New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-13
P4TERSON'S LOSS GREAT.
Many People Homeless, and Sickness
from Se7cage Feared.

Paterson y. J.. Oct. 1.-THE water is steadily
and rapidly falling from the city. At $50
o'clock tonight it had fallen four feet from the
high water mark. That is out near the river
and those who view the fall from the edge of
the flooded section think it has gone down much
more but that is because they look at the
marks along the incllnes.
The greatest danger now lies at the Spruce-st
hill where there is still danger that the water
may burst its bounds and ODD new section
of the city The big water mains are in danger
Of going al any time. This danger will con-
tinue until the mains be supported properly
The superintendent of the water works SAYS he
believes that the pipes having held thus long
Will continue to hold. Preparations are under
way TO properly support the pipes as quickly as
the fall Of water allows the work to be done
Danger of sickness I'm the flooded portion of
the city is being thought of by the city officials
II is feared that much sewage has been washed
into the cellars of many houses and that its
poison may affect peoDe who occupy the houses
after the flood has abated. The Board of
Health and the police are to cooperate in COM
polling families to purify houses that are now
in sodden state, before the families occupv
them.
\ report was Circulatei here this evening
that a dam on the Ramapo. up in New-YorIx
state. had burst. An engineer Of the East Ter
sey Water Company. who had been at his home
here for a rest after continuous work at Little
Falls since Thursday morning, said the danger
to this city was very little even II the report
true. He said that the water supposed to
be released by this dam would not reach here
before tomorrow, and even then would not
show to any great extent. He did not think
that even if ii all came down at once II would
rise of inch over the flooded area
pouring over the dam much faster than il is
flowing out OF Paterson In other words the
river above the fails will be back in it's hanks
and nearly normal long before the waters leave
the streets Of Paterson. The dam on the Ram
apo is relatively small. il the one refer to is
the one supposed 10 have burst. The waters
supposed TO be released have thirty miles r.
flow before they reach Passaic Falls The
greater portion will be absorbed by the river
and the fiat lands along its course and the
force of it's flow will not be any swifter AZ lit
tie Falls than the flow of the river nov, is
few million more gallons could make no differ
ence below Passatc Falls. Whatever hapnens
along the Ramapo and the section along it's
banks. Paterson will not suffer now"
STEADY FALL OF THE FLOOn
The river has not sufficiently subsidized n nor.
init observers to tell the exact amount If do,,,-
age done, but enough was apparent at a gIapco
to give a pretty good idea Of the havoc ,.ro,,t.
The water is slowly receding from the Edison
works, and all danger of an electric famine &c
passed. At the Beattie Mill this morning =, O
o'clock there was recession of twentv-one
inches from the highest point reached Nv, +ba
food, and there has been slow bur stead, lou
ering since that time. There was also a fall NJ
about twenty-one inches shown at the socjet,,s
dam az the falls at noon to-day from the high
est point reached by the food
At O'Clock Sunday afternoon the two story
frame house at Jefferson and Water SITS. occu-
pied by Joseph Greer. a mason went down. and
Greer was buried in the ruins He had been
warned TO leave the house I'm time but was
stubborn and refused As the water continued
TO rise Saturday night he soon found il was
Impossible TO get out. He made signals to be
taken out. but at that time IL impossible
TO get near the building. Eyewitnesses VINO
saw the house collapse in the afternoon say
they saw Greer i'm the window few moments
before, and that he was carried into the water
and lost
William Van Busxirk was badly injured yes
t.rGay in attempting to rescue a woman ana