The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1894-05-26
FLOODS IN THE EAST
The Susquehanna and Tributaries
Overflow Their Banks.
WATERS RISING RAPIDLY
Houses in Some Places Submerged tn the
Second FlOOrs-DlsastrOus WASH
outs and Slides.

WILLIAMSBURG, Pa, May 2O.-Ine PEG.
pie of this city and all through the
Westbranch valley are in state Of
panic that has turned the usually quie:
Sunday into one of remarkable excite
ment. Since Friday night the steady
downpour of rain has been swelling all
the streams and late last night numer.
Gus cloud-bursts along Pine creek aid
other tributaries of the Westbranch of
the Susquehanna have made it impossi-
BILE to confne the water within the
banks of the streams. 1t has spread
out over the country and at every point
is pouring into the main river. The
rain fell here throughout the day and
it still continues to fall tonight. A
cloud-burst at Heating, twenty miles
above Remove, this morning raised the
river there twenty feet and the river
at Remove is reported higher than in
the food of 1889, when half the town
was under water. Above there, and
extending to the headwaters at Clear
field, every town and hamlet has been
reduced by water to the conditions that
prevailed in 1889.
Along the Philadelphia & Erie rail-
road between this point and Emporium
traffic has been practically suspended
since last night. Trains are running
between Williamsport and Lockhaven,
but above the latter point landslides
and track washou:s have swept the
tracks away and the loss will be heavy.
The Susquehanna Is crawling up at the
rate of foot an hour. The full strength
of the food is expected here at about
~ O'Clock tonight, when the great body
of water from up the river is due. The
fact that abe water from up the river
will rush down upon the city in the
dark hours of the night, adds an add.
tional element of horror to the situa
ton. Fire and church bells were rune
at O'Clock this morning to notify thu
people of their impending danger, and
since that hour the work of preparing
for the worst has been in progress. In
hundreds of homes that were submerged
five years ago the people are moving
out and storing their goods In the
houses of those living on high lands
The business part of the city was COM
plete wreck five years ago, and hun
dreds of merchants are moving
their stocks to places of safety. Con-
veyances of every description are hur'
rying through the streets of the city
loaded with household goods and mer.
chandise, and the scenes beggar de-
scription. Regular church services
were all suspended today, and in all
houses of worship those who attended
confined themselves to Offering up pray
ers for assistance of Pr evidence in the
present grave emergency.
Darkness has settled over the city
and the rain still comes down in tor
rents. The river is coming up rapidly
low water mark. 1t will overflow the
banks within an hour and as the GER
tainty of great destruction of property
grows more apparent, general interest
increases. The banks of the river and
the bridges are filed with thousands of
people watching the rise of the water,
and those who did not move until today
are hurrying their belongings and fam
lilies to places of safety. -Four miles OF
track of the Glenallen'LumberC Company
have been swept away. The boom at
Lockhaven is broken and 100000
feet of logs have been lost. The upper
Linden boom also broke at $3.50 this
evening. It contained 100000 feet
of logs, which have gone down. There
are about 16O, 600. 900 feet of logs in the
main boom, and half as many more In
the city mill ponds that may 60 on
twenty-hve-foot food. President Payne
states that all indications point to a
twenty-ive.foot food here which will
reach its height about II to IL O'Clock
tonight. In this event the main busi-
ness section will be flooded.