The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-05-23
WATERS SUBSIDE.
Worst Is Now Over i'm the Flooded
Districts OF Pennsylvania and
New York.
Half Of the City Of Williamsport ID
Now Ont Of Water-Story Of
tie Flood There.
No Estimate of Losses Yet Possible,
But They Will Reach Into the
Millions.

PHILADELPHIA. May 23 Reports
from Williamsport and the territory
north of there. indicate that the water
is falling as rapidly a. 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 mp everywhere. The
portion of the city that remains under
water 10 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 communication with the out
side world was cut of at 2 o'clock Mon.
day morning by the breaking Of the
wires, the river had overfowed its
banks east and west. It rapidly came
mp and spread ont over the city, and by
e@rly Tuesday morning it was impossi-
bic to get anywhere except by the use
OF boats. The might was
One of Terrible Experiences.
The water came up so rapidly in some
parts that the people in their houses
were compelled to fee 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
rlants were early crippled, and the clty
was in darkness after 3 o'clock. Half
the lig boom, containing $50, ,OO0, 900
feet OF logs, went ont shortly after mid
night. The other half went out about
a. m. The logs in the mills along the
river, rs well as thousands Of feet of
sawed lumber, and portions OF mills
were swept away, and the loss to the
lumbermen is as great as Ii was in 1889.
costly Bridges Swept Away.
The Market street and Maynard
street bridges, which cost the eonnty
$500, 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
n
food reached its height &C about 10
o'clock Tuesday night when the water
began TO slowly 90 down. AT that time
10 was about SO feet high, which was
within l foot and 10 inches as hiRh as
the aOod OF 1857. Many Of the smaller
houses along the river banks were swept
away, and others that were flooded were
fwaYn IN g., IN tx.n< ,,~ao~ .~-.A~- nAu
business portion OF the city suffered less
than in 1859, owing to the reason that
the warning came In good season, and
goods had tees. taken ont of the way of
harm. A remarkable fact Ii that not O
single life appears to have been lost.
Rumors OF many ,irnwnings have been
heard but so far nUt single one has
been confirmed.
Reports From Other Poiats.
In Renosa, Lotkhaven, Bellefonte,
Clearfeld and Driftwood, the water has
receded and the work of clearing away
the deoris has teen started.
The Schuylkill river at Ph@nixville
Is lS feet above low water mark and Is
still rising. The entire plant of the
Phoenix Iron company is submerged to
q depth of from three to eight feet and
operations have ceased. The banks of
the Schuylkill canal are broken badly
in dozen places. and almost 100 FAM
lilies has been compelled to move out Of
their bouses. The borough waterworks
are submerged so that no water can be
pumped into the reservoir, which Is fast
running dry.