the top
of the Glen Hill, became a raging torrent undermining the
road there. The road was passable until late Monday afternoon
when, S. Harold Samuelson, first selectman of Redding, ordered
the road closed.
Halfway
down the Glen Hill, a landslide blocked the highway until
Sunday afternoon, when a bulldozer pushed a one-way lane through
it. At the foot of Glen Hill, the road was impassable over
the bridge at the junction of Routes 53 and 107; the bridge
withstood the raging Saugatuck, but the roadway was completely
washed away on either side. On Monday afternoon, a car was
still standing in a deep hole that had been the approach to
the bridge, leaning crazily against a telephone pole. Further
downstream was another car in the river. Its occupants had
abandoned it on the road Saturday night.
Upstream
was the site of the tragedy which saddened the whole town.
At the Diamond Hill Road bridge, Edward Arthur Phoenix, 53,
and his wife, Veronica, 47, of Fox Run Road lost their lives
on Saturday night when the Phoenix's car was swept into the
river below the bridge. Mr. and Mrs. Phoenix were coming home
from dinner at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Blair of Great
Pasture Road.
A
three and one-half hour frantic and near successful attempt
to rescue Mrs. Phoenix from a tree, after her husband had
been swept to his death, made the tradegy even more horrifying.
While volunteer firemen and neighbors tried vainly to reach
her in the darkness she clung doggedly to the tree, aware
of the efforts to save her. But at length her strength failed
and she fell into the river and drowned. At one time the rescuers
were within 20 feet of the tree but were turned aside by the
tremendous force of the torrent.
An
Army helicopter spotted the women's body Monday Morning, 1,500
feet from the Diamond Hill Bridge. Mr. Phoenix's body was
recovered early Tuesday about 50 feet further downstream.
All
approaches to West Redding were blocked; not a bridge was
left intact by the tributaries of the Saugatuck River. Route
53 all the way to Bethel was blocked, the only route to Bethel
or Danbury left open was the Black Rock Turnpike, which people
reached by devious ways.
The
Aftermath
The
Red Cross survey team of Morris Earle, disaster chairman;
Thomas Donahue and J. Andrew Squires reported that 9 businesses
along the Norwalk River suffered total loss of inventory;
26 received major flood damage ranging up to total loss, and
19 suffered minor damage. They said the water reached the
first flood or higher in 70 houses along the Norwalk River,
and probably more than 15 others in southwest and southeast
corners of town. More than 1,000 cellars were flooded, they
estimated.
Hardest
hit in this area was Georgetown where the Gilbert and Bennett
Manufacturing plant's dam gave way, sending nine feet of rampaging
river water rolling down Main Street wiping out stocks and
equipment in restaurants, groceries and other business establishments,
and undermined several buildings.
Along
Main Street, the damage was incredible. The new Calso Building,
which housed Sansevieri's Barber Shop (opened just 3 weeks
prior to the flood), J.C. Driscoll's Real Estate (opened just
one week prior to the flood) suffered heavy damage. Steve's
Bakery which open just 2 week prior to the flood was considered
a complete loss. Bonsignore's Market was also a total loss.
The Local Shoemaker, Georgetown Electric, Sabilia's Liquor
store, Georgetown Restaurant, Bennie's Restaurant, Perry's
Market all ruined. Connery Brothers' new building supply store
withstood the flood, being on higher ground. The main store,
on the opposite side of Route 57, while undamaged, stood as
an island, the surrounding highway being washed away.
The
three garages in Branchville: Branchville Service and Oil,
Branchville Motors and Georgetown Motors were all damaged
by the flood. Branchville Motors the worst of all. Archie
Parent, the owner, had gotten his used cars to higher ground
before they were washed away, but most of his supplies were
down by the river Sunday morning.
