New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-01-21


Snow, ICE AND FLOODS IN THE DELAWARE VALLEY
IL 1Sj7-sCFFERGNGs OF MAN AND BEAST.
FRoN An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or TIE rRlBCNEl
MONTICELLO, N Y, Jan. 19.-The writer was
recently shown a diary which kept in 1857 By a
prominent resident this county deceased. wherein
recorded range the thermometer, the snow fall,
floods etc. OF the winter and spring of that year, and
from which CLEANED the story OF season unprecedented
IN the history OF this portion Of York state AZ least
lis severity disasters and extraordinary me teorolog
ca changes The statements corroborated by many
old residents OF valley and other portions Of sullivan
| County.
The year with the mercury at A below zero.
and II never rose above that for wentyOur days but
1ucuated that and $40 below. the mean temper
for three weeks being IL below. on the 24h
of the the mercury registered 80 below zero.
and twenty-four hours tho change only A. the
mercury standing the morning OF the 25th at 30'
below In spite the had from time out Of
mind been accepted rreutabe truth by the wealth
er-wse OF valley, that il could not snow when the
weather was extremely cold, began TO fall on the
24th and fol ltday and all night In binding sheets
and on the morning Of the 25t1 was two feet deep
| the level Added to this, high wind piled
| it in drifts. places thirty feet high. until
communities in this and Other river counties were
for days, entirely shut OF from communities
With the world Cattle and horses frozen
great hard3hps prvati0n. The hrst great and sud
den change Of the season SCI in the 25th. The extra
ordinary cold was rapidly followed By warm one
quite remarkable aud before the 26th the mercury
registered 4O9 above zero ambrose still higher The ice
In the Delaware ami its branches three feet thick In
many places solid the bottom The sprngke warmth
tina, followed quickly the cold rapidly melted the
great fields OF snow anu By the OF February had
| al disappeared from the ground and appeared
| Al the streams as a food that overlooked their
! banks. The Delaware River, half mile below
the village OF COchectOn. Is contracted into
/ a narrow pass the channel bottom being filed
| with prjtulhng rocks. The water mas a heavy
| Ldi through this gap tho SPOT being known az
very hgl, while the New lOr4 0llK Is only few feet
ABOVE ow-watr marx, and spreads back to the Ee Rail
| river FOR mite or mOrs Il un05strdctei fiat land.
TIE FIRST GREAT FLOOD.
On the % Of February at O'clock in the morning the
ice broke the Delaware at and above CochecJon It's
great thickness and soldy caused 10 break up IN great
foes acres extent, and when they reached To- rough
and narrow CocaectOn Faus they lodged against the
rocky bottom, broke int pieces and IN short tune
solid wall OF ice, hundred fe.t wide and thirty feet
| high, extended from shore to shore Ile rusn
| Of the waters was thus checked, and they
we're flooded back with sucl great rapidty that
before the alarm could be given In the village was flood
ed the second stories many Of she houses, imprs0D
ing the inmates ami placing them in imminent peril OF
| their lives Floats were hastily constructed from the
| Drift lumber that filled the river rom aeoye,
anu men at the risk OF tneir lives padded
| inmates OF tho beleaguered houses. Men. women
aud children taken roofs, AID and his
we were driven ny tne W'te 70 tne 1oP Oh ler
before they rescued No lives we're lost but few
escaped with tuan tueir nightcothes The village
church when stOop on an ehInehoe ABOVE tue OtHeI
| buildings, was submerged Inc sch0Olhouse was
| grave-stone carried away demolished Several
houses crushed to pieces by the Ice. The water
Ing houses ana several buildings in Cacoon The
aui tog afup with IA
down aud piled upon the iee-Pack N the Falls An hon
ed both villages suddenly the wall OF Ice gave way befor,
the great pressure upon IT. ana, surmount "a by bot1
laundering down tue river. The water receded
- rapidly it bad risen. leaving the streets and
yards OF the village hiockaded ana hed with ice-oes
many OF them Larger than the houses The great held OF
ice swept everything before 1t on the way down the river
leaving only one brdge standing between Coenecon and
| PorpJeryts
READY FOR ANOTHER FLOOD.
Immediately following the breakup the weather began
to grow colder again. and by niglthe mercury fou
degrees below zero. The water that remained In the
houses after the recedng OF fool frozen solid
and the interiors were coated with Twenty-fou
hours after the iceyorge had I'm the river clear it
again frozen up solid Another snow
5 no depth Of foot on the level Another breakup oc
CURED the 18th OF February, tue weather hayin-
snow caused great ,od and the only bridge which had
Oeen reDui since tue hood OF February ?, the Erie Ra
road bridge at NarrOwbay, aga.n carried away
After this breakup the weather remained very cold
Apni 20. On tuaJ cay the heaviest snow
storm of the season began.
n showed until the afternoon OF the 81 with undated
fur anl zen ceased las three feet o
snow the gcOund in the northern townships Lhe set
Elements completely Isolated Travel OF all kind,
was suspended for days Little hay fodder lef
among tue farmers, aud great suffering 70 st0ch
resulted CattIe and horses starved 10 death IN
nAuy inst inces, AMI by the time tht
tuorOughfaos more established, farmers wert
ornr valu1be stock Tor sale AL rrou - 70 30 head
It IL noted remarkable fIc that hundreds Of head
cattle Their sold. that were 10 weak from Lack
nOunshment that the purchasers were Obliged " bau
them away in sleds-
Tie April went OF rapidly and made third grea
flood but a. tuereiWss In tle streams, aud tl
lumber nad swept from the banks Oy the previous
hOJd no great damage resulted rHc weather remaine,
se.soaabe until the dde OF y. o. The 20tA OF tAa
mouth loot OF fel, and the mercury fell almost Il
The next day the weather sprlng-lEe again
"A rain FELL and before night had sWept every
vestige NJ the into the river causing the fourth
great flood Of the year, but a harmless on'
The loss in the Delaware Valley during this remarkable
winter in lumber aud other property, was over nall
million dollars, aud many property Old5f6 sofa out tneu
holdings and moved away.
Another extraordinary winter in this valley Is men
tiOnsd a. having 1889 Ire peculiarly ben,
it, great snOwIalis. Toe first snow came Thanks
giving day 1885 and from that time uni! March, 1859
there were only days I'm which there was not
snOw-stOrn. There not break up or thaw unit
! April the weather remaining steadily C0lo. Tue SLOW
drifts were nigh and long IN places thai the whole
aspect vi country changed. ami was necessary
| otlnAe them Ia some places Tor miles 10 maze tht
country pGssabe. There uninterrupted sleghng 10
| nearly dive months.
4 MONARCH or THE GOLD COAST