Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-03-05
SWEPT BY FLOODS.

unprecedented IlalnS knunuaIS several
Eastern Cities, Causing Great Damage
to Fropcrty-Fifteen Hundred Residents
of Boston Driven from Their Homes by
High Watcr-Thc Ice Gorge at ST. Louis
Breaks
BosToN, Feb. 15.-Thc greatest rainfall
ever known in New England has been fol-
owed by widespread and disastrous floods.
The waters are still at their height, and the
damage, which already amounts to many
millions in Eastern Massachusetts and
Rhode Island, is likely to be greatly increased
before the flood subsidies. Most cities and
towns in these sections are almost entirely
ISOLATED. In the cape districts hardly a
bridge is lett. The Boston & Albany is the
only railroad extending to the south or
west OF Boston which is running trains,
and it is obliged to transfer passengers at
washouts. Scores OF bridges on the Old
Colony and New York L. New England rail
roads are gone, aud wasllouts are simply
innumcrablc.
In Boston twos square miles are now under
water from two to ten feet. The water
rises steadily and the flood moves constant
ytoward's the city's center, covering an OBJ
long section with Shuwmnt avenue and the
Boston Il Providence railroad for sides. Up
to last night the cellars and Easements OF
ninc hundred and forty-siX houses had been
flooded, over fifteen hundred families have
been compelled to move OF are living in
upper stories, and the lowest estimate Of
the loss is 100000. Only one life is re-
ported lost-that of IL baby who was
drowned inacrib besideit's mothers bed be-
lore the rising water awakened her. Stony
brook, which flows through the city and has
caused the Hood here, drains twelve and
onc-hnlf miles of territory, and the surface
water and melted snow OF all that section
must be poured into the city before the
food can abate. At IL point Il section
of fifty acres is covered with water three
feet deep, and this also has no outlet save
Stony brook and the city. All the city
officials are busy relieving distress and
saving property. Depots OF supplies have
been established in various quarters to re-
lieve the necessities of the poor.
The worst damage is reported from
Taunton, Mass, where Mill river, which
flows through the city, has become a roar
ing torrent, overtiowcd its banks and cut
the city in two. Residents OF several
streets were awakened Saturday night by
the police and abandoned their houses.
Most Of the bridges in the city
have been carried away, and gullies
in some cases fifty feet wide have been
cut across the streets. All the
dams OF the river nave been carried
away or rendered useless. The Whittenton
mills, containing $500, 900 worth of goods,
were saved only by blowing out Il passage
for the water with dynamite, and blowing
up a portion OF the Werder mills.
Many undermined buildings are top
ping. People in the suburbs can only
get to the city by boats. Between
three and four hundred people are flooded
out. The entire population worked all of
Sunday to save property. The city was in
darkness last night, gas and electric lights
both being shut off. The damage is $780,
600.
The loss in Providence, r. L., and vicin-
ity is put at 81, 1000, 900, and that at
Woonsockct ut $4,000.
The large Cumberland dam of the Paw
tuckct water works, built last fall, was
swept away by the floods at Franklin,
Mass, Saturday, causing Il loss OF $780,
600. In Worcester, New Haven and other
cities and towns the damage is unprece-
dentcd. Hundreds Of dams and bridges
have been swept away and mills and manu-
people nave been thrown out Of employ
ment.
The suburban towns reporting the worst
damage are: Maiden, $780, 900; Winchester
{incIuding the Mystic valley), So, 600;
Brockton, $4,000; Peabody, 100000;
Newton, $4,000; Quincy, $4,000; Water
town, 100000. There is not IL town in
Massachusetts, east OF Worcester that has
not felt the force OF the flood. The alarm
ing news comes from New Hampshire
that the Nashua aud Merrimac rivers are
beginning to show lcstivcrcss, and hat a
rise OF eight feet tool place yesterday.
This, OF course is ominous OF dire disaster
to Lowell, Lawrence, uaverhill and New
buryport.
HIGH WATER AT OTHER POINTS
The flood is subsiding ut Troy. N. Y. Much
damage has been done to property, and sew.
eral horses have been drowned in their
stables.
The damage done by high water and ice at
HARRISBURG, Pa: is placed at from s&25, 600 to
$4,000, and falls limos entirely upon poor
people.
The breaking up of the ice in the Mohawk
ton of Albany, n. Y, below Broadway. The
Delaware u Hudson Canal Company's tracks
are six feet under water, and temporary
bridges have been built; The tracks of the
West Shore railroad are also out Of sight.
. AT Bordentown, N. j., the ice is gOrged in
the Delaware river and there are indications
Of a freshet as deStrnctiye as that of 1857. In
s'S ASAr A'SA- WV VI SSlo M, -. Ina
waters of Rondout and Waikiki creeks arc
very high, and there are Il number of gornes
and much overlooked land. Heavy freshets
have occurred at several places in the Cats.
kills. ~
a Toronto CAM dispatch says: The Don
river began to rise rapidly Saturday after
noon. The ice crashed into the Kiny street
bridge, and for a time it was feared that the
bridge would be carried away and that there
would be a repetition OF the disastrous floods
OF September, 1878. The ice was blown nm
saturday night with runuowdpr r.llor.
were flooded and afew lighthouses destroved
Dut no further damage is expected.
The 1ce-gOrge at st. Louis broke IN ycster-
day, ana the ice in the Nilsson j has broken as
Tar west as the, mouth of the Usage. Ice
fioatcd through the St. Louis harbor all day
! esterday. Tho Lulu Worth, a tow-boat, was
sunk by the IL and several other boats we're
more or less injured, but the damage done
was not as great as was anticipated. Several
Darges belonging to the Mississippi Valley
barge company and lying at Belmont, n few
night. ~
At Harrisburg, Pa, the ice in the Susoue-
hanna broke yesterday morning, doing con
siderable damage. 1t gorgcd nine miles be-
low and the water began to back up, rising
three feet III an hour, and carrying ice
over both the Reading and Pennsylvania
railroad tracks to the depth Of sew
eral fcet, rendering traffic entirely out
OF the question. All of the works in the
southern section OF the city were flooded and
work suspended. The poor people living in
the second story OF their houses. This is lhhee
second tirlc this winter that they have been
driven to such straits, and in consequence the
greatest suffering prevails.