History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

The following persons were officers of Company No. 1: Elias S. Sanford, Foreman; John Fry, .Vssist- ant Foreman ; Ephraim Gregory, Secretary. The following per.-Jons were appointed Firemen, attached to said Company No. 1, and to be deemed members thereof: Samuel Stebbens, Jfoses Yale, Lucius H. I BoUghton, Thomas F. Whittlesey, Timothy H. Hickock, Alfred Gregorj-, Samuel C. Wildman, Darius Starr, Nathaniel Wood, Gilcad G. Taylor, Hubbell Wildman, Frederick S. Wildman, Benjamin Smith. Aug. 22, 1829, the following persons were added to No. 2: Samuel G. Boughton, Henry Benedict, Darim Dikemnn, Zar Stone, Russell Dobbs; and August 27th Charles \. Jump added to No. 1 ; Sept. 3, 1829, Emcr)- Shadbolt to No. 2. The present organization is as follows : Matthew DANBURY. 235 W. Scott, Chi«f Engineer ; George T. Oakley, First Assistant; Jesse W. Day, Second Assistant. Washingfnn Hooh-nnd-Laddcr Co. — Nathan Bene- dict, Foreman; Frank E. Moore, Assistant; William H. Stott, Secretary ; G. Frank Bailey, Treasurer. Kohanza Hose Co., No. 2. — John Scott, Jr., Fore- man; Tliomas A. Hull, Assistant ; Edward Loli<lell, Secretary ; Lester Comes, Treasurer. Htimnne Hose Co. — Thomas Deakin, Foreman ; Au- gustus Parsons, Assistant ; Augustus Hurgin, Secre- tary ; William Small, Treasurer. DAXCURY W ATE 11- WORKS. The subject of introducing water into the borough for domestic and other uses early engaged the atten- tion of the citizens, and in 1834 the Danbiiry Water- Works Company was inaugurated. In 1851 a com- mittee was appointed by the borough "to inquire into the expediency of supplying the liorough with water for Are and other ]iuri)oses, and report to a future meeting." This committee made an examination of "Mountain Pond," and reported the "source of sup- ply unreliable, and the project of bringing water therefrom entirely impracticable." The first movement which accomplished any prac- tical results was begun in the spring of 18G0, when a communication from J. ^\^ Bacon was pulilished in the Jefferson tan, calling attention to Kcdianza Brook as a water-supply, and stating results of experiments made by him as to quantity of water, together with details of plan of i)roposed reservoir and system of pipes for introducing water from this source. Mainly through the exertions of Mr. Bacon, a charter was obtained from the Legislature early in the season of 1860, which was acccptcil by the borough on the 17th of May. Contracts lor the entire works were signed on the 22d of May, and in the following December water was let into all the pipes, and the utility of the works for fire or other purposes fully shown to the satisfac- tion of all. Over nine miles of pipe were laid during the first year, and a supply-reservoir of about six acres constructed, tlie whole at a cost of about thirty- seven thousand five hundred dollars. In 1866, the storage capacity of the small reservoir being found insufficient, a larger reservoir, flooding i over thirty acres, was built farther up the stream at an expense of about seven thousand dolhirs. Both of these reservoirs were swept away on the evening of I Jan. 31, 1SG9, causing a great destruction of property 1 and loss of life. The reservoirs were rebuilt the same year. I The water-supply of Danbury is one of the best in I the country, and to Mr. John W. Bacon is the credit due for its successful introduction. THE KOHANZA DI.SASTER. The following account of this terrible disa.ster is ; taken from the Danburij Times : "At a quarter to seven oVlock, on Sun<lay evening, Jan. 31, 1S09, the (lam to the upper reservoir of the Kolmnza Water gave way, au'i the vast body of water was hurled down upon the lower pond, sweejiing away the dam and bringing their united strength down into the valley below, carrying with it huge masses of ice and scattering destruction along its course. .\t Flint's dam the tide obtained fresii impulse. The dam was swept away in an instant; the large body of water there contributed it.s power to the destruction. The water, ice, and broken timber swept down the line of Mill River through the village, and cieated the most appall- ing disasterever happening in tliis vicinity. Ten lives were lost and titty thousand dollars' worth of property Wits destroyed. The Main, North, and White Street briilges were destroyed, and the bridgeson Patch Slicet and Balniforth .Vvenne were badly tlamageil, the latter by the water and ice setting np tlie creek which it si»ans. The briilge crossing the Still Kiver, opposite Lacey, Uoyt & C'o.'s factory, wjus bjidly racked and ilis- phaced. Five buildings were swept from their foundations or denudislied. Of these, two were dwellings, standing on the nmth side of Main Stiect, near the stream. The one nearest the stream wsis owned by Olivei' Stone, and wius occupied by James IJ<itliwell, wife, and two chiMreu, and by Edward Clark, wife, and