The daily gazette., 1875-03-22
FIRST EDITION
ICE GORGE OF THE SUSQUE-
HANNA.
The River Block ed for SiCtee,t
Males. N-


The Susquehanna river is gorged or
wsdged with ice from Rock run, above
Port Deposit to tho hats, sif miles below
Havro do Grace. the whole distance be-
ing fifteen or sixteen miles. The river,
which was FREQ of ice Oh Thursday up to
three o'clock, was gorged in four hours
which seems almost incredible. The ac-
cumulated mass from Columbia, forty
miles mp t q river. b gan to move at 4
O'clock, T. Nj. Thursday. and reached
Port Deposit, al 7. Is p. M, the same
day. 1t swept down at the rate of IF
teen miles an hour, and gorging at the
rivers mouth. on fats and the bar, back
water On each side OF its banks, flooding
the lower portions OF Have de Grace, rs
well rs Port Deposit, and spreading ruin
and eonsternation everywhere.
The suddenness OF the the terrible
Hood is something marvellous and unpre-
eedented in the history Of the river. 1t
i, some relief TO say tho water has been
falling all day, and has tonight receded
three feet. In general before it will be
sufficient to say that the water from the
presAnt flood is two feet higher than the
fieod OF 1857, and four feet higher than
the celebrated freshet Of 1873. Relief
FROM the gorge is to be had only from
high tides or wind to float it off the flats
and bar. The Port Deposit branch Of
tho Philadelphia, Wilmington and Bslti-
more Railroad. from Purryville to Port
Deposit is badly wrecked. Two import
ant trestles several hundred yards long
are crushed. and the track and ties twist
ed like an old iron hoop. ,Ae.
,'Of l6wires crossing th-Susquehanne,th the
Western Union Company has only Three
working, while the aut oinatic lines, which
crosses higher up, are wholly demolished.
The great bridge of.the. philadelphia,
Wilmington and Baltimore railroad ac-
rosa the Su quel anna stalds finn On its
solid masonry piers built up FROM the
bed OF the river and seeuis 10 defy the
crush OF tho largest masses of ice ever
known to have been crowded and jam
med by rushii e torrent within the
rocky banks Of the stream
HAvRE DE GRACE.
Havrc is the first point of observa-
tion on the line, and it is well to begin
with the beginning. Up to Thursday
afternoon no Ice of any account exist
ed IN the river here, or as far north as
McCall's ferry, twenty miles distant
In five hours the gorge had been con-
centrated. The current swept down
the east side of the river, bringing
masses of ice and grinding 1t into snow
as it came. The noise of the crushing
masses attracted the whole population
of the town who turned out ut half
past seven o'clock to witness the spec
tacle, which was rendered all the more
impressive by the bright moonlight
which lit up the spectacle. Later in the
evening the retlux faom the gorge be-
low drove the occupants of twelve or
fifteen houses from their homes and
sent them for safety and shelter among
their more fortunate neighbors on
higher ground. Many succeeded in
moving their furniture to the upper
stories or saving perishable articles,
but great deal of property has been
damaged. When the torrent first came
down it brought masses Of timber and
lumber, including large quantity OF
whole logs that had evidently come
from some boom above, and also much
poplar wood, used in making paper and
procured in this region. After tho
timber came the fields Of ice In which
now much lumber is mixed. The water
edge of Port Deposit is submerged al
around.
PERRYvILLE, March 21.-The water
has fallen four feet since Friday morn
ing, and is still falling slowly. No ice
moving.