Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-10-15

ware where they had now lived and been
improving near sixteen years; they had
been told by the Indians their buildings
were liable to be damaged by freshes, and
the situation of the place must have made
it probable. They had, however, got up
several wooden tenements and outhouses.
which in the spring were accordingly gener-
ally demolished: The SHOWS suddenly melt
ing above, caused an uncommon overflow
of the river; there have been many great
floods since, but none quite SO high; it
came upon them so unexpectedly, that
many were in their houses surrounded with
water, and conveyed to the opposite shore,
by neighbors from thence, in canoes.
The water continued rising till it
reached the upper stories of some of their
houses, then most or all of them gave way,
aud were dashed to pieces; many cattle
were drowned; beds, kettles and other
furniture were picked up on the shores ne
low; the frights and damages were con-
siderable; two persons in a house, carried
away by the sweeping torrent, lost their
lives before they could be got out, This
accident taught the owners here to fix their
habitations on higher grounds and was what
is commonly called the Great Flood at
Delaware Falls
GAVE NAME LITTLEWoRTH.
1t may be remarked that this flood gained
for the place where Trenton now stands the
name of 'sLittleworth
There was another freshet in February,
1922, which carried away the bridge on
Warren street leading from Bloomsbury to
Trenton, and on the next day it is narrated
that "tbe old bridge in Greene Broad ST.,
fell with mighty crash.''
In 1843 flood in the Assunpink entirely
changed the course the stream and carried
away about half OF the old stone mill built
by Mr.. Stacy in $780, It was in this same
year that river freshet destroyed the
bridge across the Delaware.
Coming down to more recent days the
freshets of 1857 and 1861 are still fresh in
the memories Of old residents of Trenton.
During the ice gorge Of the former year the
water in the southerly section of the city
reached greater depth than during the
present flood and much damage and suffer
ing resulted. An incident was that cake
of ice eight feet thick was lodged on the
Warren street bridge. 1t was protected
from the weather and did not disappear
until the summer.
FREsHET OF 1882.
Another memorable freshet occurred in
1882 when the bottom fell out of the canal
which augmented the swollen Assunpink
creek until it rushed in its course in tor
rents. Great loss resulted The storehouse
of the old Wilson mill was carried away
and the river received consignments of
merchandise Among this was hogshead
of soap weighing 1880 pounds which was
recovered in Philadelphia Bags of wool
were also recovered on the way down the
river. The covered bridge leading to the
mill was also washed away
The floods of recent years while OCCASION
ing much annoyance and great loss of prop
erty have all been Incompatible to the
present one in point of damage sustained.
In the Wilson mill on Factory street
there is mark showing the highest point
reached by the flood of 1882. This mark
is 13 inches above the finishing floor Dur
ing the present flood the water went 25
inches above the mark, and the property
loss will reach 81, ,00O.0
ALONG THE COAST.
Thursday Is and fridays storm was the
greatest storms from Ocean City to Cape
May ever known Wires are down and
Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Anglesea, Wild
wood, Holly Beach and Cape May are COM
pletely cut off from the outside world.
Trains are not running and it will be
several weeks before rail communication
can be restored. The Townsend Inlet
bridge, costing $15O,o0O, is gone, COM
pletely isolating Avalon, Stone Harbor and
Piermont.
AT ATLANTIC CITY.
Within one block on the boardwalk, a
dozen stores were entirely OF partially
The breakers shattered the plate
glass front Of Moore Bros, art goods store,
and damaged the stock $4,000.
Bulkheads in front of the hotels Wind
sor, Traymore, Brighton, and Shelburne
were battered down by the breakers, and
the seaward end Of Young's Pier was car
ried away. Several small yachts and laun-
ches anchored in the inlet filled with water
and sank. At Townsend's Inlet the Inlet
Hotel collapsed and was carried out to sea.