Route
7 was flooded and washed out in several places, including
the concrete bridge near Sunset Pass in Georgetown (Bob Sharp
Motors, DeLuca's Plaza area) which fell into the river on
Saturday night. Traffic was detoured at that point via Old
Danbury Road and across the much older bridge which withstood
the flood.
Traffic
through the town was re-routed to so many different roads,
that most people stopped to ask "is such and such road open?",
rather than take the chance of finding that the road was blocked.
Roads that were passable Sunday and even Monday, suddenly
developed breaks, and people who didn't have to travel were
being asked to remain at home.
Wilton's
and Ridgefield's flood problems were further complicated by
the Silvermine River's undermining of the Silvermine Bridge
on Merritt Parkway in Norwalk. Parkway and Route 1 traffic
was detoured up Wilton-Westport Road to the Route 7 traffic
light in Wilton and up the Ridgefield-Wilton Road to Route
35 at the Ridgefield Congregational Church.
Local
police, firemen and Red Cross and Civil Defense volunteers
directed traffic at the intersections along the detour. Cars
and heavy trucks moved slowly bumper to bumper along the entire
route much of Sunday afternoon and at frequent intervals during
the four days that followed.
The
Press reported on Oct. 20, 1955: 90% of roads were "washed
out to some degree."
Hard-surfaced
and gravel roads in most areas were washed out by drain water
or small streams which burst over their culverts, ripping
deep holes in the highways.
All
Wilton Schools were ordered closed in the week following the
flood, primarily as a health measure, due to the possibility
that the water supplies at the Junior High, Center School
and Gorham House may have been contaminated. Center School
was also without heat, since its electric motors were knocked
out by flood waters.
Disruption
of bus route by road and bridge washouts also contributed
to school closings; school officials and bus contractors worked
on route revisions all week.
Some
700 persons who lived or worked in the flooded areas bared
their arms for Typhoid shots Monday and Tuesday, at an emergency
clinic set up at Wilton Town Hall by Dr. Henry Appelbaum,
public health director.
Governor
Abraham Ribicoff and his aides landed in two Army helicopters
at the playground of the Gilbert & Bennett school Tuesday
afternoon, to see first-hand the damage to Georgetown and
Redding. The governor was greeted by Harold Samuelson, Redding's
First Selectman; John H. Mulliken, president of Gilbert &
Bennett Manufacturing Company, and other company officials.
Escorted by state police, the governor made a tour of the
factory, then later took off to fly over Redding.
While
in Georgetown, Governor Ribicoff also inspected damage along
Main Street and walked into Kearn General Store which was
among those washed out when the nine foot wall of water hit
Main Street. Operated by Herbert Kearns and his family for
49 years, the store had missed few, if any days of business
in that time. When it was moved 30 or 40 feet to make room
for the new highway (Rt. 107), business went on as usual.
"What
are you going to do now?" the governor asked as he gazed around
the soaked merchandise and three inches of muck on the floor.
"Governor,
I just don't know," Mr. Kearns replied, "I haven't made up
my mind yet."
The
Clean-up
The
volunteer effort in the aftermath of this great disaster exemplifies
the character of the individuals living in this area at this
time period. Dogged, gritty, determined, steadfast, unwavering
are words that come to mind when recounting the clean-up efforts
and acts of neighborly kindness in this time of tragedy.
Gilbert
and Bennett employees, the Georgetown Fire Department and
all available men and women in the area took part in the heart-breaking
task of cleaning up Georgetown, a job they had been at since
Saturday night.
The
flood caused almost $1 million worth of damage to the Gilbert
and Bennett mill alone.
*John
Mulliken recalled in 1959 that: "It took us 137 years to get
together a little over $800,000 in Government Bonds and they
went out the window in less than an hour when the flood hit
us."
Despite
the destruction, the company reopened two months later as
employees and local contractors joined together in the clean
up effort and in spite of the flood's devastation the company
still produced 2.6 million miles of wire in 1955...an amount
that would reach 104 times around the world.
