Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-03-17
THE FLOOD.
The Towns of Pert Jervis and Pitts
ton Inundated.

The Towns of Pert JervIs and Pitts
ton Inundated.
PoRr JERv1s, March l7.-At 6 o'clock
this morning a large, sharp whistle sum
noned the people to look out for a flood,
as the river was rising with fearful
rapidly. The telegraph had previously
announced that the ice had swept
through every barrier above here and
was coming down upon the city riding
upon a crest Of wave ten feet high.
7a.m.-The water is rising very rap
idly, and King street is inundated. A
large charge Of nitro-glycerine just ex-
ploded did great execution. The ice is
damming up at the head Of the gorge.
The Delaware railroad bridge, three miles
west Of here, has been swept away. The
food Is coming With inconceivable force,
and the inhabitants are fleeing in con
fusion from the fats.
8 a.m.-The gorge remains firm.
$3.50 ANA great shout Of thankful
ness has just gone up. The gorge has
broken and the ice is floating down
stream, while the water in the village is
lowering. The Carroll bridge stands.
though badly damaged. Probably twenty
blocks we're inundated, and some houses
were carried Of. AS far as heard from
no lives were lost.
The general impression seems to be
that the weakening Of the gorge by
blasting has saved the entire lever part
Of the bridge from destruction. Five
holes had been dug in the maia dam Of
Of the glacier, in each Of which twenty
Eve pounds OF nitro.glycerine were ex.
ploded at a critical moment.
9a.m.-The Carroll bridge has just
been swept away, unable to withstand
the railroad bridge, which had given
away some distance above and was
dashed against il by the food. The
wrecks Of the two bridges are being car
ried rapidly down stream, and the sus-
pension bridge eight miles below is felt
to be doomed.
New YORK, March IA dispatch
from Pittston, dated l am. today, says:
About ten minutes ago the ice began to
move out suddenly, and with it one span
of the magnificent new bridge. Two
men were on it at the time, bDt we're
just rescued when out swung three more
spans. This cleared the new bridge
with the exception Of the.last span, which
is still standing. Within ten minutes Of
the first catastrophe loud sounds cam
from the direction of the old bridge, a
quarter of a mile up stream, and in a
moment after that structure also swept
out into the current and was carried
away. The Luckawanns railroad bridge
had previously gone down. The loss on
the bridges alone is not less than half q
million dollars. In West Pittston the
river is making terrible inroads on yalu-
able property located therein. The
food has already covered the lower por-
ton Of the place, and the greatest ap
prehensions are felt for the safety Of
several dwellings. The loss must be
very great"
9;45 a m .-About three hundred houses
in Port Jervis proper, between the rail.
way and the river, we're more or ,Jss
damaged by the water; many of them
were filed to the second story. Owing
to ample warning given by the authori-
ties no lives we're lost. All the large
shops of the Erie railroad company had
more or less water in them, but no great
damage was done. Chief Engineer
Chanale, Of the Erie railroad, has started
for the location Of the Delaware bridge
to arrange a temporary structure for
crossing the river. At Germantown
most of the suffering was in the western
part Of the village.
WLKEsBARRE, Pa, March 1.-THE
river is twenty.six feet above low water
mark and within three feet of the bottom
of the bridge, which is in imminent dan
ger, aud will in all probability be swept
away. All communication with the OPP
posite side Of the river has ceased, as
the bridge is insecure.