New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-02
TIE SWOLLEN RIVERS.
rur srsorYEpANNA NORTH BRANCH.

TIE SWOLLEN RIVERS.
THE sUsQUEHANNA NORTH BRANCH.
TIE wIrKEsBARRE GORGE PASSES WITHOUT MUCH
pA,iASE-cURIoUs MOVEMENTS OF THE ICE
ALL DANGER NOT YET OVER - THE oswEGo
GORGE EXPECTED SOON.
IRON SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBuSEl
WmKnsBARRE, Peun., April 1.-The gorge
at this place broke at AIS p m to-day, ana the ice q"
passed in hour aud 45 minutes, doing shght damage'
Thes bridge escaped almost uunured aud the town was
not flooded After the Ransos gorge came down ana
lodged above Forty Fort last night the water began 70
fall here and rise at Ptston and great fears were en-
teraned for the safety OF the town The river found
= free passage over the Kingston Hats, ana
could be heard rushing through the trees
with rum ling noise like distant thunder
During night the water again slightly ana TINS
morning it washed away the lower point Of the gorge
below the bend and a channel IL feet wide ana
oueourth Of mile long through the ice at that point
The weather cloudy aud and the ice rotted
away very perceptibly Hundreds OF visitors from
neighborng towns arrived last night 10 witness tue
breaking up Of the ice aud all day the banks have peeh
hnsd with people expecting to see the gorge pegn W
move. The great masses Of ice emitted low rumohne
sound as they were ground together by the giant force
of the gathering waters. and occasionally heavy
block OF would be thrust into the air by the pres
sure but no movement perceptible In the BODY OF
the gorge. About r. m. the water began rising more
rapidly and at p m 1t rose at the rate OF one ncu
minute. A quarter Of an hour anerward tue goiso
began almost imperceptbly at first but ncreas
Ing in speed until IL at the rate OF nVe mics oil
hour cry arose that the ice had started, aud in few
minutes thousands OF people were viewing 'ne 'o'us
mass from banks the houseops aud the pafzas OF
residences on the river few persons were ao"eo "
no upon the bridge from which good view could De
sbtained of the gorge. The roaring OF the Ice dc "
ground and tossed could be heard mile away
Tue spectacle was very grand and strange. NO water
toud be seen only heaving mass OF tawDy ice docks
and snow moving rapidly between the banks, like an
avalanche. The whole mass did not move with stimuli
,aneous motion in the same direction. Great neds
Of ice would move diagonaly the rivers course
with motion as rapid as the general DOWNWARD now
Even eddes of ice were formed, where immense blocks
would circle round and round grinding each other lb'o
fragments with crushing noise. At 4:SO p No. the water
rose two or feet within 10 minutes, partially Hood
ing the roadway at the upper end OF Riyer-St ana
creating a momentary panic among inc spectators
nut IL fell agaln almost as quickly as II hao
risen. At no time did the ice reach within less thah
eight or ten feet OF the bridge. 10 some places heay
cakes of ice were fixed perpendcuarly Ia the moving
mass and struck bridge with great force shaking II
20 its center but fortunately the ice was rotten ana
broke without doing much damage TO the tmber OF Inc
bridge. When IL seen that the ice woud lot
reach the bridge the only danger Appreciated wasom
neld OF uubrOken in extent and three
feet thick This moved squarey down upon the center
pier of the bridge, and encountered the pier with
tremendous crash. Several stones that had
before been lOosened were thrown INTO the
air, and the bridge shook from end 10 end
but the strong pier cut through the Ice Ike KNIFE
AT O'Clock the ruins OF the Pitston bridge came down
on the top OF the ice. fragment OF the halfburned
roadway bridge 100 feet long, struck middle per- end
on end A very curious effect was produced Inc pier
cuI through the planks and timbers as II had done
fhrQng he
fectN deafening: and "a black dust arose like heavy
smoke, entirely cOncealDg the pier from view many
thought that the bridge was falling and those upon II
ded wildly toward the shore few stones were Knocked
oct OF the upper end OF The peI without seriously da
aging it, The heavy tmbers OF the ruined bridges were
sh.yered into pieces when they struck the piers ana
large trunks OF trees snapped III two like tWlgs
great deal u lumber and pankng came down win The
ice
Ate o'clock the river became nearly clear of ice the
whole OF the having passed. just before the
stOpped running the broke through the CLOUDS
and lighted up the moving mass OF gsteulng zee anu
hills around with e1eCt so beautiful az 10 call
forth plaudIts Of the spectators While the gorge
beneath IT, train passed over the Delaware
and Hudson Railroad bridge If in defiance of the ice
construction train the Lenigb Valley Railroad near
Plainsville was OveTtaken by, the moving ice and
60 completely blocked in that II could move III
neither direction. There IL men on board,
who were greatly fgh;enedi the water continued to
rise bat after the had passed the tram was abe
10 OF It's perOus position The danger IS nOtyet
there said to be more ice above PlstOn ana
the Osego gorge started at a. M today win heavy
FOOD OF water. At a. m. IL passed Towanda and Is
looked for here after midnight. Unless another
lam the railroad track between here and Pitts
viii be cleared the passage OF trains TOMORROW
Whether permanent channel mas been cut across the
Kingston fats cannot be determined before morning