The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1841-01-16
THE FREsHET.

IN THIS neighb0rhood 10 the ueplh OF aoou'
l2 inches, and gave every prospec, OF good
sleighing as the weather continued very
Geld until Wednesday, January 9th, when
a sudden change took place, and
rain set in, which continued two days, and
entirely melted the snow. The streams in
this vicinity rose rapidly,bu done but little
injury SO far as heard from--nor has there
been much damage done either on the North
or Yves, Bvsnch Of the Susquehanna. They
have not been SO fortunate, however, on
the Lehigh, Schuylkil', and Delaware
Grea, damage has been done in those Sec
tiens, Is will be seen by the extracts which
we publish below. The Pettsvile EmPori-
um saws:
There is no estimating The destruction OF
property either in our Borough, in the sur
rounding villages and mining operation, or
along the Schuylkill Canal. Ii will cesi
hundreds Of thousands OF dollars 20 repair
The canal but the loss TO them is not SO Sc
rious in its effects rs to the individual SUI
ferers. Several OF eur Boatmen have lost
their sole dependence, and many OF eur op-
eraters have had their boats and wharves
torn to atoms and made feeders TO facilitate
the destruction Of property along the then
and now foaming Schuylkill. We cannot
at present give particulars. The Steam
gris,.mill of Clemmins and Parviu, together
with their wharves sustained considerable
damage, but fortunately was not in blasi.-
Had the furnace been in blast twould have
proved ten-fold more serious matter 10 the
propre,ors. The bridge across the Schuyl-
kill below Noun, Carbon, and the bridge at
Port Carbon were carried of; and 'he coy-
cred bridge ON the Centre turnpike below
The Borough has been very much damaged
Breaches in the banks Of the Canal are
not only numerous, but Of great magni-
tude, and several dams have been enlirely
destroyed.
The Mauch Chunk Courier gives the
following description Of the flood upon the
Lchigh.
On Tuesday evening the 9th inst. tho
weather had moderated to such q degree
that i, showed little, and during the night
1, began 10 ram and continued with bat lit
tie cessation until Thursday evening. By
this time the river began 10 rise rapidly land
the Mauch Chunk Creek, which passes al
one side OF our village, having rose TO such
an unusual height, overhowed its banks at
the upper end of Broadway and came down
the street as if an ocean had been let leose
upon US, filling the cellars and lower rooms
of nearly every house and store in the place
and leaving no room for the citizens to pass
except by climbing along the sides Of the
goods %"'de Of our Merchants and the furniture of
the citizens bsfore they had time to remove
them-the streets and payemen.s are COM
pletely washed away in some places TO the
depth of feur and five feet and filed up with
gravel and stones in others, and
the desola,ing appearance Of eur town from
the head ei Broadway down aud slong Sus-
quehanna street is beyond the power Of
this Imagination TO conceive or describe
About | l o'clock in the evening, the water
in the Lehigh having rose several feet above
any foraer fleshet within the recollection
Of our oldest inhabitants (every thing having
been aaoat from 8 o'clock) the guard bank
attached to the first dam above this place
gave way, and the mighty waters cane
down with the most tremendous and awful
destruction, sweeping every house from the
Northern Liberties, four in number, with
all their contents except the families who
had fled TO the mountains; taking every
Boa! in the Pool, the Lehigh Co.'S. turning
laythe and saw w-mlls, several thousand dol
lars worth Of boat and other lumber, the
bridge acloss the river opposite the guard
lock. and dashing on with irresistible fury
took the Beaver Meadow Railroad bridge
and every house but four along the river 10
Lshigh!on, numbering thirteen in distance
of four miles. But tho Imagination is TOO
feeble and language TO faint to describe the
scene of suffering and devastation that was
presented to our view when daylight ap-
peared. Along the Railroad below the
narrows we see parents and children with
bleeding hearts and eyes tsireaming with
tears, s,slripped Of every thing they could call
their own except the few articles Of clothing
that covered their bodies A few rods from
the loaming rapids we behold father aud
his two sons who had escaped by swim
ming 10 the shore, bowed down with indie
scrlbable grief al the loss of his wife, two
daughters and son, who were swep, of by
the destroying element. At the Northern
Liberties our eyes meet nothing but ruin
and despair, and the lower rooms of every
n, lJino alamo Cusoraha,,a .,,o.. -. .,.