The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-18

morning, with less damage to property than
might have been expected. II is fortunate
that the pent-up food forced its way through
bydaylight. Nothing so intensfes the horror
OF calamity of this kind as to have it come
in the darkness of the night, when nobody
can look far enough abroad to take in the
whole situation and measure the extent of the
danger. Night is fruitful breeder OF
imaginary terrors. 1t is only in the night
that the sheeted ghosts of the dead are sup
posed to walk, unnerving men who would face
almost any danger without quailing by day
light. 1t is not easy to conceive situation
more terrific than the unloosing of mighty
flood of waters when all nature is enveloped
In thick darkness and the excited imagina-
tons of men are not curbed and restrained
by 4 clear survey of the danger. When such
a calamity overtakes a community suddenly
in the night the sense of peril is magnifed
thousand fold, because when nothing is
clearly known affrighted imaginations natu-
rally picture the worst. We can think of moth
ing more appalling than the situation of a
quiet village community startled from their
beds in the dead of night and fleeing from a
destructive inundation whose extent is hidden
from their eyes by thick veil which they can
not penetrate. We congratulate the people of
Port Jervis that the floods broke through the
ice gorge in the morning, when the friendly
light of the sun enabled them to take in the
whole scene and imagination added nothing
10 the real horrors of the situation. We con-
gratulate them that so little damage was done
70 their property and that only one life was
lost Had the wild outbreak of waters taken
place in the nighttime nobody can say how
many lives might have been sacrificed in the
panic which would have turned weak heads
and impelled distracted people toward the in
undating food instead of away from it.
Whether such catastrophes can be averted
by reasonable foresight and effort is q ques-
ton which the citizens of Port Jervis and all
who are exposed TO similar perils may wisely
consider. The immense snowfall Of the late
winter necessarily swels all streams when it
nelis. but in most localities ii threatens no
great danger when the course of the rivers is
not obstructed by blockade of ice. 1t was
no, the great spring addition to the volume of
the Delaware which made that river so dam
gorous, but the fact that great dam of ice
caused an accumulation Of water behind it
whose sudden release, whenever il might
come. would inuDdnte the country below.
Was Il not possible 10 prevent this obstruc-
tive dam OF iceg The experiments of nitro
glycerine blasting nt Port Jervis would seem
10 supply satisfactory answer True it
h that this species OF blasting was
not Efficient against gorge of ac-
cumulsted ice three or four miles in extent
the great mistake was in delaying it so long.
AT the beginning Of the gorge the river was
blocked only AZ single point, and it was
against this barrier that the ice constantly
brought down by the stream accumulated.
The successive contributions of new ice from
above kept lengthening the gorge, which
froze together in the cold nights and became
cemen,ed and consolidated into a compact
mass miles and miles in extent. OF course
there was no possibility Of blasting out such
a coherent mass and opening free course to
the river But had time been taken by the
forclock. and bad the nitro-glycerine blasting
been begun when the extent Of the gorge was
only n few rods, instead of several miles, we
see no reason why il should no, have succeeded
at once and have averted this catastrophe
The experiments in blasting furnished redun-
dant evidence that he they been begun in the
first days Of the obstruction they would have
been completely successful. II WILL therefore,
be the faul, of the inhabitants if they are ever
again exposed TO so great peril
Within the last twelve months we have had
in this country an unusual number of DESC
lating inundations. The destruction of two
or three hourishing villages in Central Massa-
chusetis and the bursting OF the banks of the
swollen Lower Mississippi are the most men,
orable instances. In both Of these last named
cases as well as in the food at Port Jervis
yesterday, the destructive effects were the
fault Of man and cannot be imputed TO the
violence of nature They have no resemblance
10 the terrible vistatiops which overtake
regions subject to heavy earthquakes, or which
lie below the craiers of volcanoes, or which,
like some of the West India islands, are ex-
posed to sudden and desola,ing hurricanes.
These are evils against which no human fore
sight can provide. Bu, the destructive mum
dations experienced in this country within
the last year belong to a different category
There is no one Of them which might not have
been prevented by foreseeing prudence. The
Massachusetts, foundations we're the conse-
quence Of dishonesty built dam, cheaply
constructed in order 10 make a profitable job
The engulfng Of plantations aud whole dis
tricts on the Lower Mississippi wa a needless
destruction Of propery, for il the levccs bad
not been suffered to fall into decay IL could
not have occurred The excuse founded on
the poverty Of the states borloring on the
river and their inability 10 furnish funds for
strengthening the levees and keeping them in