Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1902-02-28
RISING WATERS
DARkEN CITY
Lancaster, Pa, Electric Light
Plant Rendered Useless
by Floods,
EASTERN RIVERS ON RAMPAGE.
paramount Park Drives at Philadelphia
Are Under Water-Portions OF Long
Island Are ndated---Pennsylvania
railroad Bridge Banked High with Ice.

railroad Bridge Banked High with Ice.
Lancaster, Pa, Feb. 27.-Residents
of Columbia were in state of terror
last night. The worst flood in many
years is being experienced. The ice
on the Susquehanna river broke yester-
day afternoon and passed down stream.
Then the water began to back up. and
soon had risen nine feet. The water
entered the boiler room Of the cleo
trio lighting plant. putting the town in
darkness. The tracks of the Columbia
and Port Deposit railroad are sub
merged. The large sand dredging tres
tie has been washed away. Water sur
rounds the city pumping station.
The lace mills will be damaged and
the two rolling mills of the Susque-
hanna Iron company put out of opera
ton. The Conestoga is pouring great
volume of water into the river at Safe
Harbor. The stream is higher than
it has been for thirty-five years. It
damaged the electric light plant, dark
ening the streets of the city last night.
Water at midnight was pouring over
the great steel bridge Of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad company which spans
the Susquehanna from Columbia to
Wrightsville.
philadelphia, Feb. 27.-The Schuyl-.
kill river was sixteen feet above its
normal level yesterday and is rapidly
rising. The mill district of Manayunk,
suburb of this city, is under water,
and many Of the factories situated
along the banks of the river are inun-
dated. A breach forty feet wide has
been made in the Flat Rock dam OPP
posite Manayunk by tons of ice which
were swept from the upper Schuylkill.
The Paramount park drives skirtlng
the stream are several feet under
water, and the streets in the section
Of the city bordering on the Schuylklll
have been transformed into lakes An
ice gorge has been formed. at Gray's
Ferry bridge in the lower river, and
this is hourly being enlarged by i'm
mense foes driven through the break
in Flat Rock dam. Should the Ice fail
to pass out into the Delaware river
there is danger of disastrous freshet
along the entire length OF the Schuyl-
kill in this city. The high water is
due to the warm rain which fell all of
Tuesday and Tuesday night. The
mountains in the mining regions were
covered with snow to a depth of three
feet. and this is rapidly melting, great
ly swelling the streams which empty
into the river.
New York, Feb. 27.--Floods which
have been caused throughout Long
Island by the heavy snowfalls and
.>F CT TOW, do hnno M
Gus yesterday. Travel is much impeded
| and in some cases service on the Long
Island railroad has been temporarily
abandoned. In consequence OF the
large quantities of sand and depth OF
water that covered the tracks at sew
eral points west of Westbury, all east
bound and west-bound trains of the
main line and Port Jefferson branch
were tied up.
The Hospital for Contagious Diseas-
es, on Kingston avenue, Brooklyn, was
flooded. There was six feet Of water
in the BOILER and engine rooms and
it was impossible to make fire in either
OF the boilers of the engines.
Huntington, w. Va, Feb. 27.-The
Ohio river is twenty-six and one
|
West Virginia streams are still rising.
Ten thousand saw logs were swept out
Of the Guyandotte river by the break
ing of booms and other damage is re-
ported Springlike weather prevails.
Ell Paso, Tex, Feb. PA gale Of un-
usual severity. accompanied by the
worst sandstorm for years, has been
blowing in this locality since yester-
day morning. Considerable damage
the roofs of houses in the city, and
business during the afternoon was en-
tirely suspended.
San Diego, Cal, Feb. 27.-Storms on
the coast of lower California have
been so severe that steamers have
been unable to land at any Of the ports.
Hagerstown, Md, Feb. 27.-James
Densmore and Roy Snotterly were
drowned in the flood in Antietam
creek at Roses Hill, near Funkstown.
while trying to drive across the stream.
Pittsburg, Pa, Feb. Examinations
at midnight were that the big ice
gorge in the Allegheny river may let
20 early this morning or during the
day sometime. The first sign of a gen
eral breakup in the gorge occurred
about noon yesterday just below Kit
tanning. The ice cracked in number
of places at this point, extending from
bank to bank. The breaking Of the
ice made noise that could be heard
for miles and resembled thunder