The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-03-24

Chanute eonceiying that the eritica
moment had arrived had cred one o
The charges of nitro-glycerine. Th'
effect was to shatter the main dam 0
the glacier, and great cakes Of ice be
gan to drop into the water and ioa'
away, but the gorge still remained
arm. An attempt was made to hr'
the other blast, but 10 the haste o.
the moment the electric connection;
had been imperfectly made, and the
attempt failed. Had it succeeded
Mr.. Chanute was confident the gorge
would al once have begun TO move.
The effect of the first explosion on
the spectators who lined the bridge
and the banks was great, aud they
cheered loudly, expecting to see the
ice start, but it remained as solid as
ever, although the tremendous pres.
sure from above swelled it up into
hummocks, and thrust great blocks
upon the banks. Suddenly a cry
arose that the retreat of those on the
bridge was being cut off by the wa
ter backing up the m~ill-race, and
flowing down through the centre OF
King street.-the first street parallel
with the river, and the scene Of the
overflow at the time the gorge FORM
ed. 4 ruth was made across King
street toward the railroad depot, aud
in twenty minutes Il current Of water
tTo feet deep was flowing rapidly
down King street.
The first animation Of the wreck
Of the railroad bridge, which occurred
at $40 A. NJ. was brought to The
village by Mr.. Thomas, who, per-
c%eiving the great danger to the town,
ran down with his engine, warning
the people along the river to flee 10
ground. AboIt eight O'Clock,
when the water in King street was
running like a raeeway six feet
deep, the engine came rushing down
the track, keeping up a continuous
and deafening screaming with its
whistle, while several men stood on
the tender waving their hats franti-
cally aud shouting to everybody TO
clear the track, for the food was
Several thousand persons
were standing on the railroad track
between the depot and the Delaware
aud, when this warning was
received, bells were rung, whistles
and "a scene of wild confusion
ensued. Everybody rushed for the
ground up Pike street. Sew
eral ladies tainted aud had 10 be car
ried away in an express wagon. At
the same time two or three wagons
had gone up the valley to
warn the people when danger ap-
peared came rafting down the track,
drivers flashing their horses into
a gallop, and crying that the water
was coming close behind them. At
O'Clock the wa.er began to run
down the railroad track and up into
street al a depth Of two feet,
surrounding the Delaware House
and railway depot, and filing all the
ia the vicinity. This inuuda-
ton vas caused by the rivers having
broken over It's banks near the resi-
deDce Of Wade Buckley, above Ger
and about u mile above
the railroad depot. Great blocks OF
ice were swept along by it, and SO
was the rise that the people in
Germantown, which includes about
one hundred small houses, had hard
" time to escape to the terrace above
the railway, and those who tarried
to secure some of their household
had to wade through water up
to their necks. In u few moments
many Of the houses were flooded up
10 the window-sills, and several were
carried from their foundations and
shattered by the ice. Orders were
given to remove all the engines in
the railway roundhouse and repair
thirty OF forty in number, and
they were fred up, and three or four
started away down the track toward
Carpenters Point. About eight.
King street, the lower end Of
Pike, LuT Der, Thomas, Brown, First,
Second and Third streets, and the
Railroad avenue, were all flooded
water from two to eight feet
deep. The inundated portion oecu-
pied a triangle 1850 feet long and
600 feet across the base, the river
bounding one side and the railway
the other. This space was occupied
by about 400 buildings, in some Of
which the water had risen half wsy
up to the second story, driving the
into the upper rooms for
0uthOuses, fences and sheds
were torn from their foundations and
loated down toward the river. The
still rose rapidly, aud it seem
ed that nothing could save'the town
rom utter destruction. All the time
the gorge remained firm, showing no
OF yielding to the pressure from
above. 1t had been showed down
the suspension bridge and
piling higher and higher every
Mr.. Chanute, Mayor Alb
oott and Superintendent Thomas had
gone down opposite the lower end Of
the gorge and were watching anxious
y to ses it give way where thephan-
lel had been blasted through About
$50 a channel had opered almost up
10 the suspension bridge, and at $40
he gorge began to move, slowly at
first, but gathering speed and momen-
until it swept by the town at
The rate Of four miles an hour, pass
ing over all obstacles, and rounding
the bend at Carpenters Point with
lndiminishea Speed Cheer upon
cheer arose from the thousands who
were watching the spectacle, it be-
ing evident that the town was saved.
As soon rs the gorge started the
in the streets began TO fall,