Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-08-21
A SAD DISASTER TO THE PEACH TRADE.


thirty miles.
Commencing at G p. NJ, the heavy easterly
wind drove it across belt Of country, from the
Christiana southwark to Townsend, sweeping
everything before it, evelling the corn-helds, and
flooding the grounds both high and low.
The extent Of the damage at ten o'clock this
morning, exclusive of that done to the Railroad
had not been ascertained, and probably will not
be for day or two yet to come 1t is immense.
however. and will count into hundreds of thous-
ands of dollars, involving as it does large por-
ton of the ripe peach crop, which must be mar
keted now or never.
INJURY TO THE RAILROAD.
On the Delaware Railroad two culverts are
washed ont at the crossing OF the Pennsylvania
aud Delaware Railroad, one few hundred feet
above and the other about as far below that
point; two others are gone between that point
aud Krkwood station, six between there and
Mddletown, and two between Middletown and
Townsend making twelve broken culverts with
in a distance Of about fourteen miles. Besides,
this, however,
GREAT DAMAGE Is DONE AT THE CANAL,
Where the breast of the Feeder broke during
the storm, between 8 and IL o'clock, and carry
ing before it large quantity of earth, filled up
the canal at this point, swept away the Keepers
house. about one hundred feet OF the Northern
approach to.the Railroad bridge, and one OF the
abutments OF that structure.
readers, is very serious indeed. Trains are now
all stopped, and it is probable that with the ut
most exertiou, travel cannot be resumed for three
or four days.
THE APPEARANCE OF THINGS.
Between this city and Kirkwood station, seven
teen miles from this city, is thus described by
representatiye of the COMMERCIAL, who was q
passenger on the 6 35 train southwark last even
ing and who returned to this city this morning,
with full details of his experience and reports of
the extent of the damage
Our train left Wilmington within few min
utes OF schedule time, having on board, Mr..
Hnckley president of the road. 1t was then rain
ing pretty hard but not 30 much 80 as to alarm
any one. 1t had not abated one particle wnen
we reached New Castle, at about o'clock.
Here the wind struck us and drove the rain
against us with the greatest fury, and after
psssing here the side bitches were noticeably
swollen We ran on however, at a low rate of
speed making the regular stops, until the train
reached the p. d ID. crossing, and after passing
that point. still more slowly, with frequent
stops. In passing the culverts, there. they were
noticed to have water above them, backed up
till it covered the fences in the valleys, and iD
fifteen minutes after our passing over them, as
we were informed this morning, they caved in.
This was about half past seven. Some OF the
lower culverts had given way earlier, and orders
had been sent to stop the train at New Castle,
but were not received until it had passed that
point.
train ran through water from fifteen to eighteen
inches deep on the road coming up consider
ably above the rails. The track men were at
their posts. however, and the train ran with
every possible precaution, The hnal halt was
made mile above Kirkwood, just at the point
where the railroad crosses the public road on a
bridge. Here the whole valley perhaps a hum
dred yards wide was full OF watsr, entirely sur
rounding some houses, which were built in it fill
ing their lower floors breast deep as we after
tror1a If ha ms xval
to Kirkwood, after the rain ceased to fall, that
is, about nine o'clock. They found that at the
break nearest to the engine, the track had gone
down several inches OF its own weight, and the
earth gone for many feet below it, leaving q
bridge Of the crosstles and iron alone.
By an eddy above the road here the embank-
ment had been sliced on as it were, and carried
away, up to within eighteen or twenty inches Of
the rails making it an exceedingly ugly place for
an engine to cross, lest it should sink on the
weak side, and tip the train over. During the
interval that the train waited at this point, the
conductor walked back over the track to the p.
Il ID. crossing, carefully examining the road
way. There he met construction train,
which had left Wilmington about eleven
o'clock, and found them repairing the
breaches made after our train went over About
twelve, we backed as far as we could and waited
until the track could be passed over, which was
not until about seven o'clock this morning. In
that interval the Superintendent of the Della
ware Division, Mr. Mills, went down as far as he
could on hand car, and brought back the news
concerning the canal which was the lowest point
reached. The canal is closed. and the North
abutment of the bridge destroyed. The Company
provided breakfast at Wilmington for such as
chose to takeit, and returned their fare to such
as desired it.
THE PEACH TRAINS CAUGHT.
There are three peach trains lying on the road
below or between the breaks, besides two or
three freight trains and no mails will be received
FRI haln ba ka
over about as many miles.
THE MORE SERIOUS BREAKS,
As far as we have been able to learn in the order
OF their Importance are At the canal at st.
AIMS Church, (near Middletown, one just above
Townsend, ,one at Cann's crossing Gust below the
canaD at iKiIkwood; one at Forest Church
Crossing, Gust above Middletown-and here the
road bridge is also gone) and the two at the p.
X d. crossing.
The dam which in breaking destroyed the
bridge and canal, is mile in length, and quite
deep. There are no locks on the canal between
this point and st. Georges on the East, and
Chesapeake City on the West. The probabili-
ties are, that both Of these towns must have
suffered heavy damage. II they escaped it is
almost a miracle.
THE BREAKING OF THE DAM.
The scene when the dam gave way is described
as grand beyond description. Filling rapidly with
the heavy fall of rain, rising higher and higher
it commenced to run ever in a torrent bearing
first little sand and gravel until gathering force
with the accelerating current,it swept all before
it breaking with a sound like thunder and casting
it's whole face upon the earthen barrier Just be-
fore 1.-THE embankment of the bridge = this
Offering some resistance gave it half a turn
across the channel of the canal, but not without
the giving up of it's own form and adding it
mass to the heap of debris which filed the whole
canal for about four hundred feet, and sending
great waves eastward and westward.
EVERYTHING APPEARED TO BE RIGHT
On the lower end Of the p Il d. Railroad,
hand car having gone down it, and it's train hav-
ing whistled before the returning train for Will
mington was out of hearing OF private loss,
we have been unable to learn anything, as yet.
but the repairs on the road cannot be fully made
in less than a week, and in that time large pro-
portion of our valuable peach crop will rot and
be a total loss upon our hands.
THE INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS,
Toe will fall very heavy upon the Delaware Rail-
road company, this being, for that branch. it's
heaviest season, and the head men look mighty
blue. Mr.. Mills could not give any idea, this
morning, as to when the road would be in work.
ing order again. Mr.. Hinckley was on the spot
as was also Mr.. Mills. Mr.. Kenney was in the
depot at Ridley Park with which place the local
ities of the accident was in immediate communi-
cation, by telegraph, and he also went down this
morning.
PROBABLE Loss OF LIFE.
1t is not known with certainty whether there
has been any loss OF life from the storm or not