New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-01
GREAT DAMAGE BY FLOODS.
NEW-JERSEY FARES THE WORST.
A LOSS OF A QUARTER OF A MILLION TO
PLAINFIELD.

|
BRIDGES GONE ON ALL SIDES AND ROADS IN.
PAssABLE-TRAINs DELAYED BY wAsHoUTs
CROPS UNDER wATER-DAMs REsPoN.
sIBLE FOR MUCH OF THE WATERS
woRK-sToRIEs OF REsCUEs.
Two men on horseback rode into Plainfed
last evening at hard gallop, with
the warning that the big dam at
Feltville was likely to give way before morn
ing The people were greatly alarmed at once
This dam the only one that was not swept
away by the food of Tuesday evening" and the
| outpouring of its waters felt to Dc Il more
threatening danger than that of the evening be-
fore. Because it had withstood the fierce storms
| that had deluged the wide-spreading plain, mcn
were inclined TO think that 1t was safe, but the
news that the water was beginning to force itself
through cracks and crevices in various parts OF
the structure brought fresh alarms.
The dam stretches eighth of a mile
across gap in the mountain back
of Scotch Plains, and behind it is held body of
water mile and half in length and from
eighth to half mile in width. The depth of the
dam is twenty feet, and in many places the waters
behind it are far deeper. The three dams which
gave way Tuesday were just below it. and con-
| tanned a much less volume of water. Even they
however, had power enough to flood the gorge TO
depth reaching to the second story of some build
ngs to demolisb utterly the Seeey Paper MILL
causing single loss of 100000, and to rush on
and Hood the principal streets of Plainfield
ploughng deep gullies through the centre of the
city, and wrecking bridges, stores and dwellings
all along its pathway The volume OF
water is so much greater than that
which came down the hillsides Tues
day that if it swept down the valley 1t
might utterly ruin the business centre Of the
city and level the houses at the base Of the Neither
wood Heights.
EXAMINING THE DAM.
The two horsemen were Colonel Julian Scott
| and the chief of police, Tunis j. Carey. Colonel
| Scott is an artist, and yesterday set out on
! sketching tour through the flooded district in
the mountains After travelling over eight miles
he managed to reach the ruins of the Seeley Mills
Picking his way through the wreclage, he came
at length to the dam, and was at once alarmed
at its dangerous condition. Here he met another
horseman, the captain, and the two returned to
| Planfeld. When they left the place, they said
| fssures were steadily growing into gaps, and the
torrents Of rain that fell during the entire morn
ing had not yet finished rushing down the noun
| tain SueS 10 swell tne tlut' DtSluco,
storm was backening the sky in the west, and
| it was probable that the night would witness
| another downpour
The dam at Feltyile was originally built by
Mr.. Felt wealthy builder The sheet of water
was already large, but years ago he raid a
neighboring farmer 81 90 for the privilege of add
ing one foot to its height The right was readily
accorded, and the addition was made. On the
| level lands back of the mountains however, this
rise spread some distance on towards Springfield,
and in consequence suits at law were brought by
those whose land was damaged. The farm of the
man who received the money was almost entirely
flooded. Before the suits were determined, Mr..
Felt died. The case has been in the courts since
that time, and the dam has been allowed to
crumbe and decay.
WHERE THE DAMAGE WAS GREATEST.
The severest damage of Tuesdays flood was di-
rectly in the heart OF the city of Painiied at the
business centre There yesterday crowds gazed OPEN
mouthed into the deep gulley, extending all along
the former course of Green Brook. between Tiers
ruined dam and the FIRST Baptist
Church. The waters having gone down.
Tiers Lake was at noon dw1ndling
creek, and against the remnants of the
dam were piled trees sheds, fences, shattered
bridges and other wrecl1age. The canal from the
lake to French's mills, had been washed away, and
on its Shiny bed negroes were treading Dare
foot for eels and suntish. Frenchs Mill was
one-half undermined, and where the raceway and
the brook ran under Somerset-st there was deep
gulch filled with rocks, machinery and broken
heavy paving-stones from the sidewalks The
walls of this gorge were constantly crumbling, and
a powerful current still flowed through it under
meath Frenchs mills and Carneys Drick-walled
building, which slowly settling at the cent!e
| Frenchs carriage factory, which was partly under
water, had its floors twisted and wrenched from
their fastenings. Several frame-tencments at the
rear were flooded TO the middle of the first story
and the poor tenants on the lower floor lost every
thing they had. One old woman, who was
dragged through a window when the water reached
nearly to the shoulder of William Gaskeil her
rescuer, had returned to the ruin of her home
and sat bewailing the loss of her calico patch
work quilts and her best and only silk dress
SOME OF THE LOSERS.
The shops of H. j. Martin, blacksmith, J. w.
Stewart,l wheelwright, and Michael Pradmer
| tailor were almost total wrecks, and the wreck
| age was being cleared from Somerset-st. and made
into firewoOd. Martins forge, anvil and tools
were entirely swept away, together with the
books of the North Painfed Township Com
mittee of which he is secretary. The stables at
Blimm's Hotel hung over the brink of newly
formed chasm Sequin's livery stable was filed
with slime. The waters rose in every stall to the
quarters of the horses before they could be res
cued brick pier over the raceway under
Stillman's Music Hail. and supporting the \centre
of the orchestra stand, was undermined and had
dropped eighteen inches. This occurred on
Tuesday evening while Dockstader'S Minstrels
were giving a show there.
The stables at the rear of the First Baptist
| Church were undermined, and Out-houses all
along the bank just beyond this were swept
away. The Grove-St bridge was still standing
although weakened Nearly all of the other
bridges in the city, however, had been rendered
L Loa., liz tI.or