The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-11
LARGE RESERVOIR BURST
About 100000 Gallons Of Water
Flood Mates Street.
YOUNG WOMAN CAUGHT IN IT
The Lackawanna Iron 4 Steel Company's
Reservoir. Which Burst Seven Years
Ago. Gave Way Again Last Evening.
Great CONSERVATION Caused.

and let loose $500. 900 gallons Of water:
| 1t was Immediately rebuilt and had
been continuously In use until 625 last
evening, when 1t burst again. The first
| time II broke loose great deal more
| damage was done, as 1t was the wall
| fronting on the street which gave way.
Last evening the wall on the upper side
crumbled and the force of the escaping
water was broken by surging against a
| high pile of iron ore running parallel
with the wall about thirty feet away
| from 1t.
The water. after leaving the reservoir.
| had circuitous outlet to the street.
| 1t was hemmed In by distractions in
the shape Of piles Of iron ore and the
abutments Of the trestlings; but. not
withstanding these facts, the water
possessed mighty force, and 1t swept
out on Mates street with all the
strength of hydraulic power.
Miss Lena Dorge. young woman,
22 years of age. who boards with her
uncle. Engineer Cornelius Decker. of
| 413 Franklin avenue, was walking
toward the South Side. and she got
pas. the Mates street bridge when the
water came rushing out. She tried to
| run ahead, hoping to escape from the
embraces of the flood, but II caught her
| and whirled her down through the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
| repair yard.
Rescued by Fireman Tom Ca ampbclI.
Frank. the Italian fruit vender. whose
| little market Is at the corner of Lacka-
| wanna avenue and Mates street. ran
| to the Phoenix Engine house and told
| Driver Tom Campbell and Engineer j.
| w. George. of the chemical engine, that
woman had been caught in the flood.
l II l..x 4 ..1 At.n nf
| the escaping water. but they imagined
| that the feather renovating factory,
next door, had collapsed. and they were
| preparing to get the engine out. Messrs.
| Campbell and George rushed out, and
| the former waded into the food, which
was then about four feet deep, and
directed by the young womans
screams, reached her and carried her
out Of the water. The yard is promis-
cuously Uttered with broken cars, axles,
wheels and such material. Miss Dorge
| was terribly bruised and was bleeding
| from wounds on The head, back and
! hands.
She was carried to the Phoenix En-
| gine house. where she was cared for
| and prepared for removal to her home
She was brought home on the chemical
engine. DR.. Everhart was sent for
| and attended to her She Is still suffer-
| ing from the wounds and q severe
nervous shock.
The water carried with it large blocks
Of stone that We're In the wall, and
lifted them 200 feet from the break In
the reservoir Blocks weighing two
tons were caught up like pieces Of
wood One large block was lifted out
on Mates street. in the middle of the
tracks, and had to be broken with q
sledge hammer
| Description OF an Eye Witness.
One who was only block from the
reservoir when the wall gave way said
that Mates street was Hooded with Two
! inches Of water few minutes before
the flood came, which would indicate
that small Leak sprung at first and
| enlarged until 1t carried the entire side
| of the reservoir with it. The reservoir
| Is situated between the Delaware.
I.ackawanna and Western railroad and
| the wagon road that diverges from
Mates street and runs up by the blast
! furnace engine house. 1t was the wall
that adjoins the railroad tracks which
gave way The entire length of 1t.
| fully 100 feet. was swept over against
an ore pile. The water then had pas
sageway twenty feet wide to Mates
street and 1t came out ten feet deep.
| Reaching Mates street 1t covered IL
| over from the crossings below to almost
| five feet from the intersection with
| Lackawanna avenue. AS Ii came rush.
| ing out the narrow channel from the
| reservoir 1t struck against the retain
| ing wall of the MATES street bridge on
the right and damned up to point
| only few feet below the curve on
| Lackawlnna avenue.
| The repair yard was the outlet, and
| a thpclfoh thnr hn
heterogeneous railway material was
| borne along like straws. A gondola
| that stood near the sidewalk was
moved more than fifty feet and tilted
on its side. The heavy plank sidewalk
| on Mates street was removed to the
| opposite side of the thOroughfare and
one end Of 1t covered the street car
tracks. The water carried detritus in
such large quantities as to leave a
coating of mud nearly foot deep in
its path.
Temperance Men Escupcd.
A minute more and two special cars
| carrying large number Of South Side
| temperance men would have been
caught. The wreck car. In charge of
Master Mechanic Frank Wampler, was
, almost In the path Of the flood. but
Mr.. Wampler took warning in time and
reversed the car quick enough to get
OF. of the way.
The damage will not exceed probably
| so.O00. The Easements on the lower
| tnats, from River to Hickory streets.
contained from three to five feet of
water each. The path of the water
was through the repair yard. and conse-
quently mad not much to destroy. The
breaking Of the reservoir did not inter
fere with the operation of the blast
furnace, as there are other sources Of
water supply for the boilers. The
water was pumped from the station on
| south Washington avenue. General
Manager c. w. Mckinney is at Leb-
anon and could not be seen for sta ,e-
ment as to whether the reservoir will
he rebuilt. Its walls were about eight
feet thick at the base filed in with
concrete, and a yard In thickness at the
top. The dimensions were about 10ox
150 The walls were eighteen feet high.
Desk Sergeant Deter, of the police
department. had close escape from be-
ing caught In the flood. He was on his
way to duty at the central station.
| The belief Is that the reservoir will not
| be rebuilt.
Failure to properly brace the walls
on the outside is given as a probable
cause of the break
Street car traffic was delayed an hour
and half A force of Lackawanna
Iron and Steel company employees was
set to work getting the street In shape
for vehicles to pass. AT least $1,000 peo-
pie gathered around In two hours 10
view the ravages the water made.
l
| Pigeon Match.
All day shoot will commence 10 a. m. Fri
| day, Oct. II, at Base Ball park. Wilkes
Barre has entered four Of their crack
shots. $500 In cash prizes
Photo albums. Bibles and Testaments
| below cost. Pratts Book Store.