Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1861-10-09
THE LATE FLOOD.

On Friday evening last, the waters oil the
Clarion river and Elk creek rose far above
ANYTHING in the remembrance of our oldest
settlers. The rain began toward evening of
Thursday and continued to fall in large guam
titles until about 10 O'Clock Friday evening,
having fallen increasingly for over twenty-four
hours. The hill sides were alive with dashing
streams making their way to the valley below.
The streets of our village looked more like
rapid streams than highways, and the water
stood in large pools all over the town.
In the afternoon of Friday the Clarion and
Elk began to raise rapidly, and at O'Clock at
night the water had attained hight OF four
teen feet above low water mark. 1t rushed in
vast stream all over that part of the town
bordering on the river and covered the valley
beyond, sweeping away houses, bridges, boards,
shingles, logs, fences, and everything that
offered to impede its fierce career. The night
was very dark, and it was only now and then
glimpse of the angry food as it surged along
could be obtained; yet the mad boiling sound
as it rolled by together with the crash of the
many articles borne on its rapid bosom spoke
but two well its fearful doings. From their
respective courses the streams came roaring
and foaming down and joining their strength
over6owed their banks and spread out their
angry tides all over that part of the valley
through which the river runs. The Elk tore
away the boom of Messrs. Souther 4 Willis's
mill sweeping away four hundred thousand
Brooks, jobber the mill, had part of his
dwelling which stood near by washed away;
his family escaping with considerable danger,
the water raising so fast distractions above
gave way so to surround the house in few
seconds. The creek tore through the embank
ment of the 2 & E Rail Road, and joining
the Clarion helped to carry on the scene of
grandeur and obstruction it enacting.
Board piles and shingles from Mr.. Hydes mill
situated in town were carried away and landed
in the fields bordering the river. The bridge
across the Elk was carried off and landed on
main street near the residence of VanorSdall.
The river bridge was carried away and Messrs.
Dickinson 4 Co.'S store was 1oated across the
street and landed in the field, below the road
a perfect wreck, one corner resting in deep
race.
Another house belonging to John A. Boyle,
Esq, was fioated of its foundation and carried
down stream several rods. The water came
into the dwellings, of Messrs. Vanorsdall,
Coyen, Thayer, Boyle, Gillis and Dill to such
| a hight as to oblige them to leave with their
families, being nearly six feet deep in Mr..
Thayers dwelling on the ground floor. The
scene Saturday morning in our village was
gloomy enough, and although the water had
fallen some four feet during the latter part of
the night it still occupied the dwellings,, and
covered the adjoining lots and fields, over
which were strewn many of the articles that
had been swept from their places No bridge,
could be seen except the one washed from Elk
creek, and that was across the street. Houses
and barns washed from heir places and tipped
partly over, fences gone flood wood all around,
the ground washed away in some places and
heaped up in others, all conspired to make up
sad and gloomy sight.
gentleman by the name of William Rhvan
living at Johnsonburg was drowned. He, to-
gether with his family tried to escape from his
house to the hills, but were cut off by the
water flowing over low piece of land near
! the hill. They managed to get to the house
again the lower part of which was now filed
with water. They assembled a tree by
from which with the exception of Mr.. Rhyan
they gained the chamber. Before he could
get in the tree was torn down by the food and
he was lost. We learn that between fifty and
seventy-fye thousand feet of boards were
carried away from the Eagle Valley Mills, as
also from the Whstletown Mills. Judge
Dickinson lost all his boards at his mill below
town, and also large quantity Of logs. The
| goods in his store were very badly damaged,
the building ruined and his fences around his
dwelling spoiled, and his yard covered with
| logs and food wood. We understand he esti-
mates his loss at $4,000. One million eight
| hundred thousand feet of boards were carried
away from the Portland Mills, and several
| thousand logs. 1t is with regret that we have
recorded the entire loss of the Beach Bottom
| Mill property of Messrs. Corbett & Co. Three
million three hundred thousand feet of boards
were lost, the mills carried off, barnes swept
away with two horses in the stalls; also all
| the dwelling houses, with the exception of the
boarding house, which is all that remains of
| this once valuable property. The Messrs.
| Cobbs and their families together with those
employed about the mill passed terrible
night in canoe holding by rope to the re-
naming building, which was nearly covered
with water. 1t was night to them long to be
| ad ha
their hold upon it given away they would have
been borne down the rapid stream with the
night so dark that nothing could be distin-
| guished, and they must have been lost. As
| they sat in the canoe with the water raising
and roaring around them, and flood wood
covering the stream and crashing by, no one
spoke, except as they hallooed to person on
the distant shore to know il the water rose or
| fell. One of the number Alex. Williams had
| fallen from the canoe and found landing upon
the top of Mr.. Barrett Cobb's house, and as it
foated Oft, borne swiftly away in the gloom
| with him upon its top, new horror settled
down upon the party but when at last the
joyful news came through the angry dash of
the stream that il was falling, and they knew
| they were safe, glad shout arose to tell of
| their deliverance. The house with Mr.. Will
| Jams upon it struck the shore about two and
half miles below, when he jumped off. He
| arrived safe the next morning. The loss is
estimated at $l25,000. Messrs. Powell x Cha
| pin have also sustained quite loss. AS near
as can be ascertained the Toby creek has swept
| boards, logs, dams and all movable property
along it, from the HELEN Mills to its mouth.
| We learn from Sheriff Head, who has just re-
turned from the Sinnemahoning, that the food
| there was not as great and the destruction of
| property far less.
| In the present state of our country, and
especially in numbering region like this, this
| is a terrible calamity. With the many draw