The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1886-02-19
Great Suffering Among the Poor
Lapidum Also Inundated
THE CANALINJURED.
LOSSES AT HAvRE DE GRACE.

Inc greatest Hood ever known in the SusQue-
hanna river took place last Saturday night
wrecking the river-front of Port Deposit. Many
buildings were crushed by the ice, several ware
houses demolished, hundreds of thousands OF
feet of lumber and thousands of tons of coal
were scattered in all directions or swept away
Thirty or forty families have been left without
houses in which they eau live and the distress
among the poor is very great.
Mr.. jacob Tome teegraphed Sunday night TO
Mayor Hodges, of Baltimore, saying that the
damage to tue town will be at least $50, 900, and
asking aid for the destitute and suffering.
Assistance has been given from Baltimore
the Cecil County Commissioners have appropr-
ated $1,000, and the citizens of Port Deposit
themselves have contributed generously to aid
their suffering ueighbors.
The water began to rise at the rate of about u
foot minute, suddenly at half-past 3 O'clock
Saturday afternoon, and in very little time
had risen IL or 10 feet above its usual level
The ice was put in motion, but the immense
barrier Instead of giving way was only increased
by acccsslons of ice from above. The water
found an outlet, however, and in half an hour
the Hood was over. AT midnight, the
water rose again suddenly and then flood took
place which will long be remembered in the
history of Port Deposit and Lapidum. The in
habitants of the lower part of the town were
afraid to go to bed, and when the flood was seen
approaching fled in alright to the hills.
Boats were in the streets all night rescung
people from their houses. The water rose to a
height of 20 feet in the streets and left pile of
ice 80 feet high in front of the town.
The little ferry boat Benigna, Capt. Holm,
was left high and dry on wharf some distance
from where she lay moored. Fourteen stone
cars came down from McClenahans quarry, u
mile above the town. The water was six feet
in Mr.. Tones bank. His garden, grounds and
conservatory were submerged and the water
rose to the necks of his cattle in their stalls.
The estimate of losses at Port Deposit, as
given in The Sun, foot up S90,250. Messrs
James A. Davis u Son lost 800, 900 feet of lum-
Der; two warehouses washed out and one crush
ed in; damage $4,000.
Barnes u Archers loss at their sash factory,
in lumber, machinery and work, is $1,000. The
building was damaged $4,000
s G. Rowland's planning mill was wrecked :;
damage $4,000; j. j. Bucks saw mill and
lumber yard, 5000. The loss to the b.
| and o. by the destruction of the false works
at the high span of their bridge viii amount
to $4,000 Al half past two, on Saturday, 1875
men were at work on the bridge when the fore
man saw slight crack in the ice north of the
bridge and called to the men to come off to-
wards the shore for their lives. They got off
the false work not minute too soon, for with
| a mighty, rushing sound the Ice moved and the
immense timbers moved before it. An hour af-
forwards there was another movement of the
ice and the structure was demolished The de-
struction embraces $50, 900 feet of lumber and
the work of $50 men for six weeks.
On the Cecil side the channel, being narrow
| er, remained ,hoked, the ice covering the rail
| road track half way from Port Deposit to Perry
vile.
Nearly every house in Lapidum was flooded.
| The water rose nearly to the ceiling of the
| lower story Of Barnes IL Archer's warehouse,
and was from 212 to feet higher than was ever
kpn har hnf, too l,l
| their wharf to height of 10 feet. AT least a
third of the lumber belonging TO the firm was
swept into the canal, but nearly all of it can be
recovered. The losses at Lapidum amount TO
several thousand dollars. The water came into
Mr.. James X. Smiths store, where it never went
| before. The ice houses on the canal were partly
submerged.
The river and canal presented an unbroken
sheet of water. The canal was injured near
| Lapidum.
The Columbia and Port Deposit Railroad
track is torn to pieces for nearly two miles in
| some places being covered with piles of ice 20
| feet thick.
AT Havre de Grace, also, damage to the
amount of perhaps 5000 was done by the flood
All the upper part of the town, about the cana
basin, was submerged.
Mr. Edward Hall had to remove the furniture
from the lower story of his residence, and his
| store room was submerged. Access to ii could
only be had in boats.
s. j. Seneca's warehouse was Hooded 1000
cases of canned goods being under water.
James Hopper " Co.'S warehouse had three
feet of water in it,
The engine house on Messrs. A. P. McCombs
e. Cos. and j. Ililles Il Cos. coal wharves were
knocked over and the machinery probably
damaged.
l.. w. Murphy's sand-shoot, which was at
tached to the railway wharf, was carried off. II
may probably be recovered. The Railway wharf
was damaged $1,000
a b. and o. 200 ton barge was left lying on
the Furnace wharf
The water cut a channel between the Light
house and the high ground, a thing which has
not happened for many years.