The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-02-07
Waters Overflow the Lowlands
and Hundreds of Families
Leave Their Homes.
HEAVY WINDS AND RAINS.
In Many Sections Railroad Tracks
and Bridges Are Washed Away
and Traffic Is Suspended.

NEW YORK, N. Y, Feb. 6. - At noon
the wind was blowing seyenty-two miles
an hour, and out on the ocean it is still
more furious. The claiming sloop Fa-
vorite, containing three men, was upset at
10 80 o'clock this morning in bthe ay of ST.
George, S. l., one of the men being
drowned. A tug and a fishing smack are
also reported sunk opposite Sailors Snug
Harbor.
A special dispatch from Plainfeld, n. j.,
dated A. NJ, says in reference to the flood
and fire at Boundbrook, n. j.: 1t is re-
ported that many lives have been lost.
The report was brought to Plainfield by a
man who had escaped from Boundbrook.
Boundbrook, thirty-one miles out on the
Central Railroad of New Jersey and pop
ulated largely by commuters, was last
night visited by devastating fire. AT an
early hour this morning it was at its
height, the flames being readily seen from
Plainfield, seven miles away.
Owing to water six feetln depth in the
Streets the inhabitants were unable to fight
the flames. Direct communication was
early destroyed, all the telegraph and tele-
phone wires having fallen under flood and
fire.
A Morristown IN. J.) special says: The
dam at Pocahontas Lake broke this after
noon, and the lower part OF this city was
inundated. So far as is known no lives
have been lost, although twenty-five per-
sons are missing. Their disappearance is
creating intense anxiety. The calamity
occurred at o'clock.
In ten minutes the water rose ten feet
in the streets. The embankment of the
Delaware and Lackawanna Railroad runs
through the town. The Whippany River
flows under this embankment through a
sixteen-foot culvert. The immense vol
ume of water rushed against the embank-
ment and not being able to escape backed
up through the town, rising into the
houses and flooding all the first floors.
People fed in terror to the second stories.
The news spread through town and the
work of rescuing those in danger was
begun. Bv O'Clock the danger was over,
az the waters had begun to recede. The
tracks of the Whippany Railroad are under
water and may be washed away entirely.
Many heroic rescues were made. but no
lives are reported lost, although about
twenty people are missing.
BOSTON, MASS, Feb. 6.-The terrific
gale predicted by the Weather Bureau
reached here this evening. The barometer
has steadily fallen since Wednesday even
ing, when it marked 30.4 until at O'Clock
this evening it dropped to 29.17, with the
prospects of it going still lower. The
storm steadily increased from the early
afternoon until at dark it was blowing a
bowling gale, with the Indications that it
would attain the velocity of a hurricane
during the night.
Up to a late hour tonight no casualties
had been reported. The strong easterly
gale caused an unusually high tide this
evening, when the water had attained its
highest point several wharves along the
water front were inundated. Cellars along
Atlantic avenue were flooded to the depth
of several feet, and considerable damage
must necessarily result.
NEW LONDON, Conn, Feb. 6.-The
fiercest storm of the winter prevailed
to-day with a northeaster and violent
rain. The wind became a gale at noon.
The tug T. ]. Scully wasreporteo off Corn
field with four barges by the tug Hercu-
les, which passed here at S:15 The
Stickney went out, but did not find her.
The Scully was bound east and it is feared
the barges may go adrift and be lost.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Feb. 6.-With
the twenty-four hours ending at o'clock
tonight 3S6 inches of rain fell in Phila-
delphia. The barometer sank to 1895, the
lowest ever recorded here. The greatest
velocity attained by the wind was forty
miles an hour. The Delaware River over
flowed its banks in this city and in Cam
den, n. j. Much damage was done to
along the river front. The
River also overhowed its banks,
and in Fairmont Park the river-front
drives were badly washed out in many
places, and two bridges spanning small
streams were carried away.
At Wilkesbarre hundreds of houses and
were unroofed.
At Norristown the Schuylkill River rose
twenty-five feet. The Pennsylvania and
Reading railroads are covered with four
feet of water and no trains are running.
The bridge at Port Kennedy has been
closed to travel, and the structure is ex-
pected to go down the river at any minute.
The lower floor of the Wyoming Mills
are flooded. Their losses will foot up into
the thousands.
At Newport the trestles under the iron
bridge at Second street. across Buffalo
Creek, have been carried away.
Bethlehem reports Monocacy Creek out of
its banks from the slate regions to its out
let here, causing damage which cannot
even be estimated tonight. The wires
are down and all communication with the
slate regions is cut off, and the report that
there was a cloudburst at Wind Gap,
twenty miles north, cannot be verified.
The tracks OF the Lehigh and Lackawanna
railroad parallel the creek, and have been
washed away at many places.
bridges at Bethlehem, Saylorsburg and
pain nave been torn away All traffic has
Deeu al a standstill since 10 clock this
morning. Upward Of 200 families have
either deserted their homes or have
taken refuge on the second floors. The
tnoroughfares were flooded in ten minutes
ana nothing could be served from cellars
ana nrst floors. The occupants are of the
poorest classes.
p IN the lowiands of schaylkill Haven, at
f0t9Siiie' many delegates have been sub