New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-22
THE SUSQUEHANNA FLOODS
THE FLOOD IN LANCASTER COUNTY.

HE FLUID IN LANCASTER COUNlf
THE INUNDATIoN OF COLUMBIA. MARIETTA, AND
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. RISE or THE WATERS
NARROW EsCAPEs-DAMAGE To RAILROAD CANAL
AND PRIVATE PROPERTY.
[PRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUSE.i
CAMBRIDGE, Penn, March 21.-The meager
accounts Of the food the suquebanna River. between
Columbia and cambridge. which have reached New
York give but fant idea OF Its magnitude. The ice
gave way on Thursday breaking telegraph communica
ton and stopping railway travel 60 oectua has been
the interruption that for the past three DAYS trains
have been run over this. the Columbia Branch Of the
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad. and no kilograms at all have
been either from Marietta Bainbridge The first
freight train the disaster passed here this evening"
and the first message to Philadelphia transmitted
about p. m. The IN ais have likewise been detained.
and the first batch of letters 70 Bnbtidge arrived last
night by horse conveyance from Elzabethtown
The villages Of Marietta and cambridge are Fix miles
apart the 5usquehanna, between Harrisburg and
Columbia. The Pennsylvania Canal and the Columbia
Branch Of the Pennsylvania Railroad pass near the
rivers edge zen village about 12Oo inhabi-
tants whose livelihood Is gained in connection with the
railroad canal by rafting. Reports of danger were
first started on Wednesday,, putting The people OF
Marietta the alert, and many kept watch all night
On Thursday morning hundreds OF men and women
liued the river bank and canal bridges The river
till 10 o'clock at the rate OF throe inches per
minute. Tie rising water drove the people hack and
the lower became deserted Half an hour later
the ice began break with SHARP cracking nOise and
huge slabs thrown the shore. There was Jul
three hours which gave the Inhabitants nope tha
the Ice would carried off but suddenly there was
roar ike thunder and the huge fields broke up forming
in many places pyramids 80 feet high. Cakes weighing
tons were shot up pressure 80 feet There Is one
pile Of solid ice the depot that VIII remain TOT
weeks there Is not another flood 10 carry 1t OIL Tie
crept the front at nrs and then tremendous
swell leaped up over the canal and rail-
road hurlng Jowlders and logs many yards beyond
IT, Women and children rushed Ia terror from the
advancing waves, aud many narrowly escaped drown
Ing Telegraph poles snapped hk0 so many twigs
Bridges thrown from their supports Lumber
yards were moved. and houses were completely obit
Grated. There the greatest disnay among the I'D
habtants, Dut mad enough presence Of mind to
get boats and from the flooded houses. The
food passed away as quickly as It came and at p m
Inc waters were rapidly falling CartePs warehouse ana
Shocks lumber office swept away, and many pri-
yate dwellings, overturned Not vestage was
left of Ersmans mill. and the house Of Wm. Grosh
was saved by a canal-bOat, which was caught by the
trees before 1t and protected the residence from the
rush of ice All except hFee Of the canal bridges were
torn away. Al CLicAey'S section OF Marietta, tho
fires in TIE rolling mills put out and parts OF the
building were crushed in. The pan bridge at this
point WAS carried away. and tue aqueduct was RAISED
from its piers.
The breaking up OF the ice. which started at Marietta
continues Ear as no Evi 30 reached, sweeping away
everything that in It's way between the two vii
lagos II finally reached Baiu0rige, where there was
hardly Is minutes warning L, swept over the canal
and railroad into Frontst rearing rails and ties
many places ana carrying the canal-ooafs as IL passed
lodging them IN the front yards Of the houses. The
rush was only arrested by TIE hills al tue base OF when
Bhnbridge stands. The business at tho Nd
tional Hotel was suddenly interrupted by a cake
N0lu na Of
water which followed at its heels. Mr.. Galbrah, the
operator IN the telegraph office. (which is the
river was at work when the water Hooded MS Office
He started telegraph to Philadelphia the state OF
ahdrs, bat before the message was half finished the
water rose to his waist and he up his instrument
and ran for his life. The family OF John GIOraith, con
sting Of his wife and five cnidren. who live on Laie
mans Island opposite the town, took refuge in hay
NOW in the loft OF barn alter driving the poultry
into lower part The building was moved 100 yards
but the family were uniDjured. Tie Pennsylvania Rail
road are heavy losers by III flood over five miles OF
the road between Marietta and Bainbridge are
covered with solid ice, 20 fet thick, which
will have 70 be cut away like rock. From
to TWO thousand have been at work night and day
since Thursday clearing the ice from tie south track
but travel resumed I'll late tonight This great
int Eruption OF travel has detained an immense amount
of freight. The yards aud depos at Harrlsburgh are
filed aud 1t Will three weeks TO clear it away just
before the food five frei ght moved TO
Harrisburg and thus saved. Another train was on It's
way gorge broke, but was warned and turned
pack. The canal also Is greatly damaged.
TRAVEL RESUMED or THE LEHGH VALLEY RAIL
ROAD
PHILADELPHIA, March 21.-The officers of the
Lehigh Valley Railroad Company state that The ice EN-
bargoes on that road ABOVE WikesDarre aud PttstOn
have been removed, and freight and passenger trains
have resumed their regular trips The water bias LEFT
the tracks and passage way has been through the
ice IN places 10 feet thick No further immediate
damage IL apprehended.