The New York herald., 1875-03-18

mace no more account oil Ordinary bridges tnan
the farmers twO-horse subsOller would OF the root
OF rose tree. Every fabric oI that sort lar up
the river was cleaned away. and about seven
O'Clock A. NJ it was at the iron bridge OF the Erie
Railway over che Delaware just above here. TINS
was fine, strong bridge, made OF wood and iron
together. one OF those knitted fabrics OF engineer
ing ingenuity that puzzle the listless passenger
every Gay In the year with the glimpse OF the
lngs OF every conceivable kind winch they give.
1t neld but little while and yet was perhaps. OF
incalculabe service IN breaking ana dispers-
OF, course, 1t gave way. This was at
twenty minutes to eight the whole bridge dld
1t was not Immediately over the river, but
stretched rom a high point OF the bank toward the
that was over the channel was cleanly cut away,
pushed down the stream and hurled to one side
to make way for the eonquerlng monster mat
down the valley.
At halt,past seven a despatch was received in
soon locomotive reached the depot confirming the
TACT and stating that While crossing the bridge the
Ice struck 1t, and the locomotive had not got ten
feet or the east side when the bridge began to 60.
one man was on the ne bridge at the time and barely
the employ or the company.
THE SCENE AT GERMANTOWN.
In the level between the river and the hills is
the track of the Erie, and between the track and
the river mile ABOVE Port Jervis IS the village
or Germantown, some hundreds OF neat little two
story frame houses, grouped on lew regular
streets. Into this village the water and ice came
with roar that threatened annihilatlon and 1t
seems SChTCeIy less LuuO tuuC IL Oh
the whole SO little narm Some houses were bowed
away, crushed and destroyed ait0gether, others
were dlsmantled ana dissected-cast about in
tOpsy-turvey Indifference TO architectural lnten-
tions-and from some the people mad hairpreadth
escapes; out, N view OF what went on q few feet
away, 1t seems incredible that there should be q
house standing. Within o hundred yards or the
middle OF this little settlement the ice now rests
where the force OF the water nured it This morn
ing, piled N Jagged masses, any piece OF whicn
hurled upon any house here would have ruined
It, THESE masses OF ice are from six to ten ieet
piled up by the Thousand at the very edge OF the
little settlement. Ali the houses as far as they
reached, went before them ike cheeSecakes, but
how they lett any houses 1T all is the wonder.
But the deposit OF Ice on this level, to the north
town, greatly relieved the pressure from the
stream and made difference In regard 10 the
bridge lower down ana to Port Jervis Indeed,
the Port Jervs bridge was not carried away by
the Ice but by the water
Along the hats, between Port Jervls and Ger
mantOwD, siOOd train OF seventeen cars on q
turn out track, whicn the ice caught up and
hurled into the air as If they were mere nothing
such Il compete wreck was never witnessed at
any collision that ever took place. le Of the
wheels and some OF the bottoms are all that now
remain. The loss on these cars will not be less
THE RISE Ar PORT JERvIs.
The water rose gradually about the bridge until
nearly eight O'Clock when IL began to show itself
on Thompson and King streets. 1t came stealing
along quietly, but every one could see tnat mis-.
gan TO snow Its strength, and soon around Ger
mantown Point came dashing huge cakes OF Ice,
and the signal was sounded that the worst was
ne II at hand.
AT last that happened which 40 one could have
hoped Tor. rne great ice plough proved plough
70 the last, and deep one. 1t ploughed out Lne
great ice gorge and dam-cut 1t through and
tnr0ugh, tore 1t into ten thousand fragments ana
moved 1t away. 1t was the intense moment OF
the drama. when the Ice from above came down
to the bridge and upon the ice lodged here, but
started, that it was moving, that 1t was swept
away, the sense OF relle, OF unconstraned Joy,
dQmnunOr
ple-how deeply their feelings mad been wrought
by tac incidents o rhis event in their lives. AS
the report spread tnat the dam was moving there
was rusn ana clambering for high places from
when TO observe the. gratifying sight, and the
points were more than ever filled with the happy
THE ANVIL YIELDS TO THE uAMMER
1t was naturally a happy moment. People Who
had wondered ior q month past whether the tee
here lodged might not prove their ruin, ana who
had now oeen startled oy fresh alarm and the
imminent tnreatenlng OF another aanger-tne
coming or the hammer tina. was to crush them on
this great anvi.-saw with the deepest conceivable
content the great anvil crushed under the tflal
blow oil the great hammer. But the town was
saved AS the ice gorge moved away. and q
channel was plousned ior the water, ali this
great volume tnat was sweeping into mo
ea sSMa ana s great nss aaa was oss
TEE SUSPENSION DaD5g cARaiEp AWAY.
About nine O'Clock tue Ice that came dashing
down tue rIver seemed To Increase In size; IN
fact. some OF the cakes were twenty ieet in length.
Two or three times they dashed up against the
ace. AZ soon as the gorge had moved al seemed
10 congratulate themselves that the bridge would
be,savod, but they were doomed to alsappont.
men for IN aHOut twenty minutes portion or
the iron bridge came dasntng along with an 0nli.
nous iorce. tappears that after 1t had been car.
red away 1t grounded aDont Two miies aoovo this
p INT, bat was soon forced out INTO the stream
again by the heavy rush OF eo, ana then there
was nothing 70 STAY / passage down to Port
Jervs. AS IL passed GermantOwa Ii struck little
two story rame building and dashed IL into u
tnou usand pieces. On II came toward tue Suspen.
sIon Bridge, ana siru0k that jusi north oi the
CenEre pier aud snapped it IKE pipe STEM
Away went the bridge, with al tue cu.Verts on
tne eastory side, anG Ia less tnan three minutes
The wnOIe structure was swept away. only 20"
wires hanging rom the upper cable were lett. AS
tho mort neasterly culvert was started IL dashed
against tue frame uullding adjoining tue prldge
Oh the east side and carried away portion OF the
first and ,cond stories. COOKING stove went
nyng III tne ar followed by chairs ana tables
aud in Il second the place was perfect
wreck. Tne building was owned by John
KrS and was occupied by one Mrs. Douglass nus
The latler ana her amlly had all been removed
to place OF sa,ery. AS the suspension Brldgc
wes carried away O shrek OF horror arose from
the crowds at various points, aud every one
shouted.
''rHGRE aoEs THE BRIDGE"
The iron bridge, after carrying away the Sus.
nAuainu Hridap. WRs lUrcou TOWARD the 0U4torN