Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-03-24
GREAT FLOOD AT PORT JERvIS
The Town Inundated and bridges
swept Away.
The Inhabitants Hastily Retreat 90
Higher Ground
LEpeelaI CoIIe. pOndencc Of the \. Y. Tribune. !

PoRT JERvIs, y. Y, March 1.-THE
INST luIlmation Of the wreck of the
railroad bridge, which occurred at 7:4O
\ NJ, was brought to the village by
MI. Ihumas, who, perceiving the great
danger to the town, ran down with his
eugiue warning The people along the
river tu flee to higher ground. About
O'Clock, when the water in king
street was running like racewav six
feet deep, the engine came rushing
d""n the track Keeping up Coutin~
uuus aud draieniug screaming with its
whistle, while several men stood on
the tender waving their hats frantic-
uiA aut shouting "a every body to clenr
the track, for the flood was coming.
NrNera. thousand persons were stand
ing on the railroad track between the
depot ANA the Delaware House, aud.
wnen TINS warning was received, bells
"ere RUG, whist es blown, aud IA scene
OF wild confusion eusued. Everybody
rushed tor the higher ground up Pike
street. several ladies tainted, aud had
To oe carried away ia an express wag-
on. Al the same time two or three
wagons, which had gone up the valley
u warn the people when danger APP
peareh, came rafting down the track,
the drivers iashing their horses into a
gallnp, and crying that the water was
running close behind them.
AZ s "'c'ock the water began to run
down the railroad track and up into
Pike street, at IA depth of two feet, sur
rounding the Delaware House aud rail-
way depot, aud filing all the cellars in
e vicinity. THIS iuuudation was
caused 10y the rivers having broken
over it, nauks near the residence of
Wade Buckley, above Germantown,
and about mile above the railroad
dtpp'. Great blocks of ice were swept
along toy it, and So rapid was the rise
that The people in Germantown, which
l""ludvs about 100 small houses, had
hard y time to escape to terrace above
the railway, aud those who tarried to
secure some ei their household effects
hau 10 wade through water up to their
hhet-. ia IA lew moments mauN of the
houses were Huodcd up to the window
siilN, and several were carried from
their tuuudali his and shattered by the
lee. Orders were gwen to remove all
n" euglues IN the railway round
h"u~r aud repair-shops, 80 or 40 i'm
number, ard they were fired up, and
three or tour started away down the
4 ~
) ".cl"ck King street, the lower end of
PIKE, Lumrer. Thompson, Brown,
First, Second, and Third streets. and
the Railroad avenue, were all flooded
with water from two to eight feet
deep. The inundated portion occupied
a triangle $3.50 leet long and 900 feet
across the base, the river bounding
one side and the railway the other.
rms space was occupied by about 400
IN some Of which the water
had risen hair way up 10 the second
story, driving the inmates into the
upper rooms for refuge. Out houses,
fences, AID sheds were torn from their
and tlOated down toward
hr river The wa or still rose rapidly,
ana /. seemed that nothing could save
he town from utter destruction.
All inns time the gorge remained
urn, showing 10 signs of Welding 10
he p essure from above. II had been
-huved down against the suspension
bridge and WAS pling higher aud
higher every minute. Mr.. Chanute.
Mayor Abhoit aud Superintendent
Ihomas had gone down opposite the
"Wer end ihe gorge and were
Fa'rhlhE n'F .1..iY tn see il give waY
- here TIE I'll. uu-l had been blasted
h.ouah A'rut $50 channel had
'prurd a.ui"-. up 10 the suspension
Ridge, and rt $40 the gorge began to
move, slowly at first, but gathering
peed and momentum until it swept
~ the town at the Ta'e of four miles
IN hour passing over all Obstacles, and
MA rounding the bend at Carpenters
'oIui with uudiminished speed.
'heer upon cheer arose from the thou
and~ who were watching the spects-
lie, u being evident that the town was
aved.
A. soon as the gorge started the wa
-r ~ the streets began TO fall, and in
-n miuutts il had fallen Is inches.
Within the next Is minutes il rose
early two feet higher in the river. and
reat blocks of ice began to be tossed
poh and over the suspension bridge.
} which all attention was now turned
, 1t seemed To be doomed to destruc-
on. The gorge was moving in a COM
act form, and great blocks of ice pro-.
citing above its surface came in con-
'ct with the bridge with terrific force.
Taying il powerfully. until the three.
lch cables seemed straining almost to
the pine towers waved crack
" 10 aud fro, and the plank was rim
-d up ike shingles. Stll the stout
Ihles did not break, and the towers
manned erect. The heavy tim bers
lai had been brHced between the.oen-
al towers Were snapped into bIeees
he matches, and yet the bridge did
Dt 60.
For 10 minutes 1t endured this severe
and thrustiUg to and fro, and
seemed that IL would withstand all
~ efforts Of the ice 10 break IL, when
ldoenly, about 8 o'clock, moving ma
Slica.ly but swiftly, down upon it
me an immense fragment of the
roben iron railroad bridge, riding 20
~ above the surface, and 200 feet
NJ II struck the susp6 Bsion bridge.
roads de, on the Pennsylvania side
The middle pier. Over went the
nee lower lowers with crash, the
eat cables strained and snapped, and
'e IRON monster moved steadily on
1wn stream, bearing on its crest the
hue railing Of the suspension bridge,
hnugh the three towers on the dam
ream side were all overturned, and
ie lower cable was broken, the three