The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-05-03
NO NAVIGATION.
The Great Breach in the
Erie Canal.
Communication with the Lakes Cut Off-Canal
Navigation to Be impeded for Month
Full Particulars from the Scene
Of the Disaster.

The great breach in the Erie Canal, about three
miles below this place, the bare fact OF which was
teegraphed the HERALD yesterday, has to-day Sun-
day attracted many thousands OF visitors to the
| scene. Long before the church bells Of Rochester
and the adjacent villages began to ring out their
calls to the faithful and in the midst OF drizzling
rain, o curious multitude thronged the roads for
miles In every direction, and 1t Is estimated that
the carriages and other vehicles the spot during
the day would number nearly 600. The immediate
~ -aas SCENE Qg THE BREACH 4.
is place called the Ox.Bow from tortuops bend
in the old canal since avoided in the enargementl
and Is but short distance from the point where
similar, though smaller chasm was formed on the
letting IN OF the water about week ago. It is
almost the exact locality Of large breach some I'VE
years ago. IN which one or more boats were lost, a
house was carried away and its occupant, an old
man, drowned. Many bridges ana considerable
mill property was also at the time destroyed About
two miles above is where the breach in
THE GREAT EaBANKMENT
occurred some fifteen or more years ago. Here Is
range OF hills, the last out cropping OF distant
spur of the Alleghanles and at the foot OF their
western slope the canal runs parallel with them
and crosses ravine notched in their SIDE TO effect
this crossing an embankment has been thrown up.
forty feet In height about $50 feet In width at the
base and twenty feet IN width OF the top and some
thing less than mile in length. The
ravtne, which narrows in the hillside IS
flooded to save building second embank-
ment and the water, when navigation
is opened is at points here thirty feet in depth
Stretching away to the westward below the canal Is
low. marshy and sparsely wooded tract Of coun-
try, dotted here and there with farm houses and
cottages. The entire Of the flooded portion OF
the ravue is probably not more than twenty acres
than two fathoms in depth, combined with the
pressure of the strong current coming down from
above was too great for the badly constructed and
worse repaired banks in the condition they had been
left by the frosts OF last winter and the muskrats
this spring.
THE GATHERING OF THE WATERS.
Since the water was admitted to this level, seven
teen miles long, on the oath instant, Waterman has
been kept on the banks day and night. He, how.
ever failed to discover the breach Of week ago,
TILL after great deal Of damage had been done,
and, though he claims to have passed the point
where the present one has been made only ten min
utes before the bank gave way, about eleven O'Clock
Friday night, he says he saw nothing to excite a
suspicion Of danger. repair scow, which had been
staff onea at this point during the day, dropped
down the stream early in the evening, and the
men were at the village Of Fairport mile
and half below. The canal boats Barney
Bird, L. w. Clark and J. w. Raven, bound west,
without cargo, were racing, and the rst came OppO-
site the point OF the Dreach al about eleven o'clock
Friday night the others beng some distance behind.
The horses and driver had hardly passed the treach
escaping water instantly sucked the Barney Bird
into the gap. The driver, with the presence oil mind
which distinguishes his class when their horses are
animals. It was WELL then for those on board that
the the. boat was not laden The column OF water, al
tathOms deep, spurted into the meadow forty eight
feet below, and on the area OF ITS surface
SAILED THE BARNEY BIRD.
John Peril, the CAPTAIN. was ut the helm. In the
cabin his sister aud brother were sleeping The
captain looked away TO The west and below and saw
the dark woods and q house, III the window OF
which light was burning; down. beneath him,
into which the boat seemed pitching headong. was
q meadow. He lett the lller aud threw himself on
.ne DECK a protesting ing elect o. the hatch
YET expecting 70 be dashed to Instant d death S.
The boat went spinning down, but there
came no shock; tho moments passing seemed
hours. He looked towards the bow, where the great
lamp threw out Its stream OF light, and saw the
waters surgng on away I'm advance OF them. 1t
he felt the shadow OF the wood, and second later
the boat was dashed against the forest trees with
great shock. IL swung round and the giant trunks
In ten minutes the water had abated so the boat
lad on the ground. 1t had
RUN NEARLY A MILE IN A MINUTE.
Above, on the trunk OF an elm, was the mark where
the boat had struck, breaking the branches 1t was
by measurement exactly seventeen feet from the
ground.
l have said the waters had abatcd; they were still
pouring forth from the distant gap with thunder
ing roar, heard at the hotel in the village where
am writing, three miles distant There was o
column Of water six feet by sixty and seventeen
Yet when the immediate pressure or the ravine
reservoir was somewhat removed
THE TORRENT SLACKENED.
This, with the spreading Of the waters over q
great area, and their discovery OF a multitude or
hardly more than three feet When the cap
tam OF the L. ". Clark ian Ithaca Laker)
course over the bank and at right ANGLES
with the canal and there came to his cars the roar
o. tae cscapinS water ne directed the course Of his
IL with large ships hawser TO a convenient tele-
graph pole. Finding the suction OF the water so
overheard an anchor, attached To the bovine, by
which means she was held TIL she grounded. me
Waterman and reparmen soon came to the scene,
but could only stand passive witnesses OF the de.
struction going on. Messengers were despatched to
Rochester to the contractor Mr. Lewis seye ex
Albany. AT six O'Clock In the morning state En-
gineer Richmond, Commissioner Fay. Senator Lord
getting very low. and the Commissioner in
at Albany, estimated the earth carried out from the
bank as between TWENTY-FIVE and thirty thousand
yards. me gap In me bank could not then be accu-
running through the gap was reduced to a rivuet,
and the meadows In the higher places were left
bare. Fish were found noundering on the grass
and in puddlcs, some of them weighing fifteen
pounds. The crew OF the Barney Bird rot down on
their boat ana went fishing IN the fields, and soon |
the meadow was sprinkled with groups OF the Gu
rous OF ders and urchins, all for the nonce enthu.
sastlc disciples OF Walton. The enjoyment OF the
rustics was, however, considerably dampened by |
frequent showers Of rain and few were left IN the
vicinity ut nlgntiall |
THE SCENE TO-DAY,
Notwithstanding the rain OF the morning was |
unique and picturesque. The entire Board Of Alder
men OF the city OF Rochester appeared To he upon |
the ground, with some two thousand OF Its otner |
citizens. They came In phaetons, coupes, ba-
rouches, buggies, gigs, express wagons, aud on
horseback, ana their numbers were sweled by
rusty looking roosters from all the villages for ten
miles around In the carriages were many ladies',
ana not few farmers boys walked 10 the breach,r
with their best girls hanging OH their arms.
LooKf.3 INTO THE CANAL
from the bank one observed great assures In the
bottom, opening up thirty feet below ones feet and
extending above and below the gap for half a mile.
The gap Itself was nearly City ieet in depth and