The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1894-05-26


morning a Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive
brought the warning to Gaysport that the Kilken-
ming Point reservoir the of Altoona's water
supply had given way, and the valley below would
soon be covered by two hundred million gallons OF
water.
A Gaysport telegraph operator later received this
message from Kittanning:-The dam has burst
For Gods sake tell Gaysport people to fiyi
The result of these warnings that the entire
population at Gaysport. Duncansville and West
Holidaysburg deserted their homes and spent the
night on the hills.
Many accidents occurred in their flight, and there
are scores of cases of nervous prostration. me
alarm. however, was not followed by the dreaded
disaster. The dam was partially broken. four large
crevasses being made. but the water began to sub
side and hard work saved the dam from total de-
struction and prevented great loss of property and
! life
Bellwood citizens, fearing break in Potts Grover
reservoir above their town, cut the embankment in
an opposite and safe direction last night
LEwIsBURG, Pa, May H-The damage along the
Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad, that runs from
here to Bellefonte, is very great. Several bridges
have been carried away. There are extensive wash
outs and it will be weeks before traffic can be re-
sumed. Hundreds of families are homeless and
destitute.
girl of one year, the other boy of seven years oil
age, belonging TO John Krusekoski, at Nantieoke
were drowned this afternoon. Both wentdown and
out of sight before assistance could be rendered
Their bodies were carried down the stream about
COO feet and were found an hour later.
PoTTsyILLE, Pa, May 2l.-Throughout this region
the mines are partially flooded and work is sus-
pended. Loss from 10000 to $4,000. At least
10000 men are out of employment in this and the
Lehigh districts.
The Schuylkill river was never so high as it is
now John Brown, aged II years. was drowned
this evening while trying to cross creek al Forest
vile. Edward Evans, an old man, is reported
drowned near Heckscherville. big gypsy camp
near fremont was washed out today and several
members are missing Among these are q woman
and her newborn babe. At Mahanoy City in order
to prevent the blockading ofhe cuyerts and creeks
all the bridges were down and the distinctions
removed to give free passage to the flood This
precaution was also taken at Girardville. The
Reading railroad has either lost completely or had
badly damaged at least twenty bridges in this one
county, besides much havoc with embellishments.
EAsroN May 2l-About o'clock this evening
the abutment wall OF the Lehigh Coal and Nayiga'
ton Company basin, opposite the city and right
below the big railroad bridge, gave way, precipi
tating torrent of water directly against the pier
the New Jersey Central and Lehigh Valley roads
The strain was tremendous for the break was clean
and sudden. fully seventy five feet of wall going
down, releasing body of water twenty-five feet
deep. The wall was average of ten feet in thick
ness and it will cost at least $4,000 TO repair the
damage The bridge stood the strain all right.
The canal banks are washed away in various
places and 1t will be several months before naviga
ton can be resumed. The break will seriously
affect business on the Morris Canal. as the Lehigh
Canal was feeder. The Delaware river began
rising this afternoon and is now up TO the l7fooi
mark.
NoRRIsTowN, May 2l.-The Schuylkll river here
this evening was thirty feet above high water mark
and still rising and all the mills are stopped.
Delaware. New Jersey and New York
The damage in the above states was mostly caused
by overlooking streams and of a very serious
character, causing the stopping of mills and the
beating down of crops and loss of fruit buds. On
the Atlantic coast the various watering places suf
fered very much and many vessels were stranded
Odds and Ends of Dispatches.
Snow and ice followed the heavy rains in the
West on Saturday, and what vegetation was left by
the storm almost totally destroyed by the freez
ing weather. The snow in many places reached a
depth of 5 or inches.
and number of persons were killed or injured.
Additional loss of life is reported from the West
and the loss ON Lake Michigan of life and shipping
is much greater than at first reported.
The great food in the Susquehanna river, with
its freight OF $50 feet OF logs from Lock Haven
and Williamsport, reached the Chesapeake Bay
Tuesday morning. Part of Havre de Grace was in
undated. The people there are busily engaged in
catching the logs. party of men left Baltimore
by boat for the bay for the purpose of catching the
logs also.
The southern end of Wilmington, Del. was flooded
Tuesday by the Christiana river and the family OF
George Williams colored, four persons in all, are
missing. 1t is believed they were drowned.
The bodies of three sailors were found in one OF
the pockets of the Government pier at Chicago on
Monday night. They were victims of the recent
storm.
The Philadelphia (Pa.) Ledger, of Wednesday. in
its summary Of the great food says:-"The great
food has passed its height and the reports yesterday
and last night showed that at nearly all points the
waters were receding. The one exception was on
the lower Susquehanna. which was still rising The
city of williamsport probably the greatest suf-
ferer by the flood, conservative estimate placing
the loss at 100000 The great lumber boom at
that point as well as that at Lock Haven, were
broken, and millions of feet of lumber were swept
down the stream. carrying away bridges and dam
aging other property on either shore. At Williams
port it was estimated that the homes of people
were made uninhabitable. The receding waters in
the Schuylkill valley enabled the railroads to re-
sumo operations yesterday. but in the Conemaugh
the Pennsylvania Railropd line was still broken,
and through trains between Pittsburg and Altoona
had to be sent round by way of the Baltimore and
Ohio and Huntingdon and Broad Top roads. On
the Philadelphia Division trains were sent by way
of the Lebanon Valley and Cornwall and Lebanon
Railroads to Conewago. Heavy rain fell last night
in the Conemaugh Valley, and another disastrous
rise in the waters of that stream is apprehended at
Johnstown and vicinity. The Susquehanna river
overlooked its banks at Sunbury yesterday morn
ing, covering onethird of the town TO depth OF
from one to five feet. 1t was reported that four
families had persisted on the island at Herndon.