Hats Off!
To The Dayville Fire Department
From the Windham County Transcript, November 8, 1951
Torrential rains flooded the streets and the wind blew in near-hurricane blasts Saturday morning but that evening all was peace and quiet or at least seemed to be. Suddenly at 10:30, when most of the residents of Dayville were enjoying a pleasant evening, the fire alarm sounded rousing the entire volunteer company. It wasn't a fire but a flood to which the boys responded.
Speeding to the scene in Webb City, they found that the river and back-up pond in the rear of the Nichols home was five and a half inches above high water mark and still rising. The water whirled
madly through a two-foot hole in the dike, threatening not only the Nichols' property but an important section of Dayville as well. Untiringly the men worked rushing sandbags to the scene and placing them in the breech to drown the angry waters until finally the all clear was sounded at 3:15. During the entire period ten-year-old George Nichols held a flashlight so that the men could see what they were doing.
The following eye witness account was given us by Raymond Harwood: "I was there. . . . I witnessed one of the incidents and responses to the call for volunteer assistance which takes place in our country every day. I saw the boys working efficiently under the able direction of Capt. George Wakefield loading bag after bag into Prym's truck, speeding through the woods as far as the truck could go and then carrying the bags over ground where walking was almost an impossibility to reach the angry waters. I saw the sand bags placed in the water by Eddie and "Sarge" assisted by Bob and Hosea. Back and forth through the night they raced against the challenging waters of the stream which had become a full-fledged river. An alarm was sent to the State Police who rushed a message to Putnam where more bags were bought.
"We always enjoy telling the story of such an incident when it involves some of our own townsmen, but do we ever actually realize how much time and energy and money these men give when they accept the call for assistance? I doubt that we ever give it much thought. Let's get together and give these boys a "Thank you" and a handshake when we meet them on the street. Let's have them realize that we all appreciate the job they did so well and they'll be happy to know that they are appreciated. I salute the Dayville volunteer fire company."
From The Windham County Transcript, June 30, 1904
Field day of the Quinebaug Country Club occurs Saturday, July 2, at 4 p.m. on the new links on Hutchins street. Clock golf will be played for the first time since the club was organized. The members can now take their choice between golf, clock golf, tennis and croquet. Lemonade will be served at 5 p.m.