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

April lssh, 1851.
-4-S-@- IL
From The Delawaresu. &
THE LATE FLOOD.
Mn. EprroR I'll send you these lines for pub
lieAtion. In order to give faint description, as
an eve witness, of the late terrible storm down
,ha Pspinsula, and also for the purpose OF
Avlng justice Tor vt least attempting W 70 as
aneroetic crew IS ever run tain on any
road' except none. Their names are IS FOL
lows: Conductor, Charles r. Sherman; engi-
nser Samuel Barnes; fireman, W. Holt bag
sEge master. a. @ Brown; brakeman, A
6hormau; and Of the post ONCE department
Iss,o L. Crouch, mail agent, Delaware rail
road All Of these men deserve great credit
for perseverance aud the right kind OF energy
Ia overcoming obstacles, wi h the assistance
Of about twenty-five brave, hard working men,
who assisted In doing what to some might
have appeared impossible; and 1t was the unan
imous conclusion Of the few passengers on the |
train that we should make public acknowl- |
edqment to 1.-THE men above mentioned for the
comfort and safety with which they brought |
us through, in those two memorable days, FIJI |
aay and saturday, the 22l and 2si OF March.
There were Is passenger, J. Coleman, super
intendent of Adams Express, Philadelphia
two gentlemen from Pennsylvania, late pur-
ehssers OF land in Somerset county; james Y
Adams, hotel keeper at Bshoootb, Somerset
county; Mr.. Holland, foreman of a sawmli q,
Reho6oh; Mr.. Penuypacker, Ar. Barton aud
Mr.. Aaron of Wi mingtoni Mr.. DopaphSn,
railroad wood agent, DJveT; myself and son,
John, hoy about twelve years old, and three
others, strangers.
Nov to give persons some idea Of the storm,
will state that hired good qniet horse Ano
got in a dearborn at RiGsrs hotel Princess
Anne, and went down on she 21st, my boy with
~ I had a..
near o place called Reh0boih.--IR the after
noon we went into said Rehoboth, which is
situated on the west branch OF the Pokomose
river We stopped all night at good hotel
kept BY Mr., Adams. II blew gale and rain.
ed all nieht. Next morning. Friday, at eight
o'clo,s, we left Rehoboth fer Princess Anne
10 b. "a time to take the cars at l2.15. just
ont out of Rehoboth the road runs over al old
MIL dsn.---rhe old aoOd gate frame Is used
, for 4 as sSla SSs y-o' A.--..A en-
ploy, to lock at the bridge, aud reporY 10 m
y as came aiotg, If sap. 1 came alo an
they said they thoughttI might ventuN owe
, went over. | have since heard hE asye
that was the last one that went ovei% IL, Il
10 Is or 30 minutes aieFward, twenty Meet
the dam near the bridge gave way.
We went on, nearly facing II fue a bio an
hail iora mile, where the road led lover II
same branch. There, after going out on
the mont axletree, came to The bridge, abou
2b yards in .ensth and could see through tn
wafer that several planks were gone. mad t
back the horse OF the cause6ay. The hors
was, 90 observed, good one, but the bach
Spp~lHR process required care.
.. ruhen went o. towards NewtoWu, Hnd turne
of on RE road to GreenuiIl, and after goin
through waNe< up to he horses knees, for tw
hundred yards are STRETCH came to the ssi
l.. ~ IA L.
a river, covering the road and fields At Least
fourttfof mile; turned about, not wishin
to back again, and drove on, to the NewtoN
road, asd crossed, at great risk, Punohha
mill branches. The bridges here were, as Il
othero were said to be, nailed down, but a
under water
finally reached the road from Newiown
Princess Anne, anu on the fat, or summit
tween the Pskomokn and Wonoksn riveI
\ travelled through, might say, miles OF watt
y saw one field with the water nearly hall vi
I up to The fodder stacks, and should obser
4 that the practice down the Peninsula 10 to .
up their fodder ia small stacks, at differe
and convenient places over the corhfeid, a
leave them ont.
finally came up with the two horFa s,ae
bound from Newtown to Princess Aune-d
yer, John Shsrven, a passenger, Mr. Aaron
The said driver was rafting plank to make
OEluRts Nutu ne ndu nnlsu6u called aim
me, as knew him we'll, and gave him dril
of good whisky, which revived him great
as he had been in cold water thigh deep,
/ told him he must be my plot. | follow
where he waved, Came to branches whe
the water vas rushing over causewsys sor
one fourth of mile long. He would get o.
Of the stage and wade into the water. al
with pole examine the bridges, and VIII
night, signal, and the passenger would drt
on Finally at about quarter after twelv
after passing through the food and work.
Aronnd blown down trees, we arrived at /
depot at Princess Anne, and made inqui
- about the train. A man by the name OF NJ
Mullen, who said he was a oarpeHter,
lieve, on the railroad, told us there would
no trsin up that day and probably not befc
Monday, as bridge below had given way
We then rode to Mr.. Riders hotel to get So
dinner. Az We were sitting down to eat
perHon came in announced that the train y
in. We dispensed with dinner and were h
ried In the hack to the depot, but not in ii
for the carsi they had passed up, but stopT
In sight
We started up on foot in the fine hail q
rain, and after crossing a dangerous tres
bridge, we had the satisfaction OF meeting
train backing down to the station for iron b
and men to repair q bridge We go int
good, warm, oem iortable car, wi n the go
oDHRlnB n. NnOrman, urAkes1nRn, Keeping
the fire Our railroad trip now began,
started and came up to the broken bridge
All the workmen, about twenty I'VE, q
train msp, headed by Mr.. @. Sherman,
conductor, went to work, and in about an HI
We goV ever Before 60 further IL would
as we'll to state the real cause of delay on
IAilread, When the company built this 70
nearly all the streams Of any slss were L
ponds. To cross them the company bl
tIestle work, and made dirt or sand ba ks
each end 10 connect with the trssile work
ALI wen we'll whilst these bodies of water
m4ined mill ponds, but when this flood car
the Ike OF which no old man livioz in /
section ever saw, breaking all the mill ds
with one exception, 5slisbury,) and turn
these dead mill ponds into raging rivers, fl
~ to $50 yards wide, Of course these 81
abutments washed away as would 80 mi
brown SuSar; and hence the tro BILE II o
Meeting TIE road with the trestle.
Az before said We got over this Bird
came to smother similar one, got over It, ;
finally reached Salisbu about s O'Clock
had been raining and h&iling all day Fiji
Snow now began falling heavily. The Il
graph being down, there was no commun
lion above or below, and after waiting ab
two hours, the conductor backed the trair
ne sideliDg, and gave up until clock I
morning.
We all then went into Salisbury and pu,
at Mr.. Trasy's hotel, got warm supper. z