This has been
especially the case the last few years, during which time the city has
extended in every direction in the manner indicated; and it is said the
greater part of the deposits in the savings-banks, as well as their
loans, have been made by and to people of the laboring class. This shows
a general prosperity, and indicates a permanency of population not seen
in many cities. During the last twenty years many people who began life
with the most modest means, or with none at all, have become wealthy;
and in almost every such case their prosperity has been due to their
connection with manufacturing interests.
[Illustration: THE PRESENT ANTIQUARIAN HALL.]
Worcester is exceptionally fortunate in its water-supply. This is
derived from two large reservoirs fed by running streams, each about
five miles distant from the city. One of these, called the Lynde-Brook
Reservoir, is situated in the township of Leicester. It was built in
1864, has a water-shed of 1,870 acres, and a storage capacity of
681,000,000 gallons, and an elevation of 481 feet above the City Hall.
The dam of this reservoir gave way in February, 1876, during a freshet,
and the immense mass of water was precipitated, with an unearthly roar,
into the valley below, destroying everything in its path, and carrying
rocks, earth, trees, and _debris_ to a distance of several miles.
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