The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-08-30

week.
THE STORM TRACK
Seems to have been confined to narrow
belt, extending not quite SO far North as
New Castle and South only as far as Town
send. From Kirkwood to Townsend it
seems to have been the most severe, and
property of all kinds within this limit, from
bay to bay, has sustained serious damage.
About Middletown, not single dam breast
is left standing, and in the country west Of
this many are reported to have been invol-
we'd in the general ruin. But the greatest
sufferers by the flood are the Delaware
Railroad and the Chesapeake & Delaware
Canal Cos.
The most serious damage to the Delaware
r. r. is at the point where it crosses the
canal. Here, not only the embankment
which was thrown up twenty or thirty feet
high, was washed away, but yawning
chasm is left open under it not less than
fifteen feet deep. Ofthis embankment and
earth about 400 feet were removed, or all
between the brow Of the hill which over
looks the canal on the North side, and the
railroad bridge. This structure is still
standing upon its two centrla massive stone
piers and south abutment, but the North
abutnent was overturned by the force of the
current which swept through the chasm.
The bridge is intact, although to the width
of the draw it projects over the chasm;
but this projection is the draw itself, and
is balanced upon the draw pier.
The breaches in tho embankments below
the canal are, some Of them, very serious.
The worst, probably, is at Willow Bridge,
where 80 feet are said to have been washed
out. This bridge is about q miles north
of Middletown. At Beaston's also this side
,f r,,1- a,,t
feet high is broken from 20 to % feet
The culvert at L" Frogpond," near the old
Forest Presbyterian burying ground just
this side of Middetown was broken. Be-
low Middletown, the St. AIMS Culvert is
gone. Tho road bed is greatly washed, all
the way from New Castle to Townsend, and
in some places, at the county road cross
ings, for instance, great holes are washed
underneath the track, leaving it and the
ties upon which the rails are laid suspend
ed in mid-air.
THE DAMAGE TO THE CANAL
Along the whole line serious breaches and
washes were made, but the principle points
of damage All three in number-at Summit
Bridge or the Deep Cut, at the Railroad
Crossing, and at st. Georges. To look
upon it at these places the damage seems
to be irreparable-at least for this season.
Navigation cannot possibly be resumed
before cold weather sets. in, and We may
safely state that no more boats will pass
through before next season. The total loss
to the canal will exceed 100000; and if
the damaged vessels claim compensation
for their losses and delays, as some people
seem to think they WILL the aggreg ate will
be enormously swelled.
|. SUMMIT FRIDGE.
In times Of heavy rains, this locality has
always been more or less trouble to the
Canal company. 1t is here that the deep
cut is made and down the lofty declivities
rolls sand and debris which find Judgment
in the bottom Of the canal. But it has
never undergone such disaster. Whole
trees were washed down into it, and the
filling up was so great that only about three
feet of water is loft in the canal at this
point. A tug was caught among the float
ing debris, and by a land slide, Or in some
other way, turned upon its side. But the
damage here is tritiing, when contrasted
with the sad appearance of things at
THE RAILROAD BRIDGE.
For about a quarter of mile at this point,
under and on both sides of the railroad
bridge, not only the canal but tho entire
marsh land through which it is built is GOV,
cred beneath one bed of yellow sand, which
was washed away from the main land on
the North side. The line of the canal is
still traceable, and in some places the pill
ing along the towpath lift their heads above
the mantle Of earth, but every where cover
ing an area Of several acres, the valley of
the canal presents much the appearance Of
a newly ploughed field of sand upon which
the rains and floods had descended. Here
and there ponds of water dot the surface,
and the natural flow of the stveam of the
feeder meanders through new channel,
but the water in the canal and in the creek
are displaced and served to augment the
the torrent which was SO prolific of disaster
further down. That such an area of solid
earth should be swept away seems almost
impossible, but under proper understand
ing of the nature and extent Of the feeder,
and the peculiar manner In which it over
run its dam breast, the matter is easily
enough comprehended.
TIE FEEDER TO THE CANAL
The storage capacity of the feeder is i'm
mense. 1t covered an area Of about 500
acres. When the water broke through the
dam breast, instead Of following the nat
ural course of the stream they sway
ed to the Eastward and soon cut a
channel through tho solid earth which
gradually widened and widened and grew
deeper and deeper until great yawning
chasm was opened. In its rapacious NAV
portion of two cornfields, the railroad
embankment, ties and rails, trees, fences,
and everything upon the surface, were
swallowed up. The earth WAS opened to
within few feet of 4 dwelling which
stands we'll up in the field, and occupied
by Mr.. Cam, we believe.
THE DAMAGE AT ST. GEORGES.
At St. Georges tho scene is truly ave-
inspiring, for here the most serious conse-
quences of the flood are to be seen. The
town itself has suffered but little, but in
the meadows around and between it. for
the town is built up on both sides of the
canal, wreck and ruin are Widespread
Sail vessels and canal boats are lying high
and dry where the receding waters left
them, and here and thcre are piles of de-
bris, from the wrecks.
Above the corn fields rise the masts and
spars of many vessels, while the white
winged canvass flaps uneasily in the breeze
There were in all from hundred to hun
dred and twenty-five boats clustered into a
very small space there, before the flood
came, but they are more scattered now.
1t was about o'clock when the flood
from the broken feeder was precipitated
upon the town of St. Georges. Its ap-
proach is said to have been heard above
the storm for some time before its fury
was felt, sounding like the rushing of many
waters-a metaphor which in this instance
was dread reality. On and on it came,
drawing nearer and nearer, and gathering
increased velocity as it rolled, until it final
ly broke over the canal banks, flooding the
meadows and the lower parts of the town.
By this time many Of the vessels moored
along the sides of the canal had broken
loose from their moorings, and were swept
through the breaches in the canal banks,
or over them, out upon the sea which was
surging within the banks of the creek as
it moved onward towards the Delaware
These vessels tioated mercilessly at the
disposal Of the torrent, and in their rapid
twstings and turnings were driven into
one another, staving in their sides and
ends, and producing CONSERVATION and
fear on all hands. One vessel was capsized
and in her rigging oday she bears large
quantities of tangled grass and other float
ing things. She has since uprighted some
what, and is now lying on the meadow at
an inclination of about 40 degrees. But
,yb; oh ,yos ,,,oro dreadful than oil tho ract