The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-02-19
STORM AND FRE,SHET.
Considerable Damage to Property on the
Susquehanna and Other Streams.

SION oi IL Dfeak up anu Iloou was Tell by al
residents on our water courses, and in som.
places active preparations We're made to pre-
vent, so far as possible loss OF property am
life. The Elk and SuSquehanna, Two stream,
of an exceedingly ohstreperous character
when under the influence OF Spring rain,
| and melting snow aud ice, rs early as Thurs
day presented the appearance of Il comm.
flood. The heavy rains al Thursday and
! Friday added to the danger ny swelling the
volume of water, and with the heavy south
wind backing up the tide water, u flood
seemed inevitable 1t came on Friday and
! Saturday, and, although not rs great as was
| anticipated, considerable damage was done
/ On Friday the ice gave way in both the Biz
/ and Little ElkS and overlooked their banks,
carrying away fences, wood, etc. The bridge
/ at the Landing was somewhat damaged,
but was saved from being carried away by
, piling heavy timberS upon il. Noone prop
! erty owner on either creeks suffered any
extensive loss, though all suffered to n linn
tied extent. The heaviest loss that We have
heard OF by any one person, was that OF
Mr.. Fred kocine, tenant on the farm of W.
j. Jones, Esq, on the Little Elk. He had
cut and stacked ready for burning. two
kilns of wood and besides had on the ground
sufficient for two more kilnS. In addition
to these he had just finished burning one
kiln and had drawn from it about one thou
sand bushels Of charcoal, which was ready
to be hauled to the mills where ii is used
This was all swept away by the flood. \
kiln contains about twenty-five cords OF
wood: his loss, therefore, was in the neigh
borhood Of Il hundred cords.
The gas works in this town were so flooded
us to stop the operation of making gas, and
the furnaces SO dampened that it took some
time to get up heat again. The town, there
fore, was in darkness.
The first break in the lower Susquehanna
took place on Saturday. The flood broke
ut McCalfs Ferry, eighteen miles above
Port Deposit, and rushed down like IA tor
rent, carrying with it the ice in cakes of all
sizes and shapes, from the size of Il mans
hand to huge powders which crashed and
thundered against each OF her in their pas
sage. The people Of Port had taken every
possible precaution before the flood came
The furniture was removed from the houses
on the lower or river side of the town, or
else stored in the upper stories, where it was
pretty certain the food would not come.
The ice gorged compactiy in the channels of
the river, running on each side of WatSon'S
Island three miles below and lust above the
F.. W. Il r. bridge at Perryvlle. Imme-
diately after this the water began to rise.
AS the river WAS much swollen, and the gorg-
ing of the ice had closed all outlets it was
not long before the lower part of the town
was completely under water. In many in
stances it reached to second story windows.
The broken cakes of ice We're whirled in
every direction, and when the flood receded
the streets of the town We're covered with
them Of all shapes and sizes, some of them |
twenty feet square. Had the water risen !
4 few feet more the destruction would have
been appalling: As it was, il was bad enough. !
When the gorge in the Hartford channel gave |
way. the water rapidly passed down. The
damage cannot be fully estimated
The house of Mrs. Wier, at Rock Ran. was
demolished, and six or eight
ol her dwellings We're partly wrecked. The
hay house of the Baltimore Steam Company
was totally destroyed, being crushed like an
egg shell. The corner knocked ont OF
the ware house of James \. Davis X Co.,
anu the contents bl liltil N'tlN swept
ont and q part of it scattered from Port to
Pcrryville. The lumber yard OF }. II. Row
land suffered severely, and the little ferry
boa: Beniauo WAS forced high up on the
wharf Ivy the ice and narrowly escaped de-
The ice ripped up the platform
of the railroad depot. The blacksmith shop
Of Walter Paxton, and the fence and out
of Mrs. llamm were swept away.
The wlaryeS of Jacob Tome and John Buck
,ru Shuttar.l 'Ehn nnrph nf Hppl Rr, 4
To. s office is knocked ont of plumb. Davis
* Sons warehouse is caVed in; and the
less important accidents to pig pens, out
and fishing sheds are innumcr-
ibe At the southern eud, the town looked
IS if turned upside down. The cakes of
&c We're packed all the way across the
street, and mud and dirt and confusion were
very where. The tracks of the Columbia
md Port Deposit Railroad We're twisted and
he ties torn up and telegraph poles torn
Town. The majority of he residents of the
over side took refuge with their more for
innate neighhors on higher ground, and lit
lie or no suffering was experienced
The second food took place on Saturday
hight and was caused by the Ice gorging
III the Susquehanna flats. The Wafer rose
It the rate of a foot Il minute for ten or tif-
cen minutes. The people We're again COM
,elled to abandon their homes at midnight,
md many We're taken from their second
story windows by beats. Fortunately, the
gorge soon broke and the water fell As rap
dly rs it had risen.
The damage by this flood was heavy, a
great deal of property being carried away.
For one day, at least. Port Deposit was
ielnmed in from the outer world, c0mmuni
alton being possible only by climbing the
Hills on foot. During the flood a dog passed
town. he was sitting quietly Oh a cake OF
&C. Dead horses, mules, sheep, and all
ortS of debris passed down and out into
he bay-much Of it from hundreds of miles
hove. ;
William Roberts the man who made some
letoriety six years ago by being almost
wept away from his heme on an island
opposite Port, tried the same experiment
his time. He removed his family and stock
0 the shore day or two before the flood;
nut he with n houSe-keeper, remained upon
he island. They came through safely, AT .
, o'clork on Saturday night the water
cached point on y one foot below the flood c
f 1873. Quite Il number of fine black bass 7
Some of them weighing as much as six C
caught during the flood, or
Il pools after it recetled. !
Havre de Grace and perryville suffered /
mt little True they We're beth overtiuwn t
nd considerably dampened, but 30 great q
amagc was Sustained,
On the OcturaEo, considerable damage
ias done: the greatest of which was the $
'ashing away OF the large dam of the {
Mccullough Company'S iron mill ut Row +,
ludSvlle, The damage done amounts to
rom five to six thousand dollars. v
The North East creek was also on the Ii
ampage, and many Il panel of fence and r
ord of wool went dewn the stream. White :,
ead'S tfnrnerly Draw ford'Sl dam was hear y
' demolished. 4 clean sweep was made =
this point and the loss will be quite :,