Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-03-03
DAMAGE Done.
BY FLOODS
Mines and Railroads Are
Badly Crippled.
Rivers and Creeks Overflow
and Disasters Are Report
ed From All Parts of the
State--SeveraI Lives Lost.

Pennsylvania, from the New York
state line on the north to Philadelphia
on the south and from Easton on the
east to PitJsburg on the west, Is today
viewing the devastation caused by the
floods of Friday and Saturday, when
millions of dollars worth Of property
were swept away and railroads, mines, in
dustral plants and manufacturing es-
tablishments were crippled and in many
cases hopelessly wrecked by the raging
waters.
All the past floods which have swept
over the state pale into insignlfcance
compared with the storm of last week,
which for extent Of area and unrelent-
Ing fury did greater damage than any of
it's predecessors.
Every river, creek and brook in the
state was unusually swollen by the melt
ing snow on Thursday. Fridays rain
augmented the streams, and the rivers
Immediately overilowed their banks,
creeks became raging torrents and
harmless brooks fisrcely tore along their
courses.
Railroad tracks, bridges, houses, out
buildings, etc, were washed away by
the water, and from many localities
only meagre accounts are yet obtain
able, as railroad, telephone and tele-
graph communication has been des-
troyed and complete particulars cannot
be had.
All the large cities, situate along the
banks Of rivers, Jared badly. The rise
of the waters broke every record hither-
to taken on the Delaware, Schuyikill,
Lehigh, Susquehanna and other rivers,
and the towns built on their banks
suffered great damage
In this county Wilkesbarre and the
towns bordering on the Susquehanna
suffered severely Many houses were
flooded as high as the second-story and
hundreds Of families and business places
were wrecked by the overflow from the
river.
In the vicinity Of the county seat five
lives are known to be lost, as follows
James Riley, of Luzerne, swept off a
bridge into the Susquehanna at Wilkes
barre; Frank Pollack, of Edwardsville
drowned in Toby creek; E. Hoffman,
fell into Plymouth creek; William Wal
ters, OF Wilkesbarre, and Giuseppe
Plancettl, of Avoca. Scranton reports
six lives lost
AT White Haven two railroad men
were drowned by the sweeping away of
the Lehigh Valley bridge. They were
standing on a coal train which had been
run on the bridge to steady it, after the
ice-dam above the town had burst. The
unfortunate men were named Mcguire
and Morris and lived at Wilkesbarre
Their bodies we're recovered yesterday
several miles below the broken bridge.
The s25O,ooO bridge erected recently
at White Haven by Luzerne and Carbon
counties is a total wreck. Many other
bridges over the Lehigh were also des-
troyed, among them being the new Le-
high Valley structure at Penn Haven,
which was almost completed and was to
take place of the bridge washed away
last December.
Weathery suffered greatly from Halle
creek, which tore through the town at
mad rate. One dwelling house was car
ried away and much damage was done.
The railroads were washed out at sew
eral points along the main line, and the
Pennsylvania is the only road in this
section which is running trains to New
York and Philadelphia. Nothing ex-
cept local mail arrived here since Fri