Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-02-23
PORT DEPOSIT SCARED AGAIN.



riled 30 Feet Hish--rcars of an Even
Worse Elrnd.
Special Correspondence ut Gazctfe ana journal
I,LWToN, Mn, Feb. l7.--Thc town Of
Port Deposit was again visited, late last
night, by surpiul of water by the over
flowing Of the Susquehanna river from
the ice gOrges and much anxiety was felt
by the people Of that place.
The ice gorged opposite the town and
piled up iirner than before, reaching in
places 30 feet high. The tide water not
finding an outlet through the gorge, backed
up rapidly on the river front for awhile,
and Hooded the tracks of the Fort Deposit
x Columbia railroad enough to cause Il sl1s.
pension of travel after o'clock in the
evening.
Cellars on the river front were again
filled with water. Near midnight the
water subsidized and resumed its normal
height.
Notwithstanding the reports that the
worst is over, many of the people of the
town who had moved their furniture and
goods to high porches and the second
stories for safety, decline to move back to
their former quarters, entertaining the
idea that the worst is yet to come.
Since the gorge at McJalps Ferry re-
mains intact, the present freeze, it is said,
will not better the condition of the river,
but it will likely hold the gorge solid at
Port Deposit.
Should the ice from above give way
from the tide water and move down the
river, the town will be Iworse flooded than
ever before.
PoRT DEPosrr. Feb. l7.-Nothing start
ling occurred in the condition Of affairs
here to-day, although the ice before Port
Deposit made one or two slight runs. The
water took another rise and ovCrIlowcd the
fpupl+E Of pf,Nt IaHnait ~
railroad near ltoCl; Run, causing some
little delay to the trans. The cellars
on the low side Of the street, which had
nocn empticd of water, were filled again,
and some persons who had moved things
from the upper to the lower floors hur-
ricdiS restored them to places of safety.
The large iron tug Hudson Of the liud.
son Transportation Company arrived at
liavrc tie traCc this morning and broke
tile sheet ice between tie western banl, Of
the river and Garrett Island and north OF
the r., W. Il Il. railroad bridge, There
was not sufficient currcnt, however, q
move it out, and it remains Just where II
was before. The northeast wind which
has prevailed during the day has NOT
helped matters any, having blown much
of the water down the river and leaving
the ice fast on the Havre de Grace flats.
The ice gorge, which extends from
| Mount Ararat to McClenahau's quarries,
is still intact and so is the gorge across the
neck ut Met ais Ferry. Tho channel,
which extends from Safe lIarbor to within
q few hundred yards of McCall's Ferry
neck, still affords relief to the water
behind. The snow and freeze of to-day
| has increased the danger. The snow will
make the ice here more mushy and will
offer more resistance to the water behind,
while the freeze will soidify the ice to d
considerable extent and make it more
| difficult to move.
poRr DErnslr, Mn, Feb. i9.-The ice
holds firm in q strongly-packed gorge in
the Susquehanna ut Port Deposit, as well
as in the flats below and iii the narrow
| places above. Large masses of ice have
| been showed from the river over the tow,
| path into the canal on the Hartford side
and the water has backed to all unusual
! depth into the streets of Port Deposit
Saturday night was full Of anXcties to the
! people of the town. The water rose six tC
eight feet. The railroad station was aban,
doned.
Tonight the situation is unchanged.
| Half the town is flooded and the ice is
strewn in huge blocks everywhere. The
situation is more serious than ever before
| and there is no telling what damage will
be done. The town commissioners put a
| force of men to work to-day and com,
| pleled road along the hill to Rock run,
| all the communication being cut OF. All
services III the churches were suspended
| All trains on the Port Deposit 4 Columbia
and Philadelphia Baltimore Central rail,
road have been discontinued north of Port
| Deposit.
William Roberts, whose dangerous sit
uation ON lis little island home in the
middle Of the river, opposite PORT Deposit,
has been previously mentioned is still on
the island with his son, youth about II
| years old. All the family except the
| father and son have been removed 10 tht
mainland and are now in Columbia. Pa
| Saturday night the sland was under watCt
anu 10 signal light From II was seen. Fear,
are therefore. entertained for the safety ul
| the man and boy.
! HAyEE pE GRACE. Mn, Feb. l0.--Thc
! iron tug Hudson succeeded in breaking
| through the ice to the lurryvillc dock TIN,
afternoon at 80. Thotug did not attempt
| to go into the ice above the Philadelphia
| Wilmington Il Baltimore railroad bridge
| IL required three days and nights Of hard
| work for the tug to get from the battery tC
! llavre de Grace, a distance Of tour miles
| The captain would have returned to RRti
more, but on every attempt to turn Ia tht
narrow channel the curren. wouli lam Nc
ice into the tu-s propeller, preventing
progress excepting UP stream. The ice is
dansely packed on the illts bpow lavrl
de 6ruCG and he channel Is closed, There
Is lutte orca water directly III front ul
the town. The original !ic!d Of ice west oi
Garrett Island and between the Two rail,
road bridges remains iGttct