Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1867-04-25

,bould remark that Mr. Tracy is No. hotel j.
keepor and his hotel ia one Of the best on the
pop,asua Saturday, 23d, alter eskfast, I,
We went to the depot, got under weigh, ran il
up the Dad about three miles, Hni came TO v
trestls bridge-track about twenty fest above b
the water, and 100 yards long, The water /
w.s rushing and washing away the southern I
end Of the bridge, or sand Gbutment'
After three Lours work We got over ana
crossed the Delaware line. Alter passing sew
erel minor dsugsrous places, renched bscon's
nond, about two miles below Laurel Here was
the worst break we had yet come 70. one
bench OF trestls was gone, aud the sand aout-
ment goi7g Fortunately the track here was
not more han eight Or leu feet above the wa
ter, and lhe iron WAS still holding the TIES
But torrent strong enough to have run all
the Brandy vine mills at once was rusn'ng
through / is opening, and IL was raining an1
snowine as hard az il had beeu ali the morn
ing. To mend the break under such eircum.
stances was job calculated TO appal the heart
| of almost any man. We went out and asked
Whist they proposed TO do. They said as there
happened to be pine trees growing on the banks
OF the stream or river, they would cut Two,
| forty Ave feet long, two and halt feel thro''
Apd they did so, and with chains and poles
fastened to the loge, dragged them one At a
time, with the assistance ct tie engine, luto
|
tie bench which happened TO be there, Just
even with the water. After six hours OF hand
labor In snow, rain and mud, the hands sue
ceeded in getting the logs Ia place, one end on
the old bench and the ether end In the sann
shore end. They thsu built three piers with
old ties, from the pine logs up to the over
hanging crossties aud iron rails Then wefged
up and finally pronounced they would try II
we all got GU. aud walked over after the train
The crossing proved a success that any rail-
road man might be proud Of.
Our conductor, Charles Sherman, headed
the gang and worked as hard, If not harder
during the whole six hours, in the snow, rail
and mud, than any other man in the gang
We then, after crossing one small bridge, wit
some delay reached Laurel. The people ther
= were excited, aud said persons had to be take
% out of houses in boats, that 600 cords OF WOO
!. and is 900 feet of boards bad been washe
= = away, and what they called Broad Greek wa
= now rushing like young Susqushanua ia
7 lreshet. One store bouse saw was standin
with the water within four feet Of the cave
aud the wonder was that it did not 20 dow
s stream. The bridge at this place is bstwee
!, $50 aud 200 yards losg, think, and thirty fe
~ ABOVE low water, aud happened to be bui
4, last summer. We got over safely, and aft
~ one or two delays arrived at and crossed Il
" Naaticoke bridge at Seatord. We there m
~ two treirs-the frat for two days-a passenq
!, train, aud construction train with bridge N
= terisls and large force of men under CIV
I engineer W. Warner, who had the princir
ue bridge builders of the road with bin. AT
I some delay at Sestord, receiving messages
~, telegraph, for this was the arst place
~ reached where the telegraph was IN work.
- order, we went on. After some further dels
~, ,r' and definitions at dangerous places, l
o.. rived home at Il O'Clock, Saturday right a
10 the train arrived in Wilmir gton on Sund
p merOiug at O'Clock, having LETT Ori Held
"a, the Friday morning previous at 10 40 Y
1s of the great causes of this great Hood do
"a country, was that there was snow in the P
~ woods, and the heavy rain dissolving it,
~ ~. came rushing down the branches; and hi
80 not the least doubt that in Sussex county,
ia Worcester and Somerset counties, there "
90, from loo to $50 mill dams. Every old ma
saw, | asked if he had ever seen such d
80 there before, and the universal answer was
',,th have had many d csrrisge ride aud Iair
nca rides but those on the 22d and ADD OF Ma
49, exceeded all former experiences. Luckily
= T. had no women and children in the cars
80 UNCOMMON occurrence, aud we also had
81 good luck TO be on a train with q good obli9
IN. set OF zen. One incident forget to ment
iah, While waiting 81 Baoons Pond, we sent
70 farmer for three quarts Of apple brandy, wi
80 was the measure of all the jugs and bottei
oiS could raise, intending to take drink curse
"a aud give the workmen drink. We go
"a re the larson got bsek. We told eigh
en- ~ imea We NJ. TO tell .te person we sent
o me lhiseforandyl % give it y them. Since
and ,'ti11s home received ftter from
over a2t ven. tfter tue prahas- 80 M
ever .aer5 Alou hit'F We NJ, i.I.laIs s .nHs
~ Of whereupon Iiey threatened 20 break
that he would not have beeG ABUSED
, a,a barrel, and that IL no had had his
. anu witt him be would have killed some Oh
on a co. 81 800 u".o 80. $50
rp % N. 'ut .utes quaFeI vi epPio ~
n The working men who helped us aiong. How
"A ~ it happened otherwise. We tender our "
porso est thanks to all concerned in getting us 8
neeI- safely. ~AMUEL TOwHsEl
Townsend, April 8, 1867 ..