Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-05-24
UNDER RAGING FLOODS


be hearQ lOr miles. GO intense was the
gloom that no one could tell how the
structures stood tho shock, but by day
light the last of the small fortune In
logs was gone, and the crowds could see
how the bridges Jared. That at Mont
gomery street was intact, as was also
the Pennsylvania railroads iron span
across the river. Tho Market street
bridge was gone, however, and three of
the four spans Of the Maynard. street
structure had succumbed to tho rush of
waters.
MERCHANTS MOVING THEIR GOODS.
AS the day grew older and when the
light would permit it dozens of boats
and hundreds Of wagons were brought
into requisition and merchants began to
move their goods to places of safety. 1t
was seen that every store in town was
in danger and herculean efforts were
made to save all that could be saved.
Household goods were moved to second
and in some cases third stories of resi-
dcnces, where hasty preparations were
made for protracted stay, until, at this
writing, the entire population of Will
Transport is in a condition of excitement
and unrest at the encroachments of the
waters.
The average depth all over the bust
ness portion of the city is feet. Not a
tram has entered or left the city for "a
hours, and every telegraph wire leading
out of Williamsport is down. The tele-
graph Office is feet under water and
the telephone exchange is in almost as
bad condition. The only means of reach
ing the outside world is one telephone
wire. The water at this moment appears
to be at Il standstill, but there are grave
fears that the end is not yet in sight.
THE PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING.
WILLIAMSBURG, Pa, May 22-11 a.
m.-The flood has been roceding rapidly
since midnight. Half of the flooded
district is clear of water and the other
half will probably be covered 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
people and there is much suffering. A
citizens committee has already been
formed to relieve the pressing necessities
of the homeless poor.
When the storm was heaviest Monday
night, the water came up SO rapidly. in
some parts of the city 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 others IN danger. To add to the
unfortunate situation, the electric light
and gas plants were early crippled
and the city was in darkness after 8
O'Clock. Half the big boom, containing
10000, 900 feet of logs, went out shortly
after midnight. The other half went at
about 4 o'clock. The food reached its
height at about 10 o'clock last night,
when TIE water began to slowly go
down. At that time ii was about SO
feet high, which was within foot and
10 inches as high as the flood of 1889.
A remarkable fact is that not single
life appears to have been lost. Rumors
Of many drownings have been heard,
but so far not single one has been con-
flrmed.r
Lock Haven, Remove, Jersey Shore
and other places west, were greater suf-
fcrers than 1889. Ncrth OF here the
damage WAS not so great, but east of
WtHiamsport there was great destruc-
ton. ALI of the country roads and
bridges have been swept away and many
of the little mills and stocks Of logs have
gone with the great body of water.
RIVER FALLING AT wILLIAMsPoRT.
WILLIAMsPoRT, Pa, May 23.-The
water this morning is down 10 the II
foot mark and is still falling. There is
little more to tell Of the disaster except
that it has been possible this morning to
view the terrible wreck in the immediate
vicinity of the river banks where the
houses are upset, and where the logs,
lumber and debris are piled in an indis-
criminate mass on all sides. One span
OF the Maynard street bridge, in the CEN
tire of the river, is still standing. Build
ings that were flooded are caving in.
News from the country districts con-
tinues to come in, and great losses are
reported.
Two county bridges at Jersey Shore,
valued at $4,000, have been carried
away.
THE sUsQUEHANNA.
HAvRE DE GRACE, Nd, May 3d.
The advance guard of 175,000,000 feet
logs that were sent rushing down the
Susquehanna river by the breaking of
the great boom at Williamsport early
Monday morning reached Port Deposit
about daybreak. The arrival of the logs
was expected and many people remained
up all Monday night, on the lookout
The swift current carried the logs by
with great rapidity and several thousand
passed before the men got to work
gathering them in. All day long from
70 TO 100 men and boys were hard ct
work. The average was three men in o
boat, two being at the oars. The plan
was to get the boat in line with log.
The swift current carried the boat along
as fast as the log. The third man with
boat hook would spike log, get it
alongside and drive wedge home, then
make the log fast to the stern of his boat
with hawser. When from four to six
logs were made fast the head of the
boat was turned across stream. Then
came the tug Of war, and tug il was
against powerful ten-mile-an.hour
current.
1t was estimated that by o'clock this
evening more than IL, 900 logs had been
captured. The coves and inlets for sew
eral miles along the shore are full of
logs. The law allows o salvage of rs
cents for each log. This means between
$4,000 and $4,000 for the people here.
wing W Ihe quarter lrom which tne
wind has been blowing during the three
days storm the logs were carried down
the west side of the river, giving the
people Of Havre de Grace all the oppor-
tunity to make salvage. Ordinarily
when there is a rush of logs the wind is
from the northwest and the logs are
swept along the east shore. Then the
people of Port Deposit and Perryville
reap the benefit.
1t was thought this morning that the