Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-02-16

mere, ana tue consequent llonulng OF inc
town. There is no telling when this may
anxiety is general. The people of the town
are hoping that the river will not rise over
its banks and that no damage will be done,
but they are taking advantage of their past
experience, nevertheless, and are removing
their furniture and valuableS to places of
safety and getting their boats in readiness
for use.
lip To last night everything was consid-
cred safe but the heavy rains Of ycstcr-
day, which continued all through the
night, caused a general breaking M of the
ice ON all the creeks tributary 10 the Sus-
quchanna. This ice pours into the river.
which. in consequence has been slowly
but steadily rising above Underwater
The increased volume Of water in the
river has caused the ice above Port Deposit
to break mp and start down the river. AT 10
O'Clock this morning the ice between Row
landville and Rock Run, which is the
upper end of Port Deposit began to move.
Before that il stretched in 4 Solid i'm
broken sheet across the river and boys
were skating about on it yesterday.
This movement kept III all through the
day 1t was very slight at first but the
muddy water running beneath the ice
weakened /. rapidly ana, at the same time
packed the broken ice more firmly, SO that
rs the day wore ON the ice moved more
freely and with greater force. BY
Q o'clock, tonight the ice had
moved to a point nearly opposite the
railroad station, which Is in the
centre of the town, and shortly afterward
the whole body of ice opposite the
town started with roar that could be
heard u mile away In this movement
huge blocks of ice from IL to IS inches
thick and 8 and 10 feet square are masscd
together and pushed upward Much of
the ice was solid and strong at nghtfall,
and number of persons walked over to
Lapidum, on the Hartford county side, and
back.
Above the break is d stretch of clear
water and below thetown the ice stretches
in an almost unbroken sheet to Spesutia
Island, at the mouth of the river.
At the first movement of the ice this
morning the people began moving their
furniture to the upper floors of their
houses and their vnluables 10 places still
more secure. All day long this work was
kept M and those whose dwellings are
! particularly exposed began looking around
| for places of refuge if the worst comes
Rowboats which have been living ne.
| elected all winter have been nut in good
| order and placed where they can be of i'm
mediate use in an emergency. None of
them are down along the river bank hut
arc in yards, on front porches and on the
| street tied to telegraph pples lamn nests
| anu renee hlEkPtS. IN one allnVWuN near
| Rock Run are seven large Datteaux
secured in this way III d SPACE Of
| Il hundred feet. A number of loaded
| and empty freight cars, and a consider
| able quantity of rolling stock in
| general were about the railroad wards here
| yesterday At o'clock tonight every
! piece OF il had been moved 10 Pcrrvyille
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company has
several men patrulling the river bank 10
notify the people of any sudden change in
| the condition of affairs, and the town
commissioners have employed a man to
| patrol the river in the immediate vicinity
! Of the town.
| Port Depusit contains about 600 inhad.
! tants ana is built along one street on the
east side of the river. The town is about
mile and a-half long, and the several
| sections have their local names, The
upper end Of the town is called Rock Run.
below this is Middletown, then comes Port
Deposit, which is about the centre Of tile
place; then Bank, the lower part. where
MIR. Jacob Tome lives, and lastly, Board
Walk. In case Of big rise Bank and
Board Walk will be the PRINCIPAL portions
to be damaged, because tLey are built ON
lower ground.
There has not been a food at Port De.
post since 1857, and that did not amount
% much. in 1856 the most disastrous
flood that ever visited the town occurred
and then the conditions were very much
as they are now. Ii was reported at Port
Deposit tonight that the ice had broken
| up at Harrisburg Mt 4 O'Clock in the after.
noon and was moving down the river with
considerable rapidity.
PoHr DrposIT Mn Fob lo-Tbis has
been day Of great lIueasiness TO tLe neo.
ple of Port Deposit, Rumors of nlI Kinds
have been afl6at and the telegraph otlic.
| has been besieped MI ,lav l0nq inr ,,c,vs
regarding the condition OF the river above