The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-08-01
PLAINFIELD'S WOE.
THE DAMS BROKE AND THE
FLOODS CAME,
bringing with Them DcsOIatiOn
and Enormous DaInaGe-Other
New Jersey Towns washed Out
No Lives Were Lost, Etc.


PLAINFIELD, n. j., July 31.-The dam
aye hv the flood is greater than was at
first supposed, Eight dams in all were
washed away near here. The water
rushing through break i'll the Feltville
dam, carried away and completely OBJ
liberated two smaller dams below Sccly's
paper mill at Scotch Plains. The loss is
$4,000. Scotch Plains is entirely sub
merged, but the loss is small. The dam
age in the business portion of PlainllcId
caused bv the breaking of the tiers Of the
dam is not less than So 5000; fifteen large
brick buildings arc undermined, and in
dangerous condition. Somerset street
is impassablc, leing washed away III
great gaps Every bridge i'll PlninfieId,
Fairwood and Warren townships is
washed away. The loss to counties will
reach $40, 900 for bridges alone New
BROOKLYN dam was swept away, Little
damage was done because II is an open
country. Natives were lost and no one
was hurt. Had the break occurred at
night instead of the afternoon, Il different
story would have tn be told 1t is be
licVcd that the loss i'll and near Ilanhcld
by this storm will reach SlIO,OOU. The
water has entirely subsidized, and repairs
are being rapidly made.
LATER-Thc first dam to break i'll the
vicinity was at Ecltvillc, five miles north
of here. The break occurred at O'Clock
and the rush OF water carried away and
absolutely oblitcratcd two smaller dams
below it at Scclys paper null, causing 4
loss of 100000. The water rushed on
down To Scotch Plains completely inun-
d.itimg the village. Cellars were Hooded
aud all the bridges were swept away
The Baptist church here is badly dam
aged, and the cemetery surrounding 1t rs
badly washed out, and III many places
exposing the graves. \. u, Shcpard's
place was completely flooded, and the
Derby fur mill here lost 1000 III stock
and machinery The great body OF wi
ter divided, a part OF it forcing its way
across the fields until it reached Cedar
brook, a little stream running through
the eastern portion of plainticld. The
brook bccanlc river and tilcH a lake,
and portion of PlaiulIcld's choicest
resident locality was under water up to
the first stories of the houses. Every
household has its losses. The heaviest
loser here is lob Mali, mayor OF the town
who owns more than one hundred OF these
handsome dwellings,. His property is
damaged To the extent OF S2OoOO. The
property of Leo DAFT, electrician, is badly
damaged and B. Bowers loses $1,000 by
damage to his furniture. James H..
Martin loses several valuable COWS.
The Park Avenue Baptist church was
threatened with destruction, its tOunda-
ton was washed but the building is safe,
though damaged to the extent of S.
600. Many gallant rcscucs were made i'll
this part Of the town of people who
becoming frightened attempted to leave
their houses and were caught in the
flood. Eugene Saim, assistant fire chlct,
was swept down the stream while ont III
n boat assisting Others, but was res
cucd by means ot ropes thrown
to him. The breaking of the
piers of the dam threatened to cut a
big swath through the business portion
of the town. The ibrook which runs
through that part of the place is bridgcd
over with buildings on Somerset street,
but the space underneath was not suit-
cicnt to carry off the water, and 1t backed
up into the street. Somerset street was
six feet under water. Martins black
smith shop and several smaller buildings
were lifted and thrown in a hcapinto the
middle of the street. French's mill was
undermined and stands suspended over a
vawning gap. His carriage factory is tot
tering and may fall. Blimen' hotel stands
with its foundation exposed to the very
bottom. Hiram's carriage shop badly
damaged, and Ryerson's carriage reposi-
tory was damaged to the extent 81 900.
Among the losses are the following
French Bros, $4,000; l.. NJ, French, car
riage factory, $1,000: lloman's carriage
factory, $4,000; Blimen's hotel, $4,000.
In Somerset street there is a gully thirty
feet wide and twenty deep. rhr gas
mains are broken and sewers discun-
nectcd. The Music Hall, i'll which
DockStadtcr'S troupe was playing, was
damaged $4,000. The corner of the
foundation is washed out, and the stage
has sunk twenty feet. The breaking ot
Wilson's dam, in Washington Valley, let
down an immense body OF water to the
dam at Wetumpka Falls. Little damagc
was done until the masonry, which was
built supplementary to the natural falls,
gave way, when large mass of water,
thirty feet high, fairly lcaped against the
falls. The masonry and rocks tumblc,l
together, and what was once a PIC,
turcsute resort, is absolutely gone
Coddington'S ice house, harnS and mills
were swept away, involving loss oI
100000. Stony Brook goes through a
farming country, west OF the town, 50
that the subsequent damage was slight
Of the ftty-two large bridges i'll Union
county, thirty are said to hc gone, III
vulving loss to the county OF more
than $3OO,OOO No lives were lost and
no serious casualties are reported
The loss of live stock is slight
Altogether eight dams in ilainhcld and
within four miles Of the town. were
washed away The breaking OF the new
brooklyn dam, two miles south, and the
one at Cadmus' caused but little serious
damage other than the washing out o.
the roads. The washOut at the Berkmar
street railroad bridge caused great delay
ip travel, only one of the four tracks be
ing safe.
NEWARK, n. J., July 31.--Reports from
all over Essex county indicate that th'
damage by the storm which is still rag
ing will be, much greater than wa
thought last hight. bloomfield suffered
most by the breaking Of Fritz's dam
Fifty families were driven from theil
houses. but no lives were lost or injury
inflicted. The water is subsiding thi'
morning and +''e pcOple are returning tc
their houses.
In Orange, the water is subsiding. A
confectioner from this city, named Man
child, was driving across the bridge al
Mapiewood last night when the struct
nre was carried away He was carried
down with the torrent, together with hi
horae and wagon, and was finally rescu
ed by a crowd of mon from south Orange
Trains on the Norris and Essex road ar
moYing slowly through orange. Th'
greatest apprehension is felt at Millburn
watch hns been placed on the dam o