The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-05
PENNSYLVANIA,

SPRING MILL. five miles below Norristown,
Oct. 4-The river at this point has reced6d two
feet from the highest point, which was sixteen
feet above its regular water-mark, or two fee
higher than the great freshet OF 1852. The
destruction of private property is immense. A
woman at Norristown, in endeayoring to secure
floating timber, fell in the river, and two per
sons, man and woman, in trying to rescue
here were drawn in the current and the three
were drowned The property of the Navigation
Company is comparatively safe, as no dams or
locks were torn away from the upper end of the
line down as far as Conshohocken, with the eX
ception of one stop-gate.
Four loaded boats at Norristown will lay high
and dry when the water recedes. The Norris
town Railroad is badly under water, as is also
the Reading Railroad some three miles, but j.
8. Hilles, assistant superintendent is on hand
with heavy force of laborers, sufficient to re-
pair any damage in very few hours after the
water recedes. The coal trade will not remain
idle over two days unless the mines are drowned
out above. Az three o'clock, the river was rs-
ing rapidly at Pottstown which is supposed to
be the water from the upper end just coming
down.
HARRISBURG, Oct. 4-The rain ceased last
night. There is no great freshet in this imme-
diate vicinity, but there is great damage east
and south of here. Several bridges between
Harrisburg and Philadelphia on the Pennsyl-
vania Central and Philadelphia and Reading
Railroads, are reported washed away. Also,
between Harrisburg and Baltimore the damage
was severe. The Susquehanna is rising rapidly,
but no fears are entertained OF n disastrous Hood.
NEW HOPE, Oct. 4.-The Delaware division of
the canal is badly damaged in three places, the
embankment torn out in one place, and two
aqueducts washed away. 1t will take several
weeks to repair the damages.
SCRANTON, Oct. 4.-Heavy rains have fallen
for the past forty-eight hours. No trains arrived
on the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad. The
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western road has
also suspended running. AR embankment 1900
feet long, at Bells bridge, was washed out
Several minor breaks are reported between
Scranton and Stroudsburg. Heavy gangs of
men are at work all along the line. There was
n great freshet at Mauch Chunk Twenty boats
Coal Company's rolling mills suspended work
on account of the high water.
READING, Oct. 4-The freshet in the Schuyl-
kill valley to-day was the most disastrous since
that of 1850 doing but little less damage to pro-
perty. The rain commenced heavily at about
o'clock on Sunday morning, aud fell without in
termission until the same time this morning,
whef six and three-quarter inches had descend
ed. Two-thirds of this quantity fell on Sunday
night, the rain pouring in torrents from about 10
O'clock. At | o'clock this morning the fall was
the heaviest for years, producing perfect roar
upon the roofs of houses. The effect was i'm
mediatey apparent upon the Schuylkill, which
rose rapidly on Sunday night and this morning.
AT IL o'clock it reached twenty-five feet above
Its ordinary level, some three feet less than in
1850. The rise from to IL was at the rate of
about foot an hour. Fortunately the great rise
occurred in the daytime, or loss of life might
have been the result. No person was drowned
at any point near here, so far heard from,
though many were rescued at considerable peril.
The lower part of the city was completely sub
merged, and some seven uWelhhg houses were
Tho snon of the Lancaster Bridge was swent
of by floating canal boats, and lodged upoI
Fritzfs Island, about mile below the city. On'