Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-03-11
Great Freshet---BreakIn up
of the Ice..--DestructIOn Of
Properly.

Early on Saturday it was evident that
tae water would reach more than the
usual height on the occasion OF Il break up,
and the event was looked forward to with
some anxiety by those who lived or owned
property on the fats adjacent to the river.
Very few anticipated that the ice would
give way before Sunday, but the great
voIums of water was more than equal to
the strength of the ice, and the break came
about eleven o'clock Saturday night.
Sunday morning the river and adjacent
flats were n sea of rushing ice and water.
The ice that had broken opposite and
above town "gorged" against the blanks
and in the bend about one mile south
Near what is known as the Adgate proper
ty, some two miles down the river, the ice
remained firm in the river bed, completely
blockading the water. This had the effect
TO throw the back water into South War
rem, where it rose very rapidly during the
early part Of the forenoon, flooding cellars,
etc. By ten o'clock the ice had formed a
''gorge" from two to three miles in length,
backing up to within a short distance of
the lover dam, when the current took a
"short cut through the fields. At this
time the water was rapidly swelling and
was pouring into the Canal at the foot of
Main Street in quite q strong current.
About eleven o'clock the pressure was so
great that the ice forced the foundation
from beneath an addition on the south end
of the VanGorder Mill, which had been
used for storing grain, empty barrels, ETC.,
and that portion Of the building went
crashing into the ice and water. Barrels
were soon whirling among the eddies
formed by the current, and the more ad-
yenturous ones among the crowd were
making efforts to save them. Between
two and three hundred bushels of oats and
rye were stored in the building, a portion
of which will prove a loss. The damage
will be something ike $500. But a short
distance TO the south and east of the mill
stands the Soap and Candle factory of
Messrs. PennOck & Co., the lower story of
which had been submerged since early
morning. The ice had done this building
some damage, but TO what extent we did
not learn.
AT this time of the day, as well as during
the entire forenoon and afternoon, hun
dreds of the town people gathered at the
railroad bridge on South Street, the iron
bridge on Market Street and the two
bridges across the canal at the foot of Main
and Liberty Streets TO witness the rushing
water and ice-curious to look upon the
work of desolation.
Parties had been working at the lower
end Of the gorge since early morning,
under the control and advice of Mr.. Ad-
gate, cutting and lOosening up the mass of
ice, and a few minutes after eleven o'clock
it commenced to move in the channel OF
me river, which had the effect to cause
water TO recede some two feet in q very
space of time. Had it not been for
the efforts of this party, there is little
doubt the destruction Of property would
have been much greater. What it has
been to private parties in South Warren,
have not learned, IS that district is still
under water, but fences and other improve
ments must have suffered to a considerable
Quite a number of bridges are reported
damaged. and one or two swept of. The
middle pier Of A. & G. W. Ry. bridge /
across the river north of town was DANA
ged by the ice, several ofthe stone having
been torn out and the pier more or less
weakened. The bridge across the river
below Miles over which the Mineral
Ridge Rail road is built. was pushed out
of its position and damaged to some
extent. The report is that it was only
saved by running several loaded cars Of
coal upon it and leaving them as a weight.
a gentleman from the vicinity of New
ton Falls reports two bridges across the
eastern branch Of the Mahoning as having
been swept away from the vicinity of
Mills, with great damage to fences
in that section, whole farms on the river
having been stripped In 8 few
hours time. One flock of some eighty
head Of sheep are reported to have been
drowned in that section. On Monday the
ice was reported as having blockaded the
in the vicinity Of where the railroad
crosses it shout q mile west of Leavitsburg,
tho water out upon the fats to
such q depth as to cover the track On the
main lineof the railroad, destroying fences
and otherwise damaging property,
On Monday the water was higher at
this point than the day previous, but no
resulted in consequence. The
street TO the west Of the new iron bridge
was rendered impossible, and the first
stories of the houses in that portion of the
own were more or less untenable. Dur
.ng the day hundreds of rails went down
showingt that greatdamage had been
lone. In the evening a large maple tree
which had been washed from the bank
somewhere, came down with the current,
the iron bridge at the foot of Mar
zet street with great force, breaking out a
iection OF the rail- g and stampeding quite
/ number who were watching the drift
wood float by.
We hear Of no serious accidents to in
iividuals or the loss of any lives by the
thus far, in this vicinity, but we
to lesrn of more and heavy damage
property along the MahOning and
streams.
Without Break.
In speaking of a through route from