The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1884-07-05
DAMAGE BY THE FLOOD.
THE RAIN OF THURSDAY,
JUNE 10TH,


JUNE 10TH,
Will Cost Cecil County Over
SjO,OOO-Nearly Il Hundred
Bridges Swept Away
or Damaged.
\ full and accurate statement OF the
damage by the great flood of Thursday,
! the 26sh of June, cannot yet be made, as
the full extent of damage and cost to re-
pair at many points is not definitely
known. The county commissioners have,
however, received notice of all the prin
cipal losses, and estimate the whole at
not less than so, 900; bat how much
more tnau this it will cost can only be
known in the future. Twenty-ei"ht large
bridges and twice that number of small
ones were either swept away entirely or
badly damaged. OF the twcnty-eisht
large bridres, nineteen of them were
swept away entirely, and the remaining
nine damaged to greater or less degree.
The following is list of all the large
bridges destroyed and damaged.
THIRD DISTRICT.
The iron bridge over the Little Elk at
Marley mill was swept away abutmehts
of Spencer's bridge damaged aud bridge
! displaced centre piel of bridge over the
Big Elk creek near Elkton injured and
causeway badly torn abutments Of Gil
pins bridge over Big Elk near this town
so much damaged as to be in a dangerous
condition.
! FOURTH DISTRICT.
Covered wooden bridge over the Big
Elk 600 feet at Baldwln's Elk mills
swept away and abutments destroyed
the bridge over same stream at breWs-
ter's mill gone and abutments swept
away: wing wall of Ford's bridge wash
ed away; abutments of SCOTS bridge
damaged: abutments and approaches to
Seminars bridge badly injured bridge
across Little Elk at Providence mills $50
!
FIFTH DISTRICT.
Iron bridge over North East creek near
the town of North East, on the Charles
town road. washed from abutments
bridge over same stream at Crawford
mill gone bridge at the Mccullough
Iron Company's mill. 60 fecD nea: North
East, washed away.
SIXTH DISTRICT.
/ Bridge go feet) over Stone Run, near
Rising SUM- gone bridge at junction "t
Stone Run and Octoraro creek with abut-
ments DESTROYED bridge Ql0 ieeD at
Cecil Paper mill washed away: Porter
bridge 0l0 feet) and abutments entirely
zone iron bridge over Love Run. near
Porter's, displaced; bridge near Jacob
Richards, over Love Run. entirely gone
and abuiments so badly damaged that
| they will have to be replaced.
SEVENTH DISTRICT.
Bridge GEO iceD over Octoraro cree
at Rowlan,lsvilc and ahutments com
pletely demolished bridge Goo ieeD
over Basin Run at l,owlandsvillc and
abutmentS gone.
| EIGHTH DISTRICT.
Bridge GOO feet "Ter Conowlngo
creek at Conowingo washed away.
NINTH DISTRICT.
Bridge over North East creek, near
Richards mill, and abntmcnts demoi-
ished bridge (l0 fceD over North East
creek, near IIurfords mill, damaged be-
yond repair and abutments badly injured;
bridge go feet) over North East creek,
near Pyie's mill, centre pier washed
away: iron bridge go fcet) over the
| North East creek, near Matthew 5 mill,
washed away bridge GO feeD over same
creek, near same mill, entirely gone and
abutments down; bridge at Burk's mill
and abutments damaged beyond repair.
This is a frightful list, but it does not
show all the damage by a great deal.
Besides those mentioned above, about
twice that number OF small bridges, from
two to twenty feet long, are injured or III
ruins. The public roads i'll many places
are terribly damaged and it will cost
more to repair them than it cost to make
them originally. AS an instance of that
kind, the road way west of the Far Creek
bridge, near this town, is 81 badly washed
feet deep, cut out as neatly i'll some
places as 1t could be with pick and shovel.
At points where it is absolutely ncc,s-
sary temporary crossings will be erected
and permanent bridges of non will lie
put up as soon as possible. The one par
| ticular fe lture OF the business that will
enlist the attention Of the tax -paycr is
the cost of repairing all this damage.
The County Commissioners met on Mon
day last to consider the matter, and the
lowest estimate that could be figured out
for work absolutely necessary to be done
was SO 600, or nearly one half as much
As the whole tax collected last year. TO
raise this amount will require an addition
to the rate of last year of thirty cents on
the one hundred dollars, which puts it
at 81 .0S1, the rate last year having been
1S3 cents, and at this rate the levy for
1884 was made. This will be heavy on
the taxpayers, but they cannot justly
complain as no man or party is response
BILE for this destruction of property. 1t
was the work OF the Almighty, who
doeth all things WELL and was unGoubt-
eddy for some good purpose. Who knows
but that the germ of some deadly pesti-
lence was forming in the marshes and
low grounds adjacent to the creeks, where
refuse matter and sewerage sometimes
tester beneath the broiling rays Of the
summer sun, and this great freshct was
sent to wash it all away and sweep it out
into the broad ocean, leaving everything
clean ard pure. Certain it is that the
marsh binding upon the south side of
town, where all the filth from out houses,
sewers and pig-stys accumGlates in per
iods when no uncommon high tides or
freshets occur, had, previous to this over
flow, begun to senl out sickening and