The
Georgetown and Redding fire departments sent men and pumps
out to empty flooded cellars so that people could get their
heating units in working condition. Some of these men worked
around the clock for 3 days.
Members
of the Civilian Defense units were also on duty in Branchville,
Georgetown and Redding. Many of them up to Tuesday morning
had had no sleep since the flood struck the area, and few
of them had hope of being relieved.
With
many people in Branchville, Georgetown and Redding low on
food, neighbors with operational freezers helped out those
less fortunate.
Harold
Connery, head of Connery Brothers, sent his trucks to Bethel
and Danbury to for additional food and supplies. Connery's
was the only food store in town undamaged by the flood, but
he did not rejoice in his good fortune, instead he served
those in need.
Wilton
health director, Dr. Henry Applebaum, obtained from the State
a supply of lime for decontaminating water supplies and buildings.
It was made available at the town hall in Wilton, together
with decontamination instructions.
All
men, working in the flood areas, such as the Gilbert and Bennett
factory, received typhoid inoculations from Dr. P.T. McIlroy.
Mrs. Julius Johnson assisted Dr. McIlroy in the mass inoculations.
Could
it happen again?
We
must keep in mind that flooding is a natural process for rivers,
producing many beneficial side effects such as the distribution
of fresh water over a wide area to replenish groundwater supplies
that are critical for the private wells that many households
depend upon. But in a congested region like Fairfield County,
floods can also pose a great threat to life and property.
The
Norwalk River has not had a significant flood since 1955.
A modern repeat of the 1955 flood would do over $21 million
in damage along the river. On the 50th anniversary of the
Flood of '55 perhaps it is appropriate to point out three
simple steps that both local municipalities and residents
can take to help lessen the dangers of flooding in our area.
Wetland
Conservation
The
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourages the
use of wetlands for flood and storm water detention in lieu
of, or in conjunction with traditional structural flood control
measures. Wetlands can play an important role in flood prevention
by capturing and gradually releasing floodwater, rain, and
snow melt back into the watercourse, thus lowering peak flows
downstream. In addition, the physical structure of wetland
vegetation can impede the flow of flood waters, thereby reducing
erosion, and preventing downstream damage to houses and other
structures. Wetlands also help to remove pollutants from water,
cleaning streams and lakes, thereby reducing the cost of drinking
water treatment.
The
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has recognized the value of
wetlands in preventing flood damage. In 1983, the Corps concluded
that conserving wetlands was a less expensive solution to
flooding than the construction of dikes and dams.
Increase
Riparian Buffers, Decrease Flood Severity
Healthy
riparian zones can reduce severity of flooding during heavy
rains in three ways:
The
stream's natural characteristics are preserved. Vegetation
on and above the streambank provides friction against moving
water, which slows it down so water is not delivered downstream
as quickly. Water that floods into such an area also re-enters
the main channel slowly. A meandering stream increases the
storage potential of the channel, once again, slowing water
movement and reducing flood potential.
Native
trees, shrubs, and grasses route water under ground. The
dense stems of grass, shrubs, and trees in the riparian zone
further slow water, allowing it to infiltrate into the "soil
sponge." Root systems of this vegetation keep pores of the
soil open so that two to three times more water can enter
the soil compared to a soil used for cultivation or grazing.
Water in the soil is released slowly into the stream.
Transpiration
of plants reduces water in the soil. Trees, shrubs, and
grass use large amounts of water in transpiration. Several
thousand gallons per acre of water are used by plants each
day, thereby drying the soil and making more room in the "soil
sponge" for floodwater. The transpiration process also is
responsible for taking large amounts of nutrients and chemicals
into plants where much of it is locked up in storage.
Do
your part...Don't Dump Leaves into Waterways or Wetlands
Whether
it's in the spring when homeowners, renters, and professional
yardmen are hastening to rake up last fall's leaves and cut
back deadwood to encourage the new growth that has started
to push through the earth or it's during the great fall cleanup,
any time is a good time to remember that none of those raked
leaves and collected clippings should find their way into
any waterway or wetland.
