The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-06-20
Freshet i'm the Lehigh Valley
LOSS FIVE MILLION DOLLARS.
PARTICULARS OF THE DISASTER-THE
FLOOD SUBSIDING.

lowing particulars of the damage caused py
the freshet of Wednesday:
The rain fell steadily from the commence
ment on Tuesday night, in consequence OF
which the ground soon became thoroughly
soaked. when the water that fell subsequent
lv was thrown into the creeks, causing the
Delaware ard Lahigh to rise rapidly. at
an eariy hour last night these streams were
considerably swollen, but it was not sup
posed they would attain any great height.
Asmorning approached, however. it became
evident that the freshet would be heavy
one, and preparations were made by persons
owning property and those resIdl2g along
the rivers, to save what they could from the
food, and remove their families and furni-
ture to places where they would be more
secure. The loss On lumber alone at this
place will probably reach twenty FIVE or
thirty thousand dollars. This, however, is
mere guess work, as it is impossible at
present to count the losses Occasi0ned by
this disastrous 'reshet.
The losses of Samuel Oliver, distier, will
amount to three or four thousand dollars,
we are informed. He lost number OF hogs
and large quantities OF grain.
AT Giendon everything was inundated,
stacks. dwellings, offices and all. The dam
are here will be immense, the Eres OF the
furnace having been extinguished by the
water, doing great injury to the works.
The workmen all escaped with their fami-
lies, leaving their homes to the mercy OF
the food. The bridge of the Lehigh, at
G!eGdon, was swept away also. Thomas
Bishop, boat builder, loses soma property;
be, however, bad taken the precaution TO
fasten the sheds, sc. to the shore before the
water was so high but MIR. Christian
Kiusmeyer, boat builder. also suffers great
", losing, as we understand, almost all he
owned.
At an early hour, sheds, stables. barns,
board piles. and pieces of timber from brOk
en- bridges came down the I.ehigh, threat
ening to destroy our own bridge over that
stream, every piece that struck it making it
trembie. II withstood these shoks until
about eight o'clock, when parts OF it were
carried away. This bridge was built after
the freshet of lS4l.
The loss on the Lehigh by the food, it is
supposed, will be five millions. The Beth
lehem, Allentown, Catasaqua, Laubach's
and Fremansburg bridges are all gone. AS
the telegraph line is down it is impos.
sible to Say how much damage has been
done up the valley, and the Lehigh Valley
Railroad trains have not been able to run
today.
Loss OF LIFE.
The destruction of boats will, we have no
doubt, prove to be very great, and, saddest
OF all, there is reason to believe that the
freshet has caused the loss of many lives.
Some are known to have been drowned, but
how many cannot yet be ascertained.
One man came down from the Chain
Dam on log and saved himself, when near
Easton, by jumping on raft, from which
he got to the shore in some manner. He
and his little boy had been carried away on
their boat this morning from place some
ten miles up on the Lehigh, and On reaching
the dam wac dashed to pieces, when the
man saved himself by clinging to log.
The little boy was also killed. The man
was cut badly about the head and shoul~
ders. He thinks that many boatmen lost
their lives.
We are told that house passed down
the Lehigh at an early hour, and on reach.
ing Easton, a woman was seen to jump from
one of the windows into the water.
All the works in South EastoD has been
stopped in consequence of the freshet, and
the furnace at that place seriously damaged.
We learn from q good source that a
little girl was taken from the top OF tree
up the Lehigh this morning, where she had
lodged after being carried off by the water,
and that two men had saved themselves in
the same manner. clinging to the branches
of the tree until some persons came to their
relief.
On the Delaware the scenes witnessed
were similar to those on the Lehigh. The
river commenced gaining at an early hour,
anc rose with great rapidity; so rapidly did
it advance that those who reside on Front
street bad barely time after being warned OF
lis approach, to remove their furniture and
themselves to safer quarters. Some of them,
indeed, after " setting their houses in ORDER
were obliged to beat hasty retreats by means
Of ladders, from their second story windows,
in order to avoid the luxury OF swim iD
their bed chambers.
The most Intense excitement prevailed in
town this morning in regard to the ireshet,
and soon after daylight the banks of the
rivers and the hills overlooking the swollen
streams were crowded with anxious specta-
tors. The excitement has Continued through.
out the day.
BIZ TELEGRAPH.
EAsToN, Pa, June 6.-Fearfui accounts
@: damages have been received from Maueh
Chunk and vicinity. The dam there, as
well as two other places, was swept away.
Many houses were washed away. The rail-
road bridge is also gone. Canal navigation
IS stopped for the season. The Lehigh VAL
ley Railroad will not be in running order
for several weeks The whole town OF Weiss
port is washed away. There are but three
houses left out OF about three hundred. The
loss of LIE has bt en- terrible.
II M.--The Delaware and Lehigh are
falling rapidly. They have already receded
twelve feet. The Lehigh valley railroad is
very badly torn up. The Bevidere and
Delaware Railroad will be repaired in few
days. The Delaware, Lackawauna and
Western Railroad will be running in about
a week. A part of the basin Of the Dela>