Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-02-04

l DAMAGED-TuE fREEEET ON The AMI
RED CLAY cREEKs- -MEApowH ovEHfLowED,
BUILDINGS FLOODED, DRIDGEh SWEPT AWAY AND
THE aIREAMs IMpAssABLE.
| The heavy rainfall. yesterday morning. started
| the ice in some OF the streams, producing
| freslet which was attended by considerable
damage The long continued freezing weather
had CONCEALED the ground to such depth
| that it was impossible for the Garth tc absorb
any part of the water, and il oil into the val
| leys and streams overlooking them, and creating
| All mpetuous torrent alongall the water courses.
| Tho Brandywine soon assumed Its
LOUD FoRBopING ROAR,
| as the volume of the current swept down its
rocky bed, and all due preparations were made
| at points where damage was possible TO avert as
| much of il as could be done ut 30 late all hour.
| Beginning i'll the headwaters of the stream the
| flood came rushing down with accelerated mo-
| tion and gaining III volume along tho whole dis-
| tance until at this city its muddy waters rose
| quito beyond tho bed of the stream, and but for
| the fortunate receding OF the tide in the Della
ware ut the time the flood was at its highest 1t
| might have been attended with more serious
| consequences.
THE ICE GAVE WAY
| in tho Brandywne above Chadds Ford about
4 o'clock in the afternoon, and came down
against the bridge at that place of the Baltimore
Central railroad, the heavy massive blocks jam
| ing against the tmbers and eventually dammlng
| up the sweeping current until the force OF the
ACCOMPLISHING weight of ice and water proved
too. heavy, the trestle work of the long bridge
gave way and about 800 feet of it was swept
down the stream, leaving the stringers remain
| ing. These broken timbers passed this city,
last night, about 10 o'clock. The rise OF the wa
| ter at Chadd's Ford was about ii feet A num-
| Der of the passengers took the Wilmington d
Reading road and passed through this city, last
| night, on their way to Philadelphia. The milk
and other freight for Philadelphia was also
| shipped over the same route, this morning.
THE SITUATION AT AND ABOUT 11TH STREET
| BRIDGE.
| About four o'clock yesterday afternoon the
roaring, surging current of water and ice came
| rushing down the Brandywine, tumbling in furi-
ous. boiling, struggling masses over the falls,
| down over the craggy rocks under the bridge
and meeting with stern tI. resistance s.ls,anss
from the heavy N soa ice ,,a GnAh and spanv haya
ing strong base in the 1lth street bridge. FL
nally this field of ice began to give way, but the
bridge above held it in check and blocked up the
current until the water had risen z or 8 feet and
was on the point of entering the lower rooms of
the mills. The time Of greatestdanger was about
10 o'clock, last night, and was time OF excite
ment and suspense to those pecuniarlly INTEREST
ed. The noise of the crushing masses OF ice and
rushing torrent was heard as far the City
Hail. About o'clock in the afternoon, when
the ice gave way at the bridge, the schooner
Alaska, belonging to Henry Lea was caught in
the current,
SWAPPING TWO CHAIN CABLES
, and seven ropes, and was rescued by running
| | her upon the bank. In the afternoon, when 1T
was found the freshet was coming, mill owners
shut off the gates of the races but the Hood
oyerrun the banks and swept down through them
in an increasing flow of water and heavy blocks
| of ice from two to five feet across and aoout 10
inches in thickness. force of men stood
all night at the lower gates where they
empty into the Brandywinc with spikes to break
the largest ice floes us they would lodge against
/ the abutment of the bridge, and but for this
precaution the damage to the races must
have been very selous. AS it was,
, the lower race on the north side just above the
Brandywine bridge, gave way, making tissure
some twenty feet wide through which torrent
of water and ice is now running. Tho hcod ls
still sweeping down the Brandywine, dashlng'
roaring, turbid torrent, but the ice below boing
washed out there is no longer any danger appre-
a hended. The mills are all stopped and must re-
y main SO until the danger is over and the dam
ages repaired.
THERE WAS MUCH CONCERN
for the 18th ST. bridge, and it was carefully
watched all night. Between eleven and twelve
o'clock the lodged ice had damed up the watel
to within ~ OF Is inches of the top of the bridge
The pressure was getting stronger and stronger
and the watchers feared it must go, but at this
, time the receding tide below loosened and gave
vent to the blocked mass and beiort
y morning the main body of it had passed through
and the danger averted with no damage eXcep
the staving in of one of the piers. If this bridge
had given way, the bridge of the p. w. ~ b. Il
II. a half mile below, which was already i'll dan a.,
ger, must have been carried away also. The
: railroad had about 50 men stationed at diforen
, points of danger on this and the Delaware roa'
;, all night but nothing serious occurred and th
. trains are running on their usual time.
ALONG THE WI LNINGToN u WESTERN.
The ice along tho White and Red Clay Creek
also gave way, yesterday, and as was to be ex
o pected the Wilmington x Western r. II. was no
y without damage to its bridges which span th
l. latter creek in no less than nine places. For
tunately, however, the damage was slight, bl
- sufficient to debar the passage OF trains Wit
| safety to the passengers. Several OF the tres
ties in the bridge at Wooddale were cut an
| crushed, and one trestle was washed out at Ash
r land. Light damage may have also been don
" to other bridges along the line. The afternoo
Wooddale bridge. This left all the engines G
the Co. at the other end of the road, 30 loci
motive was borrowed from the w. II. Go. an
the evening train run out as lar as eireenpani
from which point the passengers walked
Is Wooddae and got aboard tho train which wa
sent out to meet them. Til morning, Messr'
Connell, Hughes and VIM Jackson went mp tll
road with a force of men pushing tfnck
timber with which to repair the bridges, and
is expected that the trains Will begin runhi''
to-day.
THE OTHER RAILROADS
m sustained no injury, of any consequence, an
- the trains arrived and departed on time. Tell
graphic communication, however, was interrul
ted along the Wilmington * Reading. In til
Susouehanna the ice had not broken, this morl
ing, and there were no apprehensions felt IL
10 tho safety of that bridge although the volun
of the river was much swollen. Trains Ina
"a, ceased running on the p. Il D.. R. r. but IL
"' reason has not been ascertained.
DAMAGE IN THE COUNTRY
The smaller streams also felt the fury of IL
flood, and were swollen greatly beyond the
banks, overhowing meadows, and in some il
stances flooding the lower floors of the building
along their course. Greater damage, perhap
occurred along the White Clay and.Red Clt
l. creeks than elsewhere along the smaller strean
and considerable damage is here reported I'll
county bridge at Bishops Ford over the Re
Clay, 60 feet in length, is washed entirely ava
as is also the bridge on the Newport pike oy
ss the White Clay, near Stanton. The dams
W. G. Phillips at Greenbank, and of Q. u
Fell. at Faulkland, were broken but not seriou
ly. AT Marshall's and Kiamensi the dams I
main intact. The lower floors of all the mil
D. along the Red Clay creek were flooded, and tt
amaier bridges where not washed away we
iw unsafe for crossing. Hence, many of tho farr
ers who were attending market were compell'
to return and spend the night il the city.
THE ICE IN THE cHnIsTIANA
- remains unbroken from the Third street bridg
in this city, to Newport where it is gorged
the channel of the river, and the water is fore
away from tho bed of the stream out into Il