Excess
leaves can clog culverts, fill ponds or the backside of a
dam, and make the river shallower and more prone to flooding
or the need for expensive dredging. Property owners should
let anyone who works with them or for them know that this
material should not be blown or dumped into any river, pond,
or wetland. No matter which waterway or wetland is a dumping
target, dumping in those sensitive areas can have serious
consequences.
Media
and individuals can download the
article here.
To
view photos of the flood, click
here.
For
further information of the Norwalk River Watershed, visit
www.norwalkriver.org.
Articles
on the Flood of 1955:
Rivers
on Ramage: Flood Damage Heavy
Wilton Bulletin
October
19, 2005
The
Red Cross survey team of Morris Earle, disaster chairman;
Thomas Donahue and J. Andrew Squires reported that 9 businesses
along the Norwalk River suffered total loss of inventory;
26 received major flood damage ranging up to total loss, and
19 suffered minor damage. They said the water reached the
first flood or higher in 70 houses along the Norwalk River,
and probably more than 15 others in southwest and southeast
corners of town. More than 1,000 cellars were flooded, they
estimated.
Georgetown
Hit Hard- Hardest hit in this area was Georgetown where
the Gilbert and Bennett Manufacturing plant was knocked out,
and nine feet of rampaging river water rolled down Main Street
wiping out stocks and equipment in restaurants, groceries
and other business establishments, and undermined several
buildings.
Wilton
too- The Silvermine River in the southwest corner of Wilton
also went on a rampage. Several families along the river fled
their homes as the raging waters threatened to wash them away.
Many evacuees spent the night with neighbors; several families
slept in the Wilton Congregational Church and parsonage, the
firehouse and town hall.
In
houses along Cottage Row in the center of Wilton which have
frequently experiences cellar floods but noting worse, the
water rose above the main floors- almost to the ceilings in
the Grover Bradley and George Barringer homes. The home of
Mrs. Millie Beers in South Wilton was twisted off its foundation.
Mrs. Beers was rescued by two firemen.
Two
Killed in Redding- There were no deaths in Wilton, although
eight people were trapped in treetops by swirling, inky waters
near the Junior High School for several hours before rescuers
finally reached them. Edward Arthur Phoenix,
53, and his wife, Veronica, 47, of Fox Run Road, Redding,
were drowned when their car was swept over the Diamond Hill
Road bridge over the Saugatuck River in Redding.
Wilton's
only reported casualties were First Selectman Harry A. Marhoffer
who suffered a cut of his left eye about midnight Saturday
when a town truck crashed through undermined pavement near
the bridge at Nod Hill and Olmstead Hill Roads, and Ronald
Heinbaugh who sustained a broken ankle while retrieving lumber
Sunday. Although the town truck's headlights were submerged
in the rushing water, Kenneth Lawson, the driver, was able
to back the four-wheel-vehicle out of its predicament. Thomas
Harris administered first aid to Harry Marhoffer at the Harris
home nearby.
Four
Wilton bridges spanning the Norwalk River - at Honey Hill,
Seeley, Old Ridgefield, and Kent Roads - were wiped out, as
were bridges at Silver Spring and Cedar Roads. Washouts made
other bridges at Old Mill Road, Wolfpit Road, Arrowhead Road
and Cannondale impassable; but these washouts and others in
Silvermine were patched up with gravel on Monday and Tuesday
by town road crews and contractors.
Route
7 Closed- Route 7 was flooded and washed out in several
places, including a concrete bridge near Sunset Pass in Georgetown
which was undermined and fell into the river. Traffic is being
detoured at that point via Old Danbury Road and across a much
older bridge which withstood the flood.
