Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-05-25
WATERS SUBSlDE.
Worst Is Now Over in the Flooded
Districts of Pennsylvania and
New York.
Half of the City Of Williamsport Is
Now Out Of Water-Story Of
the Flood There.
No Estimate of Losses Yet Possible,
But They Will Reach Into the
Millions.

1d1LADELfdlA, May So.'-h6pOrCS
from Williamsport and the territory
north Of there, indicate that the water
is falling as rapidly as it rose. Half of
the flooded district is clear of water,
but the other half will probably be COW
cred for some days. Mud and debris of
all sorts is piled up everywhere. The
portion of the city that remains under
water is inhabited mostly by poor peo-
pie, and there is much suffering. A
citizens committee has already been
formed to relieve the pressing necessi-
ties of the homeless people. The West
ern Union telegraph operators are back
in their office, and communication with
the outside world has been resumed,
When com mmunication with the out
side world was cut off at o'clock Mon
day morning, by the breaking of the
wires, the river had overfowed its
banks east and west. 1t rapidly came
up and spread out over the city, and by
early Tuesday morning it was impossi-
BILE to get anywhere except by the use
of boats. The night was
One of Terrible Experiences.
The water came up so rapidly in some
parts that the people in their houses
were compelled to flee to the upper
stories for safety, and were rescued
from there by heroic boatmen, hundreds
of whom risked their lives to save 9TH
ers in danger. To add to the unfortu-
nate situation, the electric light and gas
plants were early crippled, and the city
was in darkness after o'clock. Half
the big boom, containing 10000, 900
feet OF logs, went out shortly after mid
night. The other half went out about
4 a. N. The logs in the mills along the
river, as we'll as thousands of feet of
sawed lumber, and portions of mills
We're swept away, and the loss to the
lum bermen is as great as it was in 1889.
Costly Bridges Swept Away.
The Market street and Maynard
street bridges, which cost the county
5000. 900, were carried away early Tues
day. The Reading railroad bridge at
Muncy, an imposing iron structure, was
swept away. All of the wooden bridges
in the neighborhood are gone. The
food reached it's height at about 10
o'clock Tuesday night when the water
began to slowly go down. At that time
it was about 80 feet high, which was
within foot and 10 inches as high as
the flood of 1889. Many of the smaller
houses along the river banks were swept
away, and others that were flooded were
from 6 to 10 feet under water. The
business portion of the city suffered less
than in 1889, owing to the reason that
the warning came in good season, and
goods had been taken out of the way of
harm. A remarkable fact is that not a
single life appears to have been lost.
Rumors of many drownings have been
heard but SO far not single one has
been confirmed.
Reports From Other Points.
In Renova, Lockhaven, Bellefonte.
Clearfield and Driftwood, the water has
receded and the work of clearing awav
the debris has been started.
The Schuylkill river at Phenixville
is l8 feet above low water mark and is
still rising. The entire plant of the
Phoenix Iron company is submerged to
a depth of from three to eight feet and
operations have ceased. The banks of
the Schuylkill canal are broken badly
in q dozen places, and almost 100 fam
lilies has been compelled to move out OF
their bouses. The borough waterworks
cs,r14 HIM O., ~,