The Dickinson press., 1902-03-08
FLOOD. DFOLL0WsFIRR
PATERSON. N. j.. IS NOW OVER
WHELMED ~ aHE WATERS
OF THE PAssAlc.
Present Catastrophe Causes More sut
terins and DesolatIon Than the Con
f'asration Of a Month Aeo-Many
People Are Taken From Their
Homes In Boats Amid Scenes Of
Much Excitement.

Paterson, N. J., March 3.-This city,
so recently swept by fire, is now over
whelmed by flood. Three weeks ago
the greater part its business section
was burned out and now the quarter
occupied by the houses Of the poorer
class is inundated. Hundreds of fam
lilies have been made homeless by the
overflow Of the Passaic river and the
country for miles around the city is
under water. sS
So far but one death has been re-
ported. The great peril now is that
the Spruce street raceWay may over
flow, in which event q great loss Of
property in the manufacturing dis
tricts is sure to ensue. The raceway
supplies power for most of the mills
along the water front. At this point
the city authorities have placed ex-
pert engineers, who are instructed to
touch off blast of dynamite which
will open new channel for the i'm
mense volume of water held there
and by diyertfng it to the bed of the
river in new direction the authort-
ties hope to save great deal Of valu,
able property. In cliff about 70 feet
below the Spruce street bridge the
experts have placed mines of dyna-
mite, which, if it is found necessary,
will be exploded.
The fire of three weeks ago, while
causing damage to property to the
extent of nearly $S,OO0,O0O, did not
create such suffering and widespread
desolation as the present flood. The
district for a mile along the river
front, from Spruc. street hill to
Straight street and two blocks north
and five blocks south of the river,
nearly half mile in width, is COW
cred with water, which in many In
stances reached to the second story
of the dwellings,.
Hundreds Rescued in Boats.
In this district are situated the Rog-
fers locomotive works and several silk
mills aud dye works. In the imme-
diate vicinity of them fully 600 fam
flies have been driven from their tene-
Dlents. Of these unfortunates several
hundred were taken from their houses
in boats and barges amid scenes of
much excitement.
In the work of rescue one of the
most earnest toilers lost his life. This
was Henry Richards, carpenter, 40
years old, who lived on Franklin street.
After making several successful trips,
on each of which he brought three or
four persons from the neighborhood
of Kearns Bros. dye works on Shady
street, his boat was upset and he was
swept away in the waters which were
rushing with the force of a mill race.
He clung to the branch of tree for
nearly half an hour, but in spite of
many attempts to reach him he finally
disappeared in the muddy waters.
On Hamilton avenue near the river
the foundations of two new buildings
were undermined by the food and the
structures collapsed and we're swept
away in the stream. The Arch street
bridge collapsed in the afternoon, the
abutments on both shores being swept
away. All the other bridges are COM
pletely submerged, cutting of commu.
nication between the two sections Of
the city. The boilers and engine rooms
of several of the big mills are 10 feet
under water. So tar the mills are be-
lieved to be safe and the main loss will
be caused by the enforced cessation
of work until the waters recede.