The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘MAD RIVER’
Singer records tune inspired by Flood of ’55, sells CDs for charity
TORRINGTON — Many older residents of towns including Torrington and Winsted remember the devastating flood of 1955, on Aug. 19, and share their stories with anyone who asks.
But those voices are fading away, and singer Jim Moore of Torrington has written a song he hopes will keep the memories alive for a new generation.
The flood decimated towns and cities from the lower Naugatuck Valley into the northwest corner, left thousands homeless and killed hundreds of people, according to weather.gov’s archives.
“In little over a week, two hurricanes passed by southern New England in August 1955, producing major flooding over much of the region,” according to the report. “Hurricane Connie produced generally 4-6 inches of rainfall over southern New England on Aug. 11 and 12. The result of this was to saturate the ground and bring river and reservoir levels to above normal levels. Hurricane Diane came a
“Over the next few days, the rain never stopped and disaster had struck in the middle of the night.”
—Jim Moore’s “Mad River”
week later and dealt a massive punch to New England. Rainfall totals from Diane ranged up to nearly 20 inches over a two-day period. The headwaters of the Farmington River in Connecticut recorded 18 inches in a 24-hour period. Both of these accumulations exceeded records for New England.”
What that meant for small towns such as Winsted was loss and more loss, Moore said.
“I’ve always been intrigued by the flood, because I heard stories from my parents, (the late) Bev and Jean Moore, and my grandparents, Alice and Chester Bellamy of Bakerville and Gladys and Stephen Green of Torrington,” Moore said. “Every family I’ve ever talked to about the Flood of ’55 has a story. People remember it. They remember how everything was destroyed.”
An archive from torrington.info reports the Flood of ’55 this way: The Flood of 1955 in Connecticut is one of the worst floods in Connecticut’s history. Two back-to-back hurricanes saturated the land and several river valleys in the state, causing severe flooding in August 1955. The hardest hit were the Mad and Still Rivers in Winsted, the Naugatuck River, the Farmington River and the Quinebaug River. Towns that suffered much loss include Farmington, Putnam, Waterbury, and Winsted. Almost 90 people died during the flooding, and property damage across the state was estimated at more than $200 million, in 1955 figures. The floods prompted changes in safety measures, river monitoring and zoning laws.
“Police forces, volunteer firefighters, Connecticut National Guard members, the Coast Guard and average citizens worked together to rescue people from their homes and other buildings where they became stranded. At 1 a.m. August 19, as the water began rising over the banks of several rivers, Gov. Abraham Ribicoff mobilized the National Guard. More than 25 helicopters — from the U.S. Navy and local companies like Sikorsky — were used to rescue hundreds of people from rooftops and tree branches where they clung to life.”
According to a state report that followed the flood, 668 dwellings were totally destroyed, 2,460 suffered major damage, 5,213 suffered minor damage, 507 “industrial establishments” suffered $88.4 million in damage to buildings, machines and materials, 1,436 commercial establishments suffered $45.5 million in damage, and 922 farms reported losses of $2.5 million (not including damage to the land itself). Public property damage was estimated at $36.8 million. A total of 87 people died.
Torrington.info reported that in New England, more than 200 dams suffered partial or total failure; more than 50 coffins floated away from a cemetery in Seymour; and the state shipped in 300 temporary housing units from Groton, to help provide shelter for the newly homeless.
Moore’s song focuses on the flood’s impact on Winsted. “People said there were 15 feet of water on Main Street, going at 50 miles an hour,” he said. “What did Winsted in the most was that the Sucker Brook River, which flows into Highland Lake, forced the lake to overflow. That’s why there was so much damage.
“Can you imagine what it must have been like, having the water coming down the road like that?” he asked. “And it happened at 3 in the morning, so nobody knew it was coming until they were awakened by it. It must have been so scary. There were $35 million in damages for Winsted alone.”
The early morning hours of the flood arriving in people’s homes are reflected in Moore’s lyrics for his original song, “Mad River.”
“Sky was dark and stormy when Winsted went to bed
It was August 19th 1955. by 3:30 a.m. lights and power were gone
by daybreak they would be lucky to survive.
Hurricane Diane hit the Carolina coast
Turned northeast with New England in its sight
Over the next few days, the rain never stopped
And disaster had struck in the middle of the night.”
Chorus:
“And the Mad River took a million gallons on
Rushed its banks in the early morning down
2 feet of rain between two raging storms
Took Winsted five years in order to transform ...”
The lyrics continue by mentioning the deaths of residents and the devastation of the floodwaters.
At Winsted’s East End Park, a memorial was installed by the former Winsted Chamber of Commerce, commemorating the victims: Josephine Cornelio, John Gould, Maney Leshay, Concetta Zappula, Mary Machpont, Sinclair Meggison and William Samele. The memorial was placed in 1956, and remembers the date, Aug. 19, 1955.
Moore plans to put the song on a CD and sell it around town, and donate the proceeds to the Salvation Army. “They seemed like a good organization to give the money to,” he said. “The CD’s in honor of the people who died in the flood.”
The CD was produced by Mad River Music engineer Sam Guglielmino. “He did a great job on it,” Moore said.
The Flood of ’55 stories continue to fascinate Moore every day. “Everyone’s connected somehow to the flood,” he said. “Everyone knows someone who was there. It’s amazing.
“There was a lot of heroism,” he said. “Police, firefighters, the average Joe, pulling people out of the water to safety. There are so many stories.”
Moore, a Torrington resident, moved to Winsted nearly 30 years ago. He and his wife, Laurie, have a daughter, Sarah. He was a produce supervisor for Shop Rite for 40 years, and retired from his full-time position to devote more time to his music. Now, he’s part-time at Shop Rite, and spends his days singing for assisted living centers, nursing homes, breweries and farmers markets, as well as the Winsted Fall Festival.
Moore’s Facebook page is Classic Country Hits by Jim Moore. “Most of my stuff is covers, of classic country western,” he said.
Moore also ran a show on a Winsted channel through Charter Communications, calling it an acoustic showcase. “I had had access to video and editing, and one day someone left a book about the flood at the station, and I thought, I could make a video of it,” he said. “So I created a video of still photos from the flood.”
Keeping the history of the Flood of ’55 alive is important to Moore, as the survivors of the catastrophe age.
“I wanted to appeal to a younger audience, since most of the people who lived through the flood are older, or they’ve passed away,” he said.