Flood
waters inflicted heavy damage on the New Haven Railroad tracks
at several points in Wilton. Trestle in Georgetown and in
Cannondale, just below what is leaft of the Cannon Grange
Hall, collapsed. At the Georgetown trestle (Bob Sharp Motors),
the tracks still span the river, but with no visable means
of support.
At
the northern approach to the Cannondale trestle, the tracks
are twisted crazily off their embankment; and they are seriously
undermined at several other points throughout Wilton. Most
Wilton commuters stayed home on Monday, but by Tuesday morning
they were organizing carpools to connect with trains in Stamford.
Train
Passengers Marooned- Eighty-three persons aboard a northbound
New Haven train were stranded between Honey Hill and Seeley
Roads about 9pm Saturday when tracks north and south of Cannondale
became undermined. The trapped passengers were rescued Sunday
morning by three Army helicopters which ferried them to buses
at the Cannondale station.
Among
those lifted from the train were Miles Pennybacker of Redding
and his five-year-old granddaughter who were traveling through
Wilton by car Sunday night when they were stopped by inundation
of Route 7 along the Agoes Property in Georgetown. They backtracked
across Honey Hill Road (before the bridge went out) to Mather
Street, but their car stalled. Walking back toward Cannondale
along the railroad tracks they came upon the stalled train,
where they spent the night. In the morning they were taken
to the Edward Saunders home of Sugar Loaf Drive. Marshall
Drake of Skunk Lane, ham radio operator, sent out a message
notifying Mrs. Pennybacker of their safety.
In
Cannondale, Mrs. Ann K. Hard was swept into the river and
knocked unconsious Saturday evening when she stepped from
her car to check the condition of the road near her home.
She was hauled to safety by James Burke and George Takacs
and revived at the Takacs home. Mrs. Hard lost her wristwatch
and pocketbook; Mr. Burke lost his glasses.
Later
that night Mrs. Hard's home on a high bank above Cannondale
pond, became a refuge for 25 persons, including five families
in that neighborhood.
In
Silvermine four families were evacuated from one house and
spent the night with neighbors. Four other families were housed
Saturday night in the firehouse, and the Red Cross found quarters
for them in other homes on Sunday. By Wednesday most, if not
all, evacuees had returned to their own homes.
Families
Isolated- Several families were isolated from the rest
of the town all or part of Saturday night and most of Sunday.
These included the Robert Watson and Edward Agoes families
on Route 7 Georgetown, all occupants of the Arrowhead Road
development, and those on Meadowbrook Farm Road where the
bridge collapsed near Ridgefield Road.
Hard-surfaced
and gravel roads in all sections of town were washed out in
many places by drain water or small streams which burst over
culverts and ripped deep holes in the highways. These widespread
washouts were partly responsible for the closing of schools
this week as school buses have been unable to travel their
routes.
Rising
waters stopped just short of the street floor Barringer Block
in Wilton Center, but inflicted heavy losses on the basement
level where Wilton Cleaners, George Maljanian, Mr. Barringer
and the shoemaker suffered total losses. Heavy inventory losses
were felt by the Wilton Pharmacy, Center Book Store and the
Trading Post.
Traffic
Problems- Wilton's and Ridgefield's flood problems were
further complicated by the Silvermine River's undermining
of the Merritt Parkway in Norwalk. Parkway and Route 1 traffic
has been detoured up Wilton-Westport Road to to the Route
7 traffic light in Wilton and up the Ridgefield-Wilton Road
to Route 35 at the Ridgefield Congregational Church.
Local
police, firemen and Red Cross and Civil Defense volunteers
have been directing traffic at the intersections along the
detour. Cars and heavy trucks moved slowly bumper to bumper
along the entire route much of Sunday afternoon and at frequent
intervals during the four days that followed.
Flood
Clean-up Under Way: Many Stories of Heroism
By Eleanor Pryor, Wilton Bulletin
October
19, 1995
Georgetown
- The Georgetown Fire Department and all available men are
working on the heart-breaking task of cleaning up Georgetown,
a job they have been at since Saturday night. The stories
of individual heroism are so numerous that it is impossible
to tell them all.
