Daily Republican., 1883-02-08

A(.REAT DELUGE.
The Biggest Flood In Finy Years
Ice Gorge ut Port DepOsit-ihe
Flood In the West.
PIrTsBURG, February I.

BCV -.
Flood In the West.
PTTTsBURG, February I,
From pres+ nj iudicatians this section
will be visited before morning by the
greatest flood seen III fifty years. All
day Yesterday and last night rain foli
in torrents at all points along the MO
nongahelaValley, the record showing
total fall of one inch and halt inns
melted and carried OIL the snow on the
mountains, and soon the creeks anu
streams were converted into small rlN-
ers, pouring their volumes OF water mo
the MOnongahela river. Early thlS
morning reports came from points above
that the river WAS booming, but no rise
occurred here until noon. The river
then commenced swelling, and has
since been rising rapidly
DISPATCHES from Morgantown, West
VIRGINIA: Greensboro and Brownsville,
Pa. and other towns along the banks
state that the water is still rising at
rate of from six to eighteen inches per
hour. Many places are already par
italy submerged and great destruction
Of property is anticipated. AT this
poiut there Was twenty-five teet OF
water at ten O'Clock tonight, and from
the amount yet to come 1t Is Thought
that there will be from thlrty-two TO
thirly-bye feet before the flood reaches
its height. Beyond the damage done 10y
the inundation and the probate washing
away of the old Smithtield street bridge,
no apprehension is felt here as to the
result.
The ice still in the Monongahela and
Youeheogheny rivers has been, it is
thought, so rotted by the thaw as to be
in no condition to do damage. Parts Of
Allegheny City and South Side are now
under water and by tomorrow it is ex-
pected the mills and factories along the
rivers will be compelled to shut down.
Families in the lower parts OF the cities
are moving their goods to safe places
and deserving their homes. The Allie
gheny river is also rising, but no serious
damage is apprehended from that quar-
ter.
THE SUsQUEHANSA RISING.
PORT DEPOSIT, February 7-Since
last Sunday morning, when the alarm
was first given that the ice in the Sus-
quehanna was breaking up, 1T has con-
tinued to jam and pack opposite this
place, south and north and now extends
broken, Jagged mass, from Mount Ar
arat on the south, to Rock Run on the
north, distance of at least two miles.
South of Mount Ararat to the bridge at
Havre de Grace, Assistance of3miles, the
ice is still solid and is strong enough to
resist and hold in check the vast mass
of gorged ice above it. North Of Rock
Run the river is full of broken, or mush
ice, which has been passing down all
day.
As this ice adds nothing tothe gorge
it must pass under it aud out into Chesa-
peake Bay. The danger here is that
the channel through which the ice pass
es will become damned up and back
the water and ice up sufficiently to in
undate the town, as was the caseduring
the memorable gorges of 1873 and 1875,
when the destruction Of property and
sutferings of the people were great All
day people who live in exposed places
have been busily engaged in remov-
ing their valuables to places of safety.
The lumber dealers have put out
blooms around their yards to protect
their stock, and the warehouse
men have hoisted their stocks of grain,
fertilizers, etc, intothe upper stories.
Every possible precautl"n has been
taken against loss or damage, should
the hood come, kilograms received
here by the railroad officials show that
the river has been rising all day Al
Harrisburg, Columbia, McCall'S Ferry,
and other points and vast quantities OF
mush ice is passing down. At several
tniutS pprpps have. ItTmeI raIlSiUp