Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-05-23
GENTLE RsEE-szgGys WA.
TER.

The gentle rain that began to fal
on Wednesday, and over which ever,
one rejoiced on account of its value
to suffering vegetation turned out tc
be a public terror on account of it.
continuance on through the week
till on Sunday, by which time it had
become rain of destruction to higI
land and low land. The former lanG
which had been plowed for oats ant
corn was furrowed and torn into GU!
/ lies through which tons of valuabls
soil was carried into the streams and
washed to lower levels. A great dea
of corn was washed out and consid
cradle replanting will have to be done
Many low land grass fields were
washed over and this summers hay
crop destroyed. The wheat that
stood 50 nicely previous to the rain
was beaten almost fat to the ground.
In the river rushed a food that has
only been equa!ed IL the knowledge
OF the white man, by the floods
Of 1877 and 1889. From away be-
yond Altoona down the stream hun
dred miles rushed the food. The
handsome park between Altoona
and Hollidaysburg WIS almost de
molished. Nearly all the road bridges
across the river from Altoona to Lew
lstown were swept away or partly
swept away. The plank We're taken
off the LewistJwn bridge on Sunday,
and loaded cacs We're placed On the
railroad bridge Mt that place. The
farms along the river were all flood
ed to the great destruction OF fences.
and out-baildings. In this county
the Espenschade and Horning aud
Stambaugh lands north OF town were
flooded, and part OF the Island at this
place was covered with water. The
Island people cams off in boats about
1 2. NJ, on Sunday Strayer, north
Of town had his buildings tied. So
had Penny, S~citzer and Sing
er, and all vacated their homes ex-
cept Singer. The water did not
quite reach the first aoor in Sing
era house, and their experience was
the experience of hundreds of others
along the river. Patterson people
were in State OF terror all Sunday
night till about three o'clock on Mon
day morning when the water began
to fall. By daylight it had fallen
and the people began to feel more
cheerful The dam of Samuel Ards
mill in Milford township, washed out
on Sunday afternoon. The water
was within four feet of the river
bridge at this place. Crest concern
was expressed for the bridges. Had
they gone away they could not have
been replaced by the county for the
limit Of indebtedness on fctitIouslv
high valuation has already been
reached. The public mind in this
town was 50 wrought up by the food
that the attendance at church on
Sabbath evening was sm u. There
were % present at preaching in the
Presbyterian church, 80 in the Meth
odist church, aud services were en-
tirely dispensed with by the Luther
ans. People gathered at the river.
aAd all F!nds of ruLIors and reports
foated about among them as that
much flood gossip to whet their cur.
iosity and anxiety.
If the county bridges had teeth, it
would be said of them e'they escaped
by the skin of their teeth" Old
Port Royal bridge had four feet in 1t,
dead back water from the river. The
Aumen bridge at McCulloch's Mills
across Licking Creek had 3 feet of wa
ter in 1t, and the Gropinger bridge
across Tuscarora creek withstood a
regular bonbardment Of logs and gen
eral drift. Some of the logs shot clean
through 1t. The most of them were
driven by the current under the
bridge. The Port Royal bridge IS
standing, brit canal bridge connection
with this side of the river is gone. Mex
leo and Thompsontown bridges are
alright. A small county bridge at
Stambaugh's across the pike in Fer
managh township was swept away.
In the west end of the county num-
ber of township bridges went with
tie flood. The rains were more fire.
quent in that part of the conntry,
with shorter intervals than in the
middle and east end of the county.
There was washout of the 7. V.
r. r. at Waterford and Bealetown.
The flood down the Conemaugh
swept the streets of Johnstown, and
awakened painful recollections of the
flood of 1889, and on the west branch
Of the Susquehanna at Lock Haven
and Williamsport the food almost
equalled the food of FIVE years ago.