Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-01
Incidents of the Recent Floods at Port
JerviS and Germantown.

The last man on the iron railroad
bridge was Robert Frampton, a superin-
tendent of track in the Erie employ. An
engine, run by BILLY" Morris, had been
making trips between the depot and the
bridge, carrying Supt. Thomas and 9TH
ers. The last trip they started to cross
the bridge and were going over it slowly.
Besides the engine and Mr. Thomas,
there were on the locomotive Engineer
Van Wormer, Conductor Corr and two
Others The ice was then lodged and
was piled very high up the stream,
clump of birch trees on a small island
200 or 800 feet above the bridge being
surrounded with ice halfway up to their
tops. Engineer Van Wormer, who had
been watching the ice, called the atten-
ton of the others to peculiar swaying
of the birch trees. This was soon fol-
lowed by an undulatory movement of the
ice, and Conductor Corr exclaimed:
''The ice is moving" They were half
way across the bridge and, in looking
back over the track, Mr.. Van Wormer
replied: " Yes, and the bridge is moving,
toO!n
Supt. Thomas saw that the bridge was
swaying to and fro and evidently getting
beyond the control of it's braces and sup
porters. Chilly" Morris at once reversed
his engine, and although the ice was rap
idly rising toward the very ties on the
bridge and the structure began to trem-
bic and crack he dared only to move at a
slow and most careful rate, for other
wise the jar would have fastened the
fall of the bridge and hurled them all
among the surging mass of ice below.
When they reached the span on this side
of the river the others were swinging
| like a suspension bridge and the ice was
rolling up in huge pillows beneath it.
| The engine got off the bridge in safety
and the shout that arose from those upon
it showed how deep was their relief. Mr..
| Frampton, who was on the track at this
end of the bridge at the moment the en-
CINE returned, suddenly remembered
that it was nearly time for trains to be
| coming along toward the bridge from
the west. No one on the other side
knew of the condition of the
bridge, and, unless the fact could
| be communicated, the result would
be terrible. There was only one way to
| get the information to the western side
of the river, and that was for him to
carry the news himself Without a mo-
ment's hesitation he started swiftly for
| the other side on the narrow walk at the
| side of the track. The bridge was rising
then from it's piers and swayed like the
! basket of balloon Mr.. FramptOn con-
| tinued on his way. When he reached
the center the two spans ahead of him
| began to move around and leave the
abutment on the Pennsylvania side. 1t
was impossible for him to go further on
his perilous journey, and he was about to
retrace his steps in despair. At that
moment he saw the trackman Of the first
section above the bridge, who had come
down to see the river Pausing long
enough to signal him TO go back with a
flag Mr. Frampton started on his way
back. He stepped from the river bridge
on to the canal bridge not a second be
fore the immense structure behind him
| fell with crash and was carried down
| the stream.
The scene this morning in the district
of the village known as Germantown is
most extraordinary, and the first i'm
preston caused is one of wonder that
more damage was not done. Immense
| blocks of ice, some of them from TWEEN
ty-ive to thirty feet long by fifteen or
twenty feet wide, and from three to four
| feet thick, lie scattered about IN the
widest confusion. The dwellings,
which are all small frame buildings, oc-
| cupied by mechanics and laboring men,
although built on streets that intersect
each other at regular intervals, generally
! stand alone, each surrounded by a small
| inclosure When the ice in the river
| began to move the channel became
| damned and the water overlooked the
banks, carrying the huge blocks of ice
in its course. From the way i'll which
the masses lie, and the direction in which
the fallen timbers Of the houses were
| thrown, and in which some of the houses
were moved, it is evident that the
pressure was lateral, that is to say, from
| the banks of the river toward the high
| land and not downward, with the
river course. To this the compar-
atively small amount of damage
done is due, for had the ice
come down with the current of the river
it would have inevitably swept the whole
of the lower part of the town away. In
very many cases the male occupants of
the dwellings that were partially sub
merged only few moments later were
actually on the ice in the river when the
alarm was given, and were compelled to
flee for their lives, and snatch up their
children as they passed their homes on
their way to the high ground. Of the
| 1900 inhabitants of the place but eight
or ten remained, and to them no accident
happened, the buildings in which they