Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-05-31
WfLMIAer0N,S rasr FLOODS.

ibH ANVtDN y tEA SL"'D"'
Historian Amos Q. Brinton Gives the
Record of the Torrents That Ravaged
the hanks of the Brandywine In Past
Years.
Historian Amos G. Brinton contributes
for the readers Of THE GAZETTE some
interesting notes upon the floods and
frcshets in the Brandywine of bygone
years.
He takes his first records from the
diary of Caleb Kirk, the descendant of
Alphonsus Kirk, Friend, who was one
Of the first settlers here, and who located
near Rockland. His grandson, Caleb,
was the proprietor of Kinks, OF the
Delaware Mills, on the west side of the
Brandywine. Ii was first saw mill,
then fulling mill and lastly cotton
mill. The cotton mill was one of the
first in the country and was working in
1905. Caleb was quite an extensive
mill owner. He owned mills at the
present Bancrofts, and also at the du
Pont sites, on the Brandywine.
For 80 years Caleb kept record of re-
markable events lilo gave particular
attention to the floods and their action
in his neighborhood. lie tells OF the
great food in the Brandywine of 1922,
which to that date was the mostdestruc-
tive one on record. He tells how that
on February 18th of that year the creek
was covered with heavy ice. A copious
rain came and the river rose. The ice
passed down but the ram continued,
and then followed snow. This fell to a
depth of 10 inches and then the sun
broke out very warm. The warm
weather continued without a change.
On February 2lSt the water and melted
snow came pouring down the hillsides
in torrents. The rushing water brought
down trees and logs, carrying away
everything in its road. In the clear
bright evening of February 22d the
chain bridge at King street was washed
away.
This bridge had been placed across
the Brandywine in 1900 and was the
third that had been carried away from
that point by floods. James Canby's
diary tells of these bridges. The firs
one was built on piers in 1865. 1t was
rebuilt and then carried away in 1775; il
was rebuilt and carried away again u
years later. 1t was then repaired and tht
chain bridge put up III 1909.
II is apparently true that our fore
fathers did not learn properly the lessor
of these storms. They still continued
building their mills too close to the
rivers banks for due safety from floods
The winter of 1888 set in very early
and heavy SHOWS fell November l7tl
and 18th. The SHOWS continued with
more or less persistency until January
Goth, when thaw set in and heaV'
warm rain followed. With the grea
depth of snow on the ground, and als'
thick ice on the river, people along thu
Brandywine became alarmed. They saw
there was danger Of the bridges and mil
dams being destroyed.
The floods soon broke and the ice anC
soft snow was driven down the strean
before successive waves that carriet
everything before them. Bad as tn
flood was it did not compare with tina
of the following year, which took plac
January Goth. This was the most de
structive ever known to mill propert
and bridges on the Brandywine. Som
of the structures were 80 badly ruine
that they were never started up again
The total of loss along the creek summe,
hundreds of thousands of dollars. Tn
du Points lost heavily, but they resumed
The Gilpin paper mills and the Jone
flour mill went down. Lawrence d Kid
dies cotton mill started up in buyin
out the Gilpin mill. Augustus Jessu
purchased the Jones grist mill an
: started the paper mill. Since that tim
Jessup & Moore have become the owner
of old Kirk & Young mill at Rocklant
, Joseph Bancroft g. Son are still wher
they were in 1880, when they wer
, flooded by water 80 feet deep.
On August 9th, 1643, there was yer
heavy flood In the lower Brandywin
but it did not extend many miles up th
/ river. 1t was Saturday and heavy raj
! had poured down most Of the day.
Late in the afternoon the flood cam
, down and in one hours time the stem
! gate at the first dam, which stood nil
1 feet above the level of the river We
, covered by the rushing water. The tit
e coming in about the same time cause
the water to flow in on the mill foo
I of the various places along the lowe
. Brandywine. A great deal of damag
5 was done. Barrels Of flour, mill doc
: and hogsheads strewed both banks
K the river.
0 Since the Lammas flood, of Augu
a 9th, 1943, there have been some larg
q than the one of last week. That of 1873
0 which carried away the false work
il the new Baltimore & Ohio railroad WI
a heavier flood