Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-06-20
THE FLOOD IN PENNSYLVANIA.

The freshet in the Lehigh Valley (Pa.,)
on Wednesday and Thursday, June 4th
and 9th, was one of the most destructive
ever known in this country. The Phila-
delphia Inquirer gives some particulars
as follows;
There are many islands in the L.
high. The soil is generally fertile, and
they are nearly all well cultivated. This
was the case with the one opposite Allen
ton. A covered bridge led to the main
land. During the night great crash
aroused the three families living upon
the island. Their only means of escape
had been carried away by bridge which
formerly spanned the stream above, and
the two fabrics were now on their way to
the Delaware. There was no boat, and
even if there had been, the chances of
safely rowing through such swift cur
rent were but slight. How the families
passed the night of Wednesday and the
morning of Thursday we do not know.
But in the morning they found many
acres of grain and garden transformed in
to barron waste, The rich loan had
given place to white sand, and fences and
barnes had disappeared as if by the
touch of magician. For their own safe
ty they were indebted to Providence and
solid brick walls.
There was high canal lock at Mauch
Chunk. 1t was veteran, and stood the
shock of the freshet of 1871 without
trembling. When the rush came last
week its good reputation made the quiet
water below it barber for scores of boats
the crews looking over the river as we'll
as the darkness would permit, at their
less fortunate companions, and blessing
their luck. Many of them went to bed.
The lock gave way. The boats were en-
gulphed in the torrent, and of the sleep
ers it is believed that at least so awoke
to find themselves struggling with giant
whose touch annihilated the great world
before the days of Noah. The names of
these victims will never be known. They
were, of course, strangers at Mauch
Chunk, earning their living by travelling
with the boats from place to place. A
number of women were among the lost.
On the low land above Bethlehem stood
a house occupied by family whose name,
we believe, was Hoffman. The structure
was swept away, and woman and two
children were drowned.
Below Bethlehem the corpses of two
persons, a man and a woman, were found.
The woman was hanging upon fence in
q semi-nude state.
So great was the force of the water
that the thickest trees were uprooted and
twirled around like cork Boats loaded
with coal were landed high and dry on
the side of mountains. The Grey Eagle,
with over 100 barrels of liquor, was found
on the track of the Lehigh Valley Rail-
road, half way between Allentown and
Bethlehem.
Five months will not repair the dam
age to the Lehigh Canal. The locks are
broken and the boats are wrecked.
The loss of these boats fall heavily on
the owners. The loss of the horses and
mules is borne by class of men particu-
larly untitled to sustain it. The stables
were generally upon the banks of the
canal. They were all swept away.
A sad incident was the passage down
the stream of child in it's cradle. 1t
was alive, but the frail fabric was every
moment in danger of being upset. 1t
was seen at Easton. The fate Of the
child, if it should escape drowning and
die of starvation, is too horrible to con-
template.
1t is estimated that over 100 lives were
lost. The destruction of property is
counted by millions of dollars.