Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-01-30
DANAGEON THE BRANDYWINE
Freshets Occurred at Lenni
and Other Villages.
THE DROWNING OF DR.. CLEMENS
Relative Held to a Tree Until
Rescued. ..


wine. Many householders over Eleventh
street bridge had some of their effects
carried away or ruined and number
of houses were damaged This is the
second time this winter that some of
the residents there have suffered, and
as every flood encroaches on the resi-
dence section of the lower end of the
Ninth ward, people there are agitating
permanent Improvement to Thatcher
street, which will convert it into an
effective river bank.
Reports from up the Brandywine
show that the high water caused
great deal of trouble there. Other
streams near the Brandywine also over
flowed their banks, with disastrous
results. DIR. Francis Clemens, Jr.. of
Paoli, Pa. met death by drowning, and
his brother law, George Davis. had
Il narrow escape from death in the food
n short distance above the Garrett
paper mill. in Williamstown township.
Dr.. Clemens was returning from the
home of John Walton, who accom-
panied them to the point where they
intended to ford the stream. They
found it raging torrent, and Walton
endeavured to persuade the men from
attempting to cross it. Don't try il, "
he urged. "I'll take down the fences,
and you can go over the hill and avoid
the stream. y 81 think we can make
it all right, ' replied DIR. Clemens, and
he urged the horse into the stream,
When the middle was reached tine
water poured over the box of the
buggy. and soon the horse lost its foot
ing, and was swept down by the water.
Then the buggy was overturned and
70 Int a s.4ra
Mr. Walton saw them franticallv
grasping at the branches of trees as
they were swept by. Finally Davis
grasped branch ard held it fast. but
the physician was carried on toward
the Garrett dam to death, shouting to
Davis as he passed him. The latter
held to the tree until rescued by
Walton.
Soon after the accident number of
persons began the search for the body
of DIR. Clemens, but their efforts were
in vain, because of the meadows being
covered by water The horse and buggy
were found near the head of the Gar
rett dam, and il is supposed the body
Of the physician will be found in the
slack water of the dam. Mr.. Davis is
a student at the Medico- Chirurgical
Hospital in Philadelphia, and serious
results are feared from his terrible ex-
Eerience.
The villages of Lenni, Glen Riddle
and Rockdale were the scene of a
disastrous freshet and great deal of
damage was done to property. The
breaking of the ice gorge in the big
Lenni dam occurred about o'clock in
the morning, and spread CONSERVATION
among the inhabitants, who were
awakened from their slumbers by the
roaring waters The breast of the dam
held, hut after ice had beenspiled to
height of % or 80 feet it broke, driving
foes from five to ten inches thick down
among the mills and dwellings.
The Brookside mills, owned by Will
liam Carson & Co., and the mills of
Daniel Lees were flooded to the first
floor. The furnace fires we're put out,
the boilers filed with mud and the
machinery badly damaged The mills
of Samuel ID. Riddles Sons were also
badly damaged, and large quantities
of cloth and cotton were ruined. The
first floors of 81 or 80 dwellings were
flooded, and numerous small bridges
and outbuildings were washed down
Chester Creek. The girders of the bridge
over the Philadelphia, Wilmington &
Baltimore railroad at Rockdale Station
were washed away, rendering the
structure unsafe, and passengers were
transferred. Farther up the creek rail
road bridges suffered to some extent,
those between Markham and Concord
being damaged the most. Ridley Creek
flooded the Media municipal electric
light plant, leaving the borough in
darkness.
ppa, rl,,xrr l. ] - I.
was a raging torrent near Chadd's
Ford. 1t overfiowed its banks for
miles, submerged the fields and
meadows and caused occupants of
houses In some cases to flee from their
habitations. Fences were knocked
| down, trees uprooted and culverts
washed away.
1t was shortly after midnight when
James Callahan, who occupies one of
Sellers llotfman's houses, saw tiny
stream Of water pouring through a
knothole in the kitchen floor. Callahan
| first attempted to stop the flow of water
| by thrusting his finger in the hole. He
soon found this was fruitless, however.
| water began to pour in torrents
through crevices in the side of the
building. Summoning his wife he
notified the woman to awaken the
| sleeping babies, and while Mrs. Gala
han prepared the four children for the
| ha5ty exit her husband waded through
| water To the rear Of the house and
grasped the infants one by one as Mrs.
| Callahan handed them to him from
the window. BY the time they had
reached Il snfety point the floor of the
vacaIed dwelling was covered with
water Callahan and his wife were
| given refuge at the home of Daniel
| Turner.
Il. 6. Bullock, cattle dealer, who
was abroad in the early evening with
u horse and buggy, encountered the
floods At the Twin Bridges near Cos
sart. The water, he says, was four
feet deep in the roadway az one time
and it was with difficulty that he sue
ceeded in crossing.
| The rain made several bad waShouts
on Maryland avenue between Fifth and
Sixth avenues, but the damage was
repaired during the day under the
direction Of Street Supervisor Smith.
A cave-in was discovered at Sixteenth
and Clayton streets, where there is a
culvert Repairs are to be made by
the Street and Sewer Department
Fire Near Eden Park. ..
At 1,30 o'clock Thursday afternoon a
fire was discovered in John Bunting 3
stable at New Castle avenue and w. e
| n. railroad, Just south Of Eden Park.
| Assistance was sent from the Liberty
| Fire Co, but the aUDlrntiis did NOT 1n