New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-15
TILE Della WARE ICE GORGE.
WAITING FOR THE FLOOD.

WAITING FOR THE FLOOD
THE DANGER TO THE TOWN AND VALLEY TIE SUB
JECT OF PRAYERS AND SERMONS IN THE
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF THE GLACIER-FAII-
URE OF THE EXPERIMENT WITH NAPIIrHA-
FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR TIE BREAK UP
lFRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNEJ
PoRT JERvIs, N. Y, March 14-Waiting for
the food has edIOns to the people OF Port Jer
WIS., That there will food few doubt, and there are
many who wish that II would come, do its work and be
done with forever. The amount OF property epdan-
gered Is estimated at between s2oOoOeo and g. ooo
SO universal Is the feeling Of alarm that to-day Two
ministers devoted portion OF their sermons 10 the Ice
gorge The Rev. Mr.. Shaw of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, vino preached the subject of Prayer, re-
ferred to the impending danger as follows:
Brethren the great disaster which threatens to
destroy large portion Of our village !. subject f9r
ihe ice gorge. We have talked about H. looked at IT,
oked about IT, photographed IT, and noised IL abroad
dangers It threatens may be avertedf Already much
property has been destroyed, and many OF our near
what the result Will be- IL Is IN the hands OF God and
we look to Him for help We are 10 danger wheh
human power cannot av-rt, and We should resort
TO prayer, and cry, Lord, save usl" We have
tried hat science can do Tor u.s. we nave Fought me
monster glacier with the giant ely cerine but tue results
show that ouy IN Providence trust for safety.
We ought TO pray to tie Overrung God TO avert the
danger which threatens not only TO destroy great
amount Of property, but human lives Prayer mas
wrought miracles before now ana stay cd the power Vi
the Lord He made for His chosen ones dry path
through the sea- and should ask Him to harness tne
of Inc Delaware until tho threatened town Is safe am
encouraged say this because God has so olen vsDy
answered the prayers OF the faithful. and averted the
Dangers which tnreate ned them. Brethren, shall We
not then make this the subject OF our prayersf
The blasting operations have disclosed the method In
which the glacier formed Tie keystone OF the
gorge was formed on Sims Rift" half mile below
the bridge by several immense CAKES o ce
tla tha riv
edge OF the first these ice fields becoming ias'. Inc
two mr. three that followed were thrust underneath 1t,
raising the whole in the shape Of sopng dam Other
blocks OF ice we're driven BY the water against tue
back Of this dam, where they became liked IN perpeh
dicular position, with their broad surfaces presented
,arev against the current This immense dam-6o feet
long $50 feet broad. and 80 feet IN hent-dVdsa
the current OF the river forcing It around on eher
side, and causing the floating ice to clog III
rho shallover water. Then the Ice above became
,.mmed tooetber backing up for four miles, until IL re-
toa An one of the most wonderful ice formations ever
oon IN an American river. Whether secondary dams
have bceu formed above blythe setting ana souyns
the great mass has not yet been dcterni1ea ou' " "
s,,,rea very probable that such 10 tho case HAD
the fact been at the time the gorge iorou ''
rho kew Of the whole position was an ice dam OF 'hs
Lind the formation OF tho glacier might nave Deeh pre-
vented by blowing up the dam Tho engineering opera
,o,. will he principally confined hereafter TO the dam
op 9im,s Rift When the food comes, II this can DC
broken up IL tho ght that the mass above may move
down before the pressure Of the water possibly with
Gus causing overflow.
Mr. Cheeseborougn arrived last night Win 20 parreis
Of naptha and the long promised bonfire was made on
tho Ice this afternoon The bungs we're Knocked out OF
Is barrels Of the uid and tney we're placed, some I'D
boles lue I'm the ice and others top OF the glacier
severa Yards apart. An immense crowd OF spectators
the experiment from the river banks, tho
brdae and the house-tops Mr.. Cbeeseoorougn appied
tbe m te amid loud cheers the fierce flames leaped
instantly upward. Some Of the barrels burst ai'er
h,r,ino awhile scattering their contents without IN
hiring anyone; others purposeiy overse and the
mn; ming paphtha allowed to run through the SNOW
The result disappointed everybody Several circular
,oIe Tn. size OF tho barrels melted through to the
wafer and few square feet OF leo were slightly honey
co,bed but that all. The remaining ten barrels
may he used to melt holes for the blasting.
About two inches Of snow fell Saturday and an
pen more this morning. hiefEngneer Chanute will
ucs one charges OF nitro ycerine OF from one
10 TWO hundred POUNDS eacn, under the main dlu OF
the glacier Sinc5 Clip. aud leave them there con
uectcd electric batteries on shore unll the HOOD
comca, wien they viii DO fired by this means IL ~
tnougn possible To save the town. Three hnndred
pounds OF glyeenne have been used and mucn more
came tonight Tic city officials have also ordered Two
hundred pounds. Mayor Abbott to-day received tec-
gram from Rochester, aud others from North Adams
and Worcester, Mars, from gentlemen oEcrng 10 re-
move the gorge blasting, g. The river Is sll rising.
ana IL thaNIng very fast slight Mist 10 iahnR, ana
there strOnS indications oi ram