Evening journal., 1893-02-11
PORT DEPOSIT A VENICE
Boats Floating About in Streets
and Front Yards.
A BIG sUsQUBHANNA ZOE GORGE.

Inhabitants of the Maryland Town Fear
Great Loss Of Property and are all Pre-
pared to Move Out-Arrangements to
Save Lives and Property In Case of a
Greater Flood.
PORT DEPOSIT, Feb livery little
sleeping was done in Port Deposit last
night, for there is a prospect of big ice
gorge, forming in.the Susquehanna river
near here, and the consequent flooding
Of the town. There is no telling when
this may occur, and the feeling Of un-
easiness and anxiety is general The
people of the town are hoping that the
river will not rise over it's banks, and
that no damage will be done, but they
are taking advantage of their past
experience, nevertheless, and are remov-
ing their furniture and valuables to
places of safety and getting their boats
in readiness for use.
Up to last night everything was con
sidered safe, but the hesvy rains Of
Thursday, which continued all through
the night, caused general breaking up
of the ice on all the creeks tributary to
the Susq ehanna.
At the first movement of the ice this
morning the people began moving their
furniture to the upper floors of their
houses and their valuables to places
still more secure. All day long this
work was kept up, and those whose
dwellings are particularly exposed be.
gan looking around for places of refuge
If the worst comes.
The increased volume of water in the
river has caused the ice above Port De-
posit to break up and start down the
river. At 10. o'clock this morning the
ice between Rowlandville and Rock Run,
which is the upper end of Port Deposit,
began to move Before that it stretched
in solid unbroken sheet across the
river, and boys were skating about on it
yesterday.
This movement kept'up all through the
day. II was very slight at first, but the
muddy water running beneath the ice
weakened IL rapidly and, at the same
time, packed the broken ice more firmly,
so that as the day wore on the ice moved
more freely and with greater force. By
8 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 the
ice opposite the town started with a
roar that could be heard a mile away. In
this movement huge blocks of ice from
twelve TO fifteen inches thick and eight
and ten feet square are massed together
and pushed upward. Much Of the ice
was solid and strong at nightfall, aud a
number of persons walked over to lap
idUm, on the Hartford county side, and
back.
Rowboats which have been lying
neglected all winter have been put In
good order and placed where they can
be of immediate use in an emergency,
None Of them are down along the river
bank, but are in yards, on front porches
and on the street, tied to telegraph poles,
lampposts aad fence pckets In one
alleyway near Rock Run are seven large
batteaux secured in this way in a space
of hundred feet. A number of loaded
and empty freight cars, and a consider
able quantity of rolling stock in gen
eral were about the railroad yards here
yesterday At o'clock tonight every
piece of it had been removed TO Perry
vile. The Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pauy has several men patrolling the
river bank TO notify the people Of any
sudden change in the condition of affairs,
and the town commissioners have EN-.
ployed a man to patrol the river in the
Immediate vicinity of the town.
Port Deposit contains about 2000 in.
habitants and is built along one street on
the east side Of the river. The town Is
about a 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 the place; then Bank, the lower
part. where Jacob Tomelives, and lastly,
Board Walk In case of big rise Bank
and Board Walk will be thu principal
portions to be damaged, because they are
built on lower ground.
There has not been a flood at Port De
posit since 1887, and that did not amount
TO much. In 1856 the most disastrous
food that ever visited the town occurred
ana then the conditions were very much
as they are now. Il was reported al
Port Deposit tonight that the ice had
broken up at Harrisburg at 4 o'clock in
the afternoon aud was moving down the
river with considerable rapidity.
AT THE COLLEGE.