Milford chronicle., 1895-03-08
Port Deposi5 Inundated.

The food which has been threatening the
town of Port Deposit along the Susquehanna
river for several days past broke Sunday
afternoon at ?. 80 O'Clock, and at night the
entire town was submerged The water be.
| gan to rise at about II O'Clock, aud at half
past O'Clock the ice again became gorged
and another break occurred, which is said by
the oldest citizens to be the worst in the his
tory of the town. The damage wrought by
the food will aggregate several hundred
thousand dollars. The packing houses of
E. P, Buckley, James n. Mccullough and
John Lamb were carried away by the water
and will be a complete wreck The black
smith shop of David Bond was struck by a
huge cake of ice and entirely demolished.
The large stables owned by the quarry COM
pany were completely destroyed.
The track Of the Port Deposit and Colum-
bia Railroad is under water and ice is piled
up all over the track as high as twenty feet.
The depot is entirely under water and all
traffic over the road will have to be sVs-
pended for at least ten days.
The river tonight presents a dangerous
appearance, the ice being piled as high as
forty feet The worst is vet to come when
the gorge at McCall's Ferry shall give away
and the most destructive Good ever known
will visit Port Deposit
After a sleepIess aud anxious night, the
citizens of Port Deposit saw daybreak Mon
day morning with fearful results At an
early hour the water was six feet deep in
the street at Rock Run, and at 10 O'Clock
message was received from McCal's Ferry,
saying that the gorge at that point had bro
ken and was passing down the river. This
announcement filed the people With terror,
as this gorge was to determine the fate of
the town Should the gorge at the Baid-
more and Ohio bridge, south of Port Deposit |
remain solid the town would suffer a disas- |
trous food The ice and water from Nc /
Calls Ferry, twenty miles up the river, broke
up on the immense gorge in front of Port |
Deposit and in a short time the immense
body Of ice seven miles in length and one
mile IN width, moved as one solid mass.
Tie movement Of the ice was a very disas-
-rous one, the water raising i've feet in as
many seconds. The large cakes Of ice came
IN upon the street with the water, humping
lgainst the telegraph poles knocking them
iown and cutting off all teiegraphic commu-
iieation north Of the town. All the outbuild-
ngs from opposite the Catholic Church were
demolished and eeversl houses, stores and
larns lifted completely from their 6ounda-
ions. The debris, consisting Of logs, stables
nd fragments of buildings, are piled up op- =
'osite the depot together with huge blocks
{ ice as high as twenty feet Monday moru-
az ice became gorged at Carrots Island,
I'D the water was backed into the town at a
apid rate. People ran up and down the
-reets almost frantic with fear, as they fully
xpected to see the entire town destroyed.
d less than fifteen minutes the entire town
om Rock Run to Happy Valley was under
We feet of water. The ice is piled as high
fifteen feet over the tracks Of the Column
a and Port Deposit Railroad The station o
full Of water and the platform is a total !,
reck. It will be weeks before the damage
n be repaired, and at least ten days before .
y trains can be run over the road The Il
d Of the road is badly washed. The water r,
in the Methodist Episcopal and Presbyter-
churches to the depth Of several feet. q
'uday the water was receding, but the Oi
eet was jammed with ice. The water has 4
de channel through the ice on the Har-
d side near Dapidum, end now the danger
yer.