three children. The other Imililing wa-s owned and occujiied by 3Ii-s. Betsey llusted, who rented the ui)per story to John Chambers and family, who were absent at the time of the disaster. Mis. Hasted anil the occujiants of Mr. Stone's house were drowned. With the Bothwells boarded two sisters (who were also sisters of ftlrs. C'larki, Fannie an<) Betsey Ilumiihrey, who were away from home at tlic lauir of the disaster. One of them. Miss Fanuy, in attempting to cross White Street bridge, nearly a mile below her home, was overtaken by the flood, and shared the fate of the rest. The lost were Mrs. Ilnsted, Mrs. Both- well, Ida Bothwell, aged eight years, Edward t'laik, Mary Clark, .aged eight years, George Clark, aged two years, Clark, aged live years, and Fannie Humphrey, aged twenty-eight years, Mrs. Clark and Nettie Bothweli, aged ten years. Starr's slaughter-house. Chase's factory, and Sunderland's carpenter-shop wi-re denu>lished. Two tenements belong- ing to lIcEidiick Jlarnum, situated ou North Street anil occupied by the families of Vt:-viy Disbrow and Daniel Htiyt, were considerably datnageil by the ice. The water-work dams .are ruined. The upper dam lost one hundred feet of earth, and the lower dam was entirely carried away. In the valley west of Clapboard Ridge, and northwest of thetitwn.are the receiving and sni>plying reservoirs of the Kidianza Water. Tlic natuial stream at this point is about f»uir feet wide and lias an average depth of about four inches. The lower dam is about three miles from tlie centre of the village, and tlie upper is about a mile and a ipnuter beyond. Tlie lower dam was built upon the inaiigiiiation of the works in l.snn.and the up]itT in IMJd. The lower Jiond contained about 7'.. acres of water, and the upper about '20 acres. The greatest depth of water in both places was about 'J.'■^ feet, or the average depth about S feet. The length of tii>t dam wiw 40 feet; height, '20 feet ; cost, $17110. Length of second dam, COO feet ; height, 22 feet ; cost, S4,')00, Each dam was built of eaitll sloped Vx^ to 1 on outside and 2 to 1 ou inside, and the whole of inside lined witli stones. The thickness of the dams at tiie low est point was OO to lOli feet ; at the water-line, 20 to 22 feet." ELMWOOD PARK. The beginning of the pleasant trysting-jdace known as Elmwood Park was made in 1801. At that time the road pa.ssed on the east side of the park and formed a bow, and in the year 1801 a petition was jiresented to straighten the street at this point. Maj. Ezra St;irr, of Revolutionary memory, who lived on the premises where now is located the residence of Hon. 1). P. Nichols, and who owned tiie land from here ilown to Wooster Street, generously donated the land ttlong Ids premises, on the condition, however, that it should ever after remain a "common." The " jiark" hence- forth became a sjxjt of considcniblc importance, as here were held the trainings of "yc olden time." There were two military organizations in l);inbury at that time, — an artillery eomiiany iind a com]>any of cavalry, the former of which rendezvoused at the tavern kept by Ebenezer White, which stood on the site of the ]ircsent Turner House, and the latter on the corner of Elm and Main Streets. 23G niSTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. The little park remained with no particular atten- | tioii being paid to it in matters of improvement or or- namentation until 1851 or 1852, when a movement was started for making it a central park by running a road on the west side. This ])rojeet was stoutly op- posed by the residents in the upper portion of the town, but finally suceeeded. Two thousand dollars was subscribed for the i)uri)0sc, and in 1853 the work begun. Among the leading citizens who manifested a lively interest in the matter are mentioned the names of Augustus Seeley, W. P. Seeley, and Aaron Turner. The trees were given by Mr. James Harvey, and were dug by Noah Atkins and Fred. Bevans. After a few years interest in the park waned, and, as predicted by those wiio opposed it in the beginning, it passed back to the borough. It, however, proved to be comparatively inexpensive, as the fence fairly rotted away, and it became "a mere irregular entangle- ment, uncarcd for, unsightly to the eye, not useful for any purpose." Finally, however, after about a score of years of inattention and neglect, a movement was started for the improvement of the little spot, princi- pally by A. P. Sturges. The good work inaugurated by Mr. Sturges went on, and on July 19, 1879, the place, beautified and improved, wa.s reopened as Elm- wood Park. It is finely shaded, has a band-stand and an immense fountain, and, taken all in all, is one of the finest parks to be found in any village in the county. What Bushnell Park is to Hartford, Seaside to Bridgeport, is Elmwood to the present village of Danburv. Tlie following anecdote is related by the Danburij News :