Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-03-06

record for recent years in the high
water mark it made Friday night. Its
performance was enough to make the
Oldest inhabitant cogitate as to whether
the earlier days furnished any data of
II greater freshet. 1t came largely as
II surprise. Last Saturdays freshet
and last Wednesdays freshet the third
and fourth of the season, had carried
away large quantities of ice, lumber
and debris, and residents along the
stream were scarcely prepared for
another manifestation of the fury of
waters SO soon. Yet tho heavy down
pour of Friday led some persons to
look for u considerable rise in the
water, and they were not disappointed
The tide in the Brandywine was due
to be high ut 4.2l. About that time
or little later, a freshet had begun
and the water was considerably above
normal high tide. Persons who were
Watching the stream looked for few
inches more rise and then for falling
away. They reekoned badly, for the
Brandywine began cutting high iinks
about Z O'Clock and in an hour had
risen something like three feet
1t then became apparent to employees
in Leafs Mills and the new powerhouse
Of The Wilmington City Railway Co.
that the food was making a new
record for recent years. 1t entered the
upper mill of the Lea Milling Co. and
was on the floor to depth of about
three feet, and at the lower mill, it
was q inches on the floor. A good
deal of corn working machinery and
some corn meal was wet. The work
1,Nn Httety fnF a ttT1nn frnt
OF the stock out of the way of the
water. At the powerhouse, the large
doors which face Market street bridge
were opened and the water rushed in
and put out the fire in the boilers. The
experience suggested that the builders
of the powerhouso would have done
we'll to have raised it several more
feet. Between the mill and the power
house lives dutch John. 1t was
said Friday that his chickens were
drowned, but they We're still pecking
Saturday. just below the power
house, group Of cabins received a lot
Of attention from their owners to
-preSent~81eir being washed away
The food rose over a large portion
of the wharf of Charles NJ. Grubb and
carried away about 70 cords of wood
and u lot of coke, causing a loss of
several hundred dollars. The wagon
scales were also partly floaUed. Much
Of the wood afterwards lined the shore
in tho neighhorhood and was picked
up, but Mr.. Grubb was able to save
only small part of his stock.
One Of the facts illustrating the
height of the water is that it rose
above the old wall between the bridge
and Laas engineroom and extended
back to the wall that lines the wagon
way to the mills. On the right side
of the stream it about reached the
door Of the filter plant. At midnight
it was up to the aoar Gf the old engine
room at tha City Mill pumping station,
which hief Engineer Joseph Bond of
the Water Department says makes it
about the highest food. Again wreckage
Of the tcad came down the city race
and the employees of the Water Depart
ment were busy getting it ont. While
they were working on something, a
hogshcad got past them at the spill
way and catching in the headgates
below the pumping station stopped
them ilp until the water backed up
ana oyerHoWed the banks. The race
was cleared again after the removing
Of tlla obstruction. At the spillway a
lumber roller and heavy box that
looks us il it might belong to machine
Of some sort were taken out. A set of
patterns Of wheels went down the race
and was lost in the Brandywine.
The bank of the north long race,
which runs to Lea S Mills, WIS washed
ont in two places near Washington
street bridge.
Street Commissioner Frank W. Pier
son, supervisors Frank II. Klndell,
Stephen S. Cook and james F. Curren
and Plumbing Inspector Edward F.
Kane, as we'll as the Street and Sewer
hirectors themselves, made a survey of
city Saturday to ascertain what damage
was uonc by Friday nights flood, and
they found the conditions more serious
than was supposed. Although the
money loss to the city will not be
great, it will be heavy on many prop
erty owners and the aggregate will he
considerable. Some time will be re-
quired Tor the city to make repairs
which ara necessary to put the streets
in order.
The discovery was made that over
Eleventh street bridge the water not
only hooded the place, going as high
as the second story of some houses, but
also wrecked dwellings and other build
ings, and in some cases families had
narrow escapes from being killed.
The family of William Shuck prob
ably had the most thrilling experience.
Mr. Shnck and his wife, uncle and