The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-02-17
Disastrous Storms and Floods.

Last Saturday was a dismal day in many
places, owing to storms and foundations. The
telegraph from all quarters was burdened with
details of storms, railroad blockades and floods,
and of the damage to property.
AtWashington, sudden rise of the Potomac,
caused by heavy rains and the breaking OF the
ice-gOrges, caused a tremendous flood, and at
midnight at many places on Pennsylvania ave-
nue., the water was from three to four fectdeep.
The Natona lhotel was reached from the rear,
and the st. James hotel only by boats The
Baltimore & Potomac depot has two feet of Wa
ter standing on the floor. The magnificent
building occupied by the census Office was
inundated, and it required large force to Sc
cure the papers stored in the basement, the
value of which if lost could not have been re-
placed with immense expense. branch
printing office in the basement connected
with the census Office work was
damaged some and work suspended.
At least one third ofPennsylvania avenue, from
the treasury department to the capitol was over
higher sides. The ice came crashing down
against the long bridge, and carried away three
spans. All travel was stopped and no trains
left for the south At Harper's Ferry the water
was twelve feet above low water mark. The
raging Maumee broke through the city Ut
Of damage. An account says: The floor of the
depot is covered with water four feet deep.
few coaches are standing in the depot with wa
ter covering their floors. When the water re-
cedes the greatest delay to the resumption of
traffic will be in cleaning the debris from the
an immense amount of labor The first floor
of the general Office of the Lake Shore & Miehi-
gan Southern is three feet under water.
In Water street the water is fully five feetdeep,
| and rushes through at q fearful rate. The
! contents of the lumber yards up the river seem
to have been emptied into the thoroughfares,
| and great masses of the debris is tloatin. down.
On Summit street, between Monroe ar d Perry,
there is from one to three feet Of water. The
Easements of the wholesale stores are full Of
water and many large stocks will be completely
| ruined The four schooners which are down
| the river have not been heard from, but mes
sengers on horseback have been dispatched
| to sec if tidings of them can be obtained.
LII Wisconsin there was the heaviest snow
fall remembered. All the railroad trains were
the most violent known for many years.
The reports from Iowa are of the same tenor
as from Wisconsin, and the storm of rain and
| wind is pronounced the worst for many
| years. A Des MONIES pispatch says: The
| worst SHOW storm for thirty years has pre-
hours High winds have drifted the snow so
as to block all travel No trains have arrived
| or departedsince yesterday. On the trunk lines
the tracks are showed i'll and trains have been
unable to move today. On the branch reads
| all trains are suspended.
The breaking up of the rivers in Fennsylva-
mia were attended with the loss of :. great deal
of property. The amount at Pittsburg is set
down at 800, 900; Allentown, $10O, 600;
Msnayunk, $1O0, 900. Here is one Of
| the incidents Of the flood at Pittsburg:
The Erie express, due at the union depot
last night ran into pond of four feet of water,
and Of unknown area, six miles east of New
castle, Pennsylvania. The engines fires were
suddenly quenched, the steam went down and
the train became immovable Meanwhile the
Neshahnock poured mass of ice, fence-rails
| and drift-wood against the beleaguered train,
keeping the passengers in dread of a washout
of the track and sumerset into the muddy
tide Finally, the water subsidized, help arrived
| and the train reached the Union depot at least
twelve hours late."
The meadows Of Hoboken, n. j., are flooded
with water, and intense excitement prevails
among the residents Of the fats. 1t is estimated
that 500 families are without shelter.
It would take many columns to give the de-
tails Of all the floods reported by telegraph,
but they are all Of the same general tenor.