Long
before the dam at the Gilbert and Bennett Manufacturing factory
broke, firemen had stationed themselves at all bridges into
town, and at Branchville, where the Norwalk River by 6pm Saturday
had flooded a section of Route 7, from the Branchville railroad
station to a point south of the Georgetown Motors garage.
People
were being evacuated at Branchville and Georgetown along Main
Street. Some of them were taken out by boat by firemen. People
who had no relatives or friends they could reach, were taken
to the firehouse, where they remained for the night. By 10:30pm,
water was four feet deep in the center of Georgetown. When
the dam broke at 11pm the water rose to 8 feet. The first
floor of the factory was flooded and filled with debris. The
house occupied by Stenaway Mendick and his family was almost
completed washed away. Part of it stood in midair, most of
the foundation completed destroyed.
Along
Main Street, the damage is incredible. The new Calso Building,
which housed Sansevieri's Barber Shop (opened just 3 weeks
prior to the flood), J.C. Driscoll's Real Estate (opened just
one week prior to the flood) suffered heavy damage. Steve's
Bakery which open just 2 week prior to the flood was considered
a complete loss. Bonsignore's Market was also a total loss.
The Local Shoemaker, Georgetown Electric, Sabilia's Liquor
store, Georgetown Restaurant, Bennie's Restaurant, Perry's
Market all ruined. Connery Brothers' new building supply store
withstood the flood, being on higher ground. The main store,
on the opposite side of Route 57, while undamaged, stands
as an island, the surrounding highway being washed away.
The
occupants of the houses along Main Street were rescued by
boat by members of the Georgetown Fire Department.
Connery's
Lumber Yard was washed away when the dam broke at the factory,
and evidences of it can be found as far down the Norwalk River
as Cannondale.
It's
safe to say Harold Connery was a good humored man... Following
the Flood, Harold was asking all his customers downstream
if they had received the shipments of lumber he sent them.
The
dam at the "old mill" (Old Mill Road) went when
the dam at the factory gave way, sending more tons of water
down the valley.
The
concrete bridge on Route 7 which is parallel to the railroad
trestle (between DeLuca's Hardware and Bob Sharp), crashed
into the river before 11pm Saturday night, and shortly after
that the trestle, undermined by the flood waters, collapsed.
Minutes later, the side of the dam at the factory burst. The
bridge on the old section of Route 7 held, and that is the
only means of travel to Branchville.
Traffic
through the town has been re-routed to so many different roads,
that most people now stop to ask "is such and such road
open?", rather than take the chance of finding that the
road is blocked. Roads that were passable Sunday and even
Monday, suddenly developed breaks, and people who don't have
to travel are being asked to remain at home.
The
dam at Perry's Pond, on Route 53, above Georgetown (now Route
107) gave way before 9pm Saturday night. There was a landslide
about a half mile up Route 53, but cars were able to get through.
The small brook that courses down Route 53, at the top of
the Glen Hill, became a raging torrent and undermined the
road. The road was passable until late Monday afternoon, S.
Harold Samuelson, first selectman of Redding, ordered the
road closed.
Halfway
down the Glen Hill, a landslide blocked the highway until
Sunday afternoon, when a bulldozer pushed a one-way lane through
it. At the foot of Glen Hill, the road was impassable over
the bridge at the junction of Routes 53 and 107; the bridge
withstood the raging Saugatuck, but the road was washed away
on either side. Monday afternoon, a car was still in a deep
hole that had been the approach to the bridge, leaning crazily
against a telephone pole. Further downstream was another car
in the river. Its occupants had abandoned it on the road Saturday
night. Upstream was the site of the tragedy which has saddened
the whole town, at Diamond Hill Road bridge, where Mr. and
Mrs. Edward Phoenix lost their lives. The Phoenix car is still
in the river below the bridge.
