Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-08-03
Peril at P!ainfeld.
A Weakening Dam Keeps the
People Awake.
PREPARED TO TAKE TO THE HILLS.

Tho Confined Waters In Feltville Dam
Strive to Sweep the Valley with Destrac-
tion-watchers Posted with Signal
Rockets to Give the People Warning
Torrents of Rain and Vivid Lightning
add to the Terror Of the Situation.
PLAINFIELD, N. j., Aug. S.-Thursda ,,
night was night of terror here owing to the
unsafe condition Of the dam at Feltville The
rains of last Tuesday had filled the lake be-
hind il to overlooking. and though it stood
the pressure, the water was running over the
top, and it was reported weakening. To add
10 the danger the clouds were again pouring
deluge of rain down on the city and vicin-
ity; the lightning was almost continuous;
Geographic wires were burned out, and at a
quarter past the Transmission OF dispatches
had become an impossibility. The Bseckman
street bridge over the Central railroad at
Plainfieid was again partially deprived of its
support Many of the heavy timhers with
which it was repaired had been undermined
and wrenched away BY Cedar brook, which has
followed a new course directly through the
| street since Tuesdays food
The Owner of the Dam Appealed to.
To Warren Aldermen, who owns the dam
| at Feltvilie, was sent Thursday morning the
following dispatch:
Examination Of Feltviile reveals imminent
danger of bursting in case of ano her heavy
| rainfall. This would destroy sl,N0n Of
property and endanger human life at Plain
field.
Believing that YOU do not know this fact,
| vouch for the good faith of the examination
and appeal 10 you, the owner of the dam. to
act at once to avert the threatened calamity.
Jon MALE,
Mayor of Plainfeld.
Mr.. Alderman responded promptly to
| Mavor Males dispatch, and at once started
| for Plsinfeld, where the two had an inter
view lasting half an hour. Mr.. Alderman
announced his desire to do all in his power
| TO prevent the threatened break, and cheer
fully consented to follow the plans submitted
by the mayor.
Plans to Strengthen IL.
The dam runs straight across the mountain
gap, and Mr.. Male proposed that two mas
sive stone piers should be erected below it,
and that horseshoe of rock should be built,
with the ends against the piers and the key
stones against the center of the dam, the
space between being filed in with broken
stones and cement Mr. Alderman agreed
to this at once. and promised to have men
set b. work Immediately to repair the break
He himself went to Scotch Plains to super
intend the matter personally.
Preparing for the Deluge.
But the labor seemed without avail and a
| message was received here that the water
| was eating its way through the body of the
| structure. 1t was consequently resolved
| that something must be done to give the
people such warning as was possible. j. B.
Dumont president of the city common coun-
| ell, and Counoimen NJ Marvin Durham and
Francis F. Marsh decided to post watchers
/ on the heights above the dam and to ar
range a code of signals, that notice might be
given if the danger should become more
threatening. The policeman, Tunis..J. Carey
and Col Julian Scott, the two horsemen
who went galloping through the main street
Of the city on Wednesday night with the
| warning that the dam was on the verge of
| falling, were chosen as the couriers, and at
9 O'Clock they set out on horseback for the
scene of danger
The Code of Signals.
When they reached the dam they prepared
for a night of watching. 1t had been ar
ranged that, should a crisis come, they were
to signal by rockets &c the telegraph operator
at Blanwood, and if his wires were stil use
less he would send up other rockets, with
| which he had been furnished, and the men at
the Tagging and switching stations along the
line would pass the news along. Ii a message
| that the dam had burst reached the city the
Gre bells'were to be rung, and the alarm
| would be quickly spread This would give
the people possibly an hours start of the
| water, and those along the banks of Green
brook, Stony brook, and Cedar brook would
have time to escape to the high ground.
| The Danger Passes away.
As it turned out, however, the dam did not
break, and a sigh of relief went up from all
ever this city yesterday morning when ii
was announced that the danger was past for
the time Hardly soul in the part of the
city endangered had wink of sleep durin {
the night, and everybody was ready to fly
for high ground at a moments notice
| Emnernr William Rec eixed I'm ENGLAND