The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1875-03-27
FRESHET DISASTERS.
Port JerYis, N. T., Inundated, and
Railroad Bridges Swept Away
Great Damage to Property.
Immense Destruction of Bridges on the
Susquehannah River.

Advices from different sections give
particulars of terrible destruction of
railroad and other property, by the
spring floods. The most serious ac-
counts are received from Port Jervls,
New York, where the principal shops OF
the Erie railroad are located, and from
Pittston, Pa, on the Pennsylvania rail
road.
At the aforementioned place, the citi-
zens were warned at 6 in the morning of
the 18th inst, that the waters of the
Delaware were rising rapidly, and to
prepare for the coming flood. The ice
had previously gorged some miles above
the city. The telegraph announced that
the ice had swept through every barrier
above, and was coming down upon the
city, rid .ng upon the crest of wave ten
feet high. The inhabitants fed from the
lower portion of the town, and
preparations were made for the coming
catastrophe as well as time and circuTn-
stances permitted. At s o'clock the
lower portion of the city was deluged,
and the water still rising. Efforts
which were being made with glycerine
to blast the gorge above, at last proved
successful, and at 9 o'clock the gorge
was broken and the ice commenced
floating down, and the wafer in the
streets began to subside. The blasting
of this gorge no doubt saved the entire
struction. The damage done to rail
road property is immense. The Barrett
and Delaware railroad bridges some dis
lance above the city, were swept away,
and the suspension bridge below the
city was in imminent danger.
About three hundred houses in Port
Jervis proper, between the railway and
river, were more or less damaged by
water Many of them were filled to the
second story. Owing to the ample
warnings given by the authorities no
lives were lost. All of the large shops
OF the Erie Railway Company had more
or less water in them, but no great
damage was done. Chief Engineer
Chanute, of the Erie Railway, had start
ed for the location of the Delaware
bridge, to arrange temporary struc-
ture for crossing the river. German
town, the western part of the village,
suffered most.
Later reports say that one man was
killed, and that the damage to the Bar
rett Bridge Company is about $15, 1000,
and other losses in the village are about
$50, 600 more. Further damage was not
anticipated.
Reports from Pittston, Pa, of the
17th inst, say that at A. NJ. the ice in
the Susquehannah began to move very
suddenly, and with it one span of
the magnificent bridge at that
place. Two men were on it at the
time, but were just rescued when ont
swung three more spans. This
cleared the new bridge, with the excep-
ton of the east span, which is still stand
ing. Within ten minutes of the first
catastrophe, loud sounds came from the
direction of the old bridge, above a
quarter of mile up stream, and in
a moment after that structure al
so was swept out into the current, and
was carried away. The Lackawanna
railroad bridge had previously gone
down. The loss in bridges alone is not
less than half million dollars In
West Pittston the river made terrible
inroads on the valuable property there
in located. The flood covered The
lower portion of the place, and the
greatest apprehensions were felt for the
safety of several dwellings,.