All
approaches to West Redding are blocked; not a bridge was left
intact by the tributaries of the Saugatuck River. Route 53
all the way to Bethel was blocked, and the other route left
open to Bethel or Danbury was the Black Rock Turnpike, which
people reached by devious ways.
While
many people in Redding were low on food, neighbors with freezers
helped out those less fortunate. Harold Connery, head of Connery
Brothers, sent his trucks to Bethel and Danbury to get additional
supplies. His is the only food store in town undamaged by
the flood.
The
three garages in Branchville, the Branchville Service and
Oil, Branchville Motors and Georgetown Motors were damged
by the flood. Branchville Motors the worst of all. Archie
Parent, the owner, had gotten his used cars to higher ground
before they were washed away, but most of his supplies were
down by the river Sunday morning. A car, owned by Brian Johnson,
still stands upside down, just off Route 7 in Branchville
where the flood left it.
A
danger of fire from the washed-out gasoline tanks, their contents
riding the crest of the flood, caused alarm for several hours
Saturday night. These tanks were from Branchville Motors garage.
All
men, who have been working in the flood areas, such as the
Gilbert and Bennett factory, are receiving typhoid inoculations
from Dr. P.T. McIlroy. Mrs. Julius Johnson is assisting Dr.
McIlroy in the mass inoculations.
Members
of the Civilian Defense units have been on duty in Branchville,
Georgetown and Redding since the flood struck the area. Many
of them up to Tuesday morning had had no sleep, and few of
them had hope of being relieved.
The
Georgetown and Redding fire departments were sending men and
pumps out to attempt to empty flooded cellars so that people
could get their heating units in working condition. Some of
these men have worked around the clock for 3 days.
Two
Drown in Flooded Saugatuck
Redding
- A double funeral service will be held at Sacred Heart Church
in Georgetown Thursday morning at 9am for Mr. and Mrs. Edward
Phoenix of Diamond Hill Road who drowned Saturday night in
the town's greatest flood tradegy.
A
three and one-half hour frantic and near successful attempt
to rescue Mrs. Phoenix from a tree, after her husband had
been swept to his death, made the tradegy even more horrifying.
While volunteer firemen and neighbors tried vainly to reach
her in the darkness she clung doggedly to the tree, aware
of the efforts to save her. But at length her strength failed
and she fell into the river and drowned. At one time the rescuers
were within 20 feet of the tree but were turned aside by the
tremendous force of the torrent.
Mr.
and Mrs. Phoenix had gone to dinner at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Matthew Blair of Great Pasture Road about 2 miles away
Saturday evening, leaving their 14 year-old son at home. When
the lights went out Teddy telephoned to his parent to ask
when they'd be home. "We're just leaving." his mother
said. Teddy lit some candles and later went to sleep while
reading. Two hours later he awoke and telephoned to the Blair
home. His parents had left right after his phone call.
Mr.
Blair, unable to get to the Phoenix home, telephoned Hugh
Donnell who took Teddy to his house without telling the lad
of the tradegy.
Mrs.
Phoenix's plight was first discovered when Mrs. Howard L.
Mueller, known to TV audiences as "Susan Adams,"
saw the lights of an automobile on the river below her apartment
above the Mark Twain Library. She telephoned police and firemen
while her husband investigated. Mr. Mueller found the car
afloat with both doors open.
One
of the rescuers with a flashlight spotted Mrs. Phoenix clinging
to the tree. Mr. Blair dived into the raging river to try
to swim to her. Four other men were vainly trying to reach
her in a rowboat. Other labored with ropes and ladders. They
called to her in the darkness, urging her to hold fast.
Alfred
Venning and Raymond Beaudry, Redding Fire Chiefs, had swum
to within 20 feet of her and George W. Banks was within 30
feet of her when her grip loosened and she was swept away.
