New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-25

The rain continued to pour down IN torrents III
Paterson. " j., up 10 a late hour on SATURDAY
night. until the rliu-ga In the CITY surveyor
Office Indicated a total fall OF sixteen inches since
the beginning of the storm. The Passalc hlFer
which had had an abnormal rise IN the afternoon
from the breaking of the dams in the Oldham
Brook fell about a foot in the evening, but carry
Yesterday morning it began to feel the effect OF the
added downpour Of the night, and gradually rose
AGAIN. Yesterday afternoon II was gaining very
rapidly and there every prospect that Tie great
freshet OF s54 would be equailed
About 3 o'clock in the afternoon came the alarm
ing news by telephone from Little Falls, about four
miles above the city. that Beatte's dam had broken.
The report caused the utmost CONSERVATION Inc
dam m question was one OF tie oldest and largest
along he river. and kept back an immense volume
of wa;er-not only the ordinary current Of the river
buf the waters of a large submerged tract many
.ouare ma Ies i'm area known rs 90 The big Piece
In every treshet that has visited Paterson the
most uNiou- injuries have been made for beitues
dam and Its chances Of breaking. and the general
impression has always prevailed that If TINS dam
should 20 there would not be bridge ieii ia the
city Of Paterson. Crowds OF ANXIOUS spectators
lined the river banks where the ground was ngn-
est, watching the steady eucrodcHnent OF Tie
waters and trying 10 detect the effect Of the giving
way of the great embankment four miles above. III
the low-lyiug streets along tire river the sight was
peculiar one. Hundreds of families were smut oh
from communication with their more fortunate
uciqh5or-, except such as might be obtained hy
vadinr knee deep through the pools that steadily
drepenef a, he WA er crePt in from the river. OF by
taking advautaca of the many boats and RATS that
p. ed Up and down the submerged area. Idver-si.'
from Main-st. eastward distance Of several num-
dred feel WIS "a lake. and there was no ~ucn uuut
a., dry cellar for blocks together. GouNu-si. W'-s
not much better. and tie situation was becoming
very serious one Tor the occupants Of that popu'us
region. By tAe middle of the afternoon scores Oh
pe,,ol. living tncr.abouts had taken refuge III tho
houses OF Trends in higher parts of the city.
FI.E or THE FAsSNC.
The Passaic River continued 20 rise all the aiieI-
noon ANA evening. Al clock II was VEIN" ABOUT
a foot of the famous freshet mark OF l-I3 Inc
water flooded the streets adjacent 10 the river, ana
reached more than two blocks away on the south.
River. Washington. Goodwin and Arch-sts. were COM
p.erelv submerged. and there wa, no communca-
ton between the houses except Oy boats RATS anu
pontoon BRIDGES The water was SIX feet deep IN
the cellars and yards Communication
with the Arci-st bridgo was entirely
sbuf off the floor of the bridge being
several inches under water About p. IN the
small footbrage from the main land 10 Temper
,,rc. I,l md. which was wrecked on saturday. was
oo,ened and came down, striking the e,i-st. iron
l-,1re with a crash and kno KING oil part OF The
, in, and abou. SIX feet Of the footpath flooring
Broomheod's dam. just above ,he NeSt-,l. brds''
WIS washed away, and the Broomhead lI.l partially
wrecked The 20 ice had barriers stretched across
the bridge 10 keep back traffic The Main-st.
bridge, the principal thorougntare remained In
tscr. No one was allowed to cross the Arcr-st.
ttl.. 4. MOTTO Of l,.4 fHa-
dam arose from the fact that the hoodcatcs had
given away. which probably saved the dam Itself
ut had the effect oi raising the WAGER somewhat az
Paterson il J., the greatest fTcshet ever known,
and The water would rise higher IN Paterson than
ia l-J were il not for abOut two feet .dltional OF
dam al the falls erected since that year. There
were wild reports OF the de- ructlon OF
various bridges but all Of the sixteen
within the city limits were still standing
at last accounts Rep rt5 from PassaIc say
sue county bridge is n great danger. he iron
bridge has been under wafer al day. The Dundee
Canal is in danger. Great damage has been done at
the mills at Dundee. \ retaining wall ON front-st
fell in Yesterday owing t. the Washing away OF
earth 1t wrecked several houses and injured a
woman named Cragg-r ana her child, bat not
seriously.
The Passaic Falls presented magnit cent and al
most APPALLING sight yesterday Thousands of visit
oI> came from every direction to see the trcinen-
dous rush Of the cataract and Of the rapids below.
winch borc a striking resemblance, "a tie vicinity
OF Temperance Island, TO the Niagara River at the
Three Sisters. Tie island was almost entirely
submerged aud the jets of foam from The surface OF
the hu1IyIug stream shot high into the air. he
scene along the uvcr bank one If wreck and
ruin. The current bore along IN lis swat course
debr, OF all kinds; outhOuse parts OF Larger stTuc-
lures, fences ana tmbers.
WHAT TIL OLDHAM BROOK DID.
The priucpl damage on Saturday Was wrought,
not By the Pas,alc River but by the Oldham
Brook and the los, caused by that stream VIII
reach $4,000 or $4,000. HIS is a small noun
tam stream which skirts the northern borders OF
the city and falls the Passaic River less than
mile above the Great Falls. Paterson lies IL d sort
OF basin, bounded on the north b. an elevated
meadow plateau. North OF this sal is the freak
ness range OF mountains. eliminating in " High
Mountain" 1t Is among these hills that the Old
ham brook taxes rs Use. Ordinarily one could step
across 1t any where but SATURDAY rainfall swelied
ii almost 10 a raging torrent. IN some places 500
wards wide and running about twenty miles an
hour The swollen waters first car
ricd away Peter StuIr's saw-niu. abont
five miles above Paterson. Then the
b.g dam Of Haledon Lake gave way. This was a
ssive embauAIn, nj 500 yards long, and coahnIDg
a body of water fourteen acres In area, with an
average depth OF fifteen feet. breach about 100
feet long was made north of the dam, and the lake
descended with Tesistiess force. just below the
dam was a mill occupied Oh tie upper floor for car
pet and on the lower floor for silk Manufacture and
Ia the latter department the water rushed 50 fast
that the operatives with the flood up 10 their
waists were pulled out just In time TO save their
lives. The torrent next encountered az iron bridge
Oh the road. and wrecked the north abutmcut lcaV-
ing the structure hanging shaklly over the stream.
he Ice-pOud, about eignt acres IA area, oi Robert
Buage, was ucxt reached, and the dam which con
fined II broken, adding still more 10 the force # the
torrent. The substantial BRICK aud stone cuivcrt
NJ hIrh emitted laledOn-IHe over the brook NAan HE