Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1902-03-08
GREATDAMAGE BYFLOOD
Susquehanna River Broke It's REQ
ord For High Water.
WRECK AND RUIN FOLLOWED

Bridges Were Swept Away, Railroad
Traffic Paralyzed, Hundreds of Fam
lilies Rendered Homeless and Sew.
eraI Lives Were Lost.
Wilkesbarre, Pa. March 3.-A heavy
rainfall and rush of water from its
upper tributaries caused the north
branch of the Susquehanna river to
rise rapidly. Sunday morning the
gauge showed 81 feet 3 inches above
low water mark, surprising that of
1865, which has always been known as
a record breaker. The water was over
the banks OF the river from Pittston to
Nanteoke and resembled a vast lake.
Nearly one-hslf OF the city was under
water. At West Moor, Fire Wood and
Riverside nearly all the residents va
Gated their houses. The water had
reached the first stories and was gradu-
ally going up to the second. Those
who fingered too long had to be re-
moved in boats.
Two hundred families living In the
lowlands in the town of Plymouth had
to leave their houses hastily, the wa
ter covering the first floors and put
ting out the fires. At Nantiooks sew
eral houses were swept away by the
rushing waters, and the people living
IN them had narrow escape with their
lives.
Reports from the mines show that
many Of them were flooded, and il
will take some days before they can
be pumped out.
Nine lives have been lost in the
food and the damage to property is
estimated at 1000, 900.
Bridge Destroyed at Harrisburg.
Harrisburg, Pa, March s.-The sec
ond and third piers OF the famous old
Camel Back bridge, on the Harrisburg
side, were washed away by high water
yesterday morning. The bridge was
built in 1916, and was probably the
oldest bridge across the SusQuehanna
river. Much damage has been done by
the high water in and about Harris
burg. The Pennsylvania Steel works.
at Steelton, and the iron and steel
mills in South Harrisburg have been
forced TO close down on account of
water In the nywheel pits. South Har-
risburg was under water, and many
OF the families in thar locality lived in
the upper stories OF their homes.
About 200 persons sought safety in the
school house at Lochiel
Safe Harbor Inundated.
Lancaster, Pa, March 3.-The Sus-
Quehanna river has broken the flood
record, being higher than at any time
In it's history. The ice was piled high
at places and was within two feet of
the bottom Of the Pennsylvania rail-
road bridge. The great mass of ice
damned against the upper side of the
bridge, lowered from eight TO ten
feet above its floor. Loaded freight
cars were run on the bridge 70 give
it additional weight. The Conestoga
empded a great volume OF water
aginst the river gorge at Safe Harbor.
and the back water covered that en-
tire town to depth of several feet.
Residents moved to the second stories
OF their houses or fed to higher
ground.
sunbury Was Flooded.
Sunbury, Pa, March ga 13-foot
flood in the Susquehanna river at this
place threatened the town with serious
damage. Back water had flooded the
lower or central portion OF the town
to depth OF from four to six feet,
and the residents were forced to seek
shelter on the high lands, leaving their
household effects to the mercy of the
water. To protect their bridge which
spans the Susquehanna river, the Phil
adelphia and Reading Railroad COM
pany placed upon it train OF cars
loaded with iron.