The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1865-03-30
The Great Flood.

cd.
The Great Flood.
"The freshets Of the apring Of 1865
will Le memorable in the future locSl
history Of the country as the most des-
truotive visitation of the Kind within
half century. We had cold winter,
in which great deal ofsnow has fell,
aud March distinguished for its con-
tinuoIs warm rains. The result has
been immense foods and an enoromous
destruction OF proparty, We have SO
far, only heard Of hpt small percen-
tage Of the devastation caused by the
swollen and raeiag wators, bat cnoagh
IS known to show that the losses are
greater than ever occurred before iIom
the same causes. FROM every quarter
OF the Earteru and Middle States We
have reports Of tremcndons freshets,
doing Immense ana algIost irVeparatle
damage. The railway lines. and ether
property along the great rivers OF New
York and Pennsylvania, are perhaps the
greatest sufferers. The amount Of the
losses thus sustained cannot be approx
mated By nilliopa, The spriag food of
1868 may be safely set down as the most
destructive one cverknown,
The Susquehana commenced rising on
Thursday evening, Of laSt week, and con,
tiuued 10 rise, sweeping beforeit houses,
bridges, and floating WOOD and timber in
immense quantities, until Friday noon,
when it had attained the greatest height
even known. Millions oil dollars worth
Of luinber aud logs were swept down the
tide, together with bridges, dwellings,
aud barns, At harrisburg, ,he lower
part Of the city was completely subraer>
ged ; the fires ia various iroa smith es-
tablish@cats put out, and private pro-
perry oan cnorIaoas amoQat swept away
OF destroyed The railroad bridges at
aud near that city we're submerged, some
to the depth ofthrce feet, and in imni-
nent DANGER Of being swept away. The
lumber stored at Marietta, Columbia,
and MiddletoUn was swept away, with
grea. amount Of private property Of all
descriptions. At DanVille, on the North
Branch, the food was the most dcat.Ic,
tive ever known. The railroads run
ing into this town were completely sub
merged, and all travel suspended. The
North Branch canal, running along the
banks of the river, is entirely destroyed
! in many places, and quite half of the
town gndcr water. At Wiili&mspoFt.
on the Wost nrarcil, this treshet was by
no means 80 great, a portion OF the
new bridge of the Philadclphiaand Egie
railroad was washed away, and all the
lands ahout the town overfown. AT
Sudbury the river rose for some hours
at vayy rapid rate. Tie Logger part Of
the town was antirelysub&ergce at about
noon on Friday, and iarga Fcytioa Of
the cmbankment of thG Pkila. aud Erie
railroad washed away, Almost the
whole distance Setwcen Trsvorton and
Sunbury the banks are overdown aud a
vast amount Of property Destroyed. AT
DUnnaannaa common road bridge was
washed away, passing safely euaoF the
railroad bridge at Daaphia, but seriously
damaging the Pennsylvania Railroad
bridge at Rockville, above Harrisburg,
At Northumberland the bridge across
the river was carried away Fast of
Harrisburg, aud nearly to Highspirc, the
track of the Pennsylvania Railroad was
entirely submerged.
The iqe a,ovdd est OF the Hudson at
Albany, oa Friday, and becoming chck'
cd at different points south, has resulted
in forming q most tTealtR00us Hood. At
A.aaEy The lower portion OF the city vas
submerged, and on Saturday fat boats
took the plaza of hacks, and passengers
BY the ferries walked in the regions OF
the gaslights. The uaol otthe Hudson
River Railroad was submerged for miles
between Pcughkeepsie aud Albany. The
| outside track in many places is washed
away. Travel between New York and
| The state capital is accomplished now
oaly by the Harlem road. At Mechanics
vile several dwellings, aud barns were
carried away, in some cases gSviGg the
occupants barely time to escape
The Mohawk acquired a greater height
than ever before known, At Utica, the
water rose tc the gas gorks, putting out
the fires and stopping the supply for a
time. The Iron bridge oycs the Utica
and Buffalo Railro2d vas carried away,
aud the tslegraP lines east, The track
of the New York Central Railroad be-
tween Fonda and Rome is damaged to a
greater o. less extent. At Fonda, the
bridge was carried away, by drifting can
.! boats The bridge at Palaine was
! also swept away,
The Connecticut commenced rising on
Tuesday, aud on Saturday noon had
reached the height Of twenty,thrce feet
aud 1--WE inches above low,watcr mark, at
Hartford. Not for thirty years at least
has such ireshet been known. High
ways ard railroads in many places arc
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