The morning call., 1894-05-22
NIGHT OF TERROR.
Anxious Watchers of the
Flood.
RIVERS SLOWLY SUBSIDE.
1t May Be That the Danger
Is Past.
GREAT DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE.
DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE.
1t Is Certain That Many Unfortu-
mates Have Lost Their Lives
in the Water.

WILLIAMsPoRT, Pa, May 21.-The river
con utinued to rise last night and nearly the
entire business portion of the city is under
water There has been no telegraphic
communication with Lock Haven since 8
o'clock Yesterday, when the telegraph
operator was driven from the Office by the
food.
ALP. n the water had reached thirty
one feet above Iow-water mark, one foot
higher than the disastrous food Of 1889,
The entire city is under water from four
to twenty-five feet. The rain is falling 10
torrents, and the water is sill rising six
inches an hour. All logs at the boom,
which broke at l O'clock this morning,
have been swept away, as we'll as many
sawmills and houses in the lower part of
the city. Not a telegraph OF telephone
wire Is working out of the city, with the
single exception of shaky long-distance
telephone wire. which was placed at the
disposal of the Associated Press CORE
spondent.
AS night approached and darkness set
tied down the terrors of the food in
creased. The torrent rushing down from
the hillsides and growing with each pass
stricken people looked forward with dread
to the ordeal through which they must
pass before morning. Cut off from the
rest of the world, with no railroad CON-
munication and with no avenue of
telegraph or telephone communica-
tion save the quivering wire over
which this dispatch is speeding,
surrounded on every hand by the
clo rTc dor xryb{ hoo o1ra JN-
swept away a million dollars worth of
property and may sweep away a million
more, thescondtion OF WiIIlamsporl is in
deed pitiable. With thirty-three feet more
water in the channel than is its normal
height. the north branch of the Susque-
hanna threatens to engulf the town.
Every foot of ground in the city
is under four feet of water, and
most of 1t is fifteen feet beneath
the surface of the stream. Many
families are homeless. Hundreds more
expect to be driven from their houses in
the second stories, where they have found
refuge, before DAY, and unless the food
ceases there is no power On earth can
avert greater disaster than has already
come upon the helpless city, The loss of
property cannot even be apprOximated
until the waters recede and accounts are
cast up. The gas and electric light plants
are under water, and the city is without
lights. Every one is desperate, terror
stricken and discouraged.
Just after midnight the big log boom
gave way with crash and went rolling
and tumbling down the stream. As it
passed the four bridges below the city the
logs crashed and banged against the piers
with q roar that could be heard for miles.
The Market-street bridge was carried
away. Three of the four spans of the
magnificent structure sucCumbed.
AS the day grew old ana when the light
was dim dozens of boats and hundreds of
wagons we're brought into requisition and
merchants began to move their goods to
places Of safety. 1t was seen that every
store was in danger and efforts were made
to save all possible. Household goods
were moved to second and sometimes to
third stories of residences and hasty
preparations were made for a prolonged
stay, and at this writing the entire popula-
tion of WillamspOrt is in a condition of
excitement over the encroachments Of the
water.
All over the business portion the city is
submerged to an average depth of six feet.
Not a train has entered or left the city for
twenty-four hours, and every wire is
down. The telegraph office is four feet
under water and the Telephone Exchange
is almost as bad. The only means of
reaching the outside world is one tele-
phone wire. The water now seems to be
at a staDdstill, but there are grave fears
the end is not yet in sight.
PHILADELPHIA. May 2l.-Advices from
VViIIio that at e'aIonly fha
water had fallen one foot and the danger
is thought TO be over. At Renova the fall
Is seven feet and a Lock haven three feet.