The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-10

shantes and many miles OF sidings and switches.
Near oy is the r"-ndhonse for locomotives and
ant OF which Is, perhaps, the extensive machine
shops.
For distance Of five miles near here the ped OF
the Delaware River Is filed with ice packed from
oank 70 oank, sotia IRON ,ne bottom 10 p6int
There IS crammed into the bed OF the river a mass
OF ice FIVE mics long BY about 600 ieet wide and
perhaps sixteen feet through from top to bottom.
This IL the Ice dam, so called; but the idea OF a
dam gives very inaccurate picture OF the real
nature OF this obstruction. People fancy dam as
having always the longest dimension across the
stream-a comparatively narrow strip OF masonry
or earth or timber or even ice placed dlagonaly
here Is an end to the obstruction that Is opposed
to the advance , Of the water. Although above
GOO feet wide yet speaking strictly In the figure by
which the Ice is called dam should say that this
dam Is 600 feet long and three miles thick. Ii one
attempted to blast the Ice to make passage for
the water he would have to blast out channel Tor
sixteen feet in thickness, and oiten perhaps, be-
tween twenty and thirty feet.
TINS ice Is not an absolutely solid mass. II did
not freeze originally in this form. 1t is-the accu-
mulated ice from twenty-five miles up the river,
pushed forward By the rise 10 the water due to the
thaw that occurred some days since-all hurled
and TANNED into he bed of the river at this point.
Cakes OF ice OF all Sizes TWO feet by four and four
BY SIX and six by ten; all from twelve to twenty
inches thick-some times laid one upon another in
stratIfed masses; sometimes standing edge wise
or endwise, sometimes accumulated in one mass
ike great jagged boulder-all there crushed and
damned each against the other, and enough water
having lowed between 10 make as IL froze an al
most compact mass Of the whole.
But how is 1t that having come from so far up
the river their progress was arrested at tins
point Why Is all the Ice damned here At this
place the Delaware resembles the famous Mincio,
In the possession OF very awkward elbow. Run
denly cuts away to the south, or rather. perhaps,
on course west OF south. In this elbow the jam
corner, unless it comes down carried by current
OF water, which itself turns 81 the bend OF the
stream and takes the Ice with it. But this Ice did
not come down in current Of water There has
not been any time this year enough water in
the Delaware TO noat the hundredth part OF it.
The Ice came down somewhat as Homer's Fellows
went At the TroJans "the man behind pushed on
the man BEFORE" Now the hindmost rank OF all
In TINS case was started by the water far up
stream and urged on by 1t; but when little pro-
gress nad been made another force was gained
seems to have come into the game, ana with the
very considerable difference In the elevation of the
river bed and the weight OF the mass this was
quite sufficient. Under this influence, therefore
these enormous fields OF ice came down the bed OF
the river, taking the turns readily where
the curves were long and easy. But reach
Ing the point where the river turns almost at a
right angle 1t found ioothold for resistance. II
would have ploughed STRAIGHTFORWARD across the
ned. But the bank which at this point met the
'front.' Of Il, ike ssirmss line 10 distract the ne
enemy somewhat, hes low, long, obstinate little
island, aud there, " Is said, the river was frozen
solid so that the ice had good hold on the bottom.
Against the obstruction here, therefore, as the ice
came from above impeded by the DIS a tergo rather
than carried with tue water IL did not
take the turn IN the stream at the elbow,
but heapcd itself sc the point where the
bank faces the current, and masses OF Ice
neaped there became the starting point OF the
obstruction That soon spread all across the stream.
In these small rivers ice IL made In the winter
when the water is toeraby high ana toward
spring, but before any thaw the water Is lower
and there Is an interval OF a foot, or sometimes
two ieet, between the Ice and the water. All the
surface ice in this case was broken down by the
mass hurled upon IL. But 1t was not merely
broken down to tue water; it was pushed 10 the
very bottom, ana thus, perhaps, the current that
had gone under the Ice was stopped Altogether
last Friday or Saturday, and this Interruption
probably assisted the nood IN the streets oil the
town on those days.
For five miles, therefore, the bed OF the river IS
damned with ice where the water should now
there Is no place Tor the water save as moderate
quantity may lnsnnate Itself under or percolate
the interstices OF the mass. But any consldera.
bic rush OF water Will not take devious a route.
IL was, then, OF comparatively little consequences
that the bed OF the river was crammed with ice
while the water was low but how would It be If the
wafer were suddenly TO become high2 If sudden
thaw OF the snow on the hills or q heavy warm
rain should convert the now quiet current into a
bolsteroua torrent what would become OF the
water shut out from It's proper channelY
PARTiAL ANSWER TO THAT CoNUNDRUM
such was the problem In the minds OF the people
OF Port Jervis for several days. As to what mi ant
become OF the town IN such Q contingency there
was partial answer one day. In the thaw that
came at the end OF February the water came over
freely, and small delnge went through that part
u the toun nearest the RIVER, one street parallel