An
Army helicopter spotted the women's body Monday Morning, 1,500
feet from the Diamond Hill Bridge. Mr. Phoenix's body was
recovered early Tuesday about 50 feet further downstream.
Mr.
Phoenix, manager of market surveys for John-Manville sales
corparation, was 56 years old. A native of Chicago, he had
been with John-Manville companies since 1915. Mrs. Phoenix
was the former Veronica Shannon also of Chicago.
Governor
Views Flood Damage in Georgetown
Governor
Abraham Ribicoff and his aides landed in two Army helicopters
at the playground of the Gilbert & Bennett school yesterday
afternoon, to see first-hand the damage to Georgetown and
Redding. The governor was greeted by Harold Samuelsoon, Redding's
First Selectman; John H. Mulliken, president of Gilbert &
Bennett Manufacturing Company, and other company officials.
Escorted by State Police, the governor made a tour of the
factory, then later took off to fly over Redding.
Mr.
Samuelson, who had expected to accompany the group through
the factory and then on a tour of Redding, received an emergency
call just as he entered the factory, and had to leave.
This
morning Mr. Samuelson said that as yet it is impossible to
estimate the damage to town roads and businesses until further
study has been made. He said he would propably have complete
figures next week, after he conferred with businessmen and
highway officials.
While
in Georgetown, Governor Ribicoff also inspected damage along
Main Street and walked into Kearn General Store which was
among those washed out when the nine foot wall of water hit
Main Street. Operated by Herbert Kearns and his family for
49 years, the store has missed few, if any days of business
in that time. When it was moved 30 or 40 feet some months
ago to make room for the new highway, business went on as
usual.
"What
are you going to do now?" the governor asked as he gazed
around the soaked merchandise and three inches of muck on
the floor.
"Governor,
i just don't know," Mr. Kearns replied, "I haven't
made up my mind yet."
700
Receive Typhus Shots: Schools Closed as Health Precaution
Some
700 persons who live or work in the flooded areas bared their
arms for Typhoid shots Monday and Tuesday, at an emergency
clinic set up at Wilton Town Hall by Dr. Henry Appelbaum,
public health director. The clinic ceased operations yesterday
afternoon, and will reopen on Monday and again October 31
to offer the second and third shots of the series, Dr. Applebaun
said.
Persons
who have been exposed to possible typhus contamination and
who failed to receive and inoculation this week, may get their
first shot from family physicians, and report at the next
two clinics, Drs. Robert Appleby and Norman Boas are assisting
Dr. Applebaum on this project.
The
health director is touring the flood areas today, inspecting
houses for possible contamination, and will mark those buildings
which he deems unfit for human occupancy. He will also inspect
Gilbert and Bennett School to determine whether classes may
safely be resumed there tomorrow.
All
Wilton Schools have been closed since the flood, primarily
as a health measure, since there is a possibility that the
water supplies at the Junior High, Center School and Gorham
House may have been contaminated. Center is also without heat,
since its electric motors were knocked out by flood waters.
Due to the continued high level of the wells, it has been
impossible so far to obtain reliable samples for testing the
school water supplies, and school officials said today that
no schools, except Gilbert & Bennett will open this week.
Part of the lost school time will be made up on Friday, October
28 when schools would normally be closed for teachers' conferences.
Disruption
of bus route by road and bridge washouts has also contributed
to school closings; school officials and the bus contractor
are working on route revisions this week.
Dr.
Applebaum has obtained from the state a supply of lime for
decontaminating water supplies and buildings. It is available
at the town hall in Wilton, together with decontamination
instructions. About half a pound dumped into a well is enough
to assure safe drinking water and about 2 pounds in solution
will decontaminate floors, walls, furniture, etc... the health
director said.
To
view photos of the '55 flood, click
here.
Flood
Photos from 2007, damaging storm hits the area again on
April 15-16.
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me expand the site. Donate
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about the Blizzard of 1888.
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