Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-02-14
THE GREAT THAW.
The FiOcd-The Ice i;orsss and Anoth


The FiOed-The Ice torsss and Another
Freeze.
The ice Oh that part Of the COncstOga
river above this city has mostly passed
down stream without doing much damage.
The stream rose rapidly on Saturday at
ternoon and by s O'Clock in the evening at
| the city mill had entered the water houses
to such 4 height that the water-pOwer
pumps were entirely submerged and the
Worthington steam pump 50 far sub
merged that it had to be stopped.
The water covered the floor on which
the pump rests, but did not rise
quite high enough to enter the
boiler house. Superintendent kitch.
Engineer Stchman and all the employees
| OF the water department were Oh duty all
| Saturday night. The water attained its
greatest height about half-past : O'Clock
Sunday morning. 1t then began to fall.
slowly at first, but quite rapidly later, SO
that by O'Clock Sunday morning the
steam pump was again put in operation.
Dullns Its stoppsgc the water in the city
reservoirs fell about eighteen inches.
During the trouble, the little WrthingtOn
pump, which stands somewhat higher
than the large ono, was put in motion and
did good service.
No great damage was done by the flood
| at the water works. The boom ut the
head Of the forehay was broken into three
pieces, each about 80 feet in length, and
were afterwards recovered. The masonry
of the pier, just above the water house, was
injured somewhat, tho large stones, some
OF them weighing !. ton, being displaced
by the large cakes of ice that crashed
against them. The abutment on the Op-
pOsitc side of the creek was also somewhat
damaged, but all in all the works stood
the flood very well.
From the city mill down To W:.bank the
stream is nearly free from ice. From be-
low Wabank to Slackwatcr the ice remains
unbrokeD, and yesterday party Of gentle
men walked upon it the whole distance
between those points. In the vicinity Of
Wabank there is u great gorge Of the
broken ice which camc down stream and
lodged there in some places yesterday it
: was thirty or forty feet high. Had it not
been for the freeze which sctin night be-
fore last, and checked the flow of the sur
face water and the numberless little rills,
runs aud rivulcts emptying into
the COncstoga, it is probable that the
stream would have continued to rise and
the ice above Slackwater would have
given way, greatly cndanscrins Shober's
paper mill and other valuable properties.
They arc not yet out of danger, but ii the
stream continues to fall and the weather
modcrates slowly it is probable the ice
will pass OF without doin. much harm.
Reports, from the mouth OF the Pequea
creek state that the ice-gOrse ON that
stream was remarkably heavy and when
it broke, the railroad bridge, the county
bridge and Samuel liarnisll's saw mill,
were all swept away and destroyed. Tho
railroad bridge was an open truss wooden
one, and the county bridge covered
wooden one o: the same pattern. The
/ Columbia S Port Deposit railroad is sub
merged for 2 distance OF four miles be
tween Safe Harbor and House Rock, and
great quantities OF ice piled upon the
tracks. Yesterday :. train Of cars that
was attempting TO force its way through
was stopped by the ice distractions in
front, and when it attempted to back out,
the ice that closed in behind held it fast,
and at last accounts it was unable to move
in either direction.
Reports from the Susquehanna state
! that the river is open and the broken ice is
passing off without doing any serious dam.
age. The cold weather having caused a
severe freeze will have !: tendency to cause
the river to fall, so that little danger is
now apprchended.
IN Search Of the Ice Gorge.
Yesterday morning seemed to two Ian
: casterians, who wished to see an ice gorge,
nice morning to hunt it up. Walking to
lscigart's Landing, where the creek is
. greatly Hooded, the far end Of the bridge
: standing in the middle of the creek !;
, then went to GracG"s Landing, where there
! is high water, as on every part of the Con-
estoya and remnants of the ice that was
there. Levan's Mill, Second Lock and
Wabank were passed successfully, making
short cuts through fields from one place to
another. vt these places little else is seen
than as before stated, but steep hills,
numerous swollen runs to cross and
small ice patches, where one would mar
rowly escape kissing his mother earth,
broke the mOnotoHy OF the walk. But it
was not in vain, for How Shenk's woods il
reached and an ice gorge of more than q
} mile in length is before yOu. The gorge
seemed to be greater farther down the
creek, and it was determined to follow it to
it's ending, which was found over i milo
below, where the ice was unbrOken with
the exception OF Il narrow channel through
: which the water rushed. SuppOsing this
to be the end OF the gorge, it was deter
mined to rctrace it as close to the shore aS
: possible, and here and there to walk out Oh
the ice.
The ice is piled up, .jammed in
!. every direction and broken in all shapes
and forms. 1t extends several rods on
each shore and ranges up to fifteen feet
above the water. Some blocks of ice stood
straight up high above the rest, and one
in particular looked like u dimuntive
obelsk. The gorge was filed with thou
Il
with rails standing on end, reminding the
spectator Of a parade of fence rails. The
ice seemed to be locked in u gorge that
might last several days. 1t is apprOaclable
with carriages and we'll worth seeing.
OBITUARY.