Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-01-28
a HOURS OF
SUSPENSE

!
= town another formidable mass OF ic
locked in the channel dreaded as al
obstacle which might hold back th
mighty rush of water that was lkel,
to be preCipitated upon us at any mo
ment and cause the inundation of al
the low lying portions of our town
Such was the grave situation at Dan
Vile all day Sunday and during Sun
day night.
1t was period of deep suspense anC
anxiety. The conditions were unique
III the history of the town; precedents
counted for nothing and no one knew
what to predict.
The whistle at tut Water Works
sounded shortly after one O'Clock Sun
day morning indicating that the ice
OH the river had started. People crawl,
ed from their beds anxious to witness
the spectacle bat scarcely dreaming of
the menacing conditions which were
50 soon to develop. The ice moved
some twenty feet and then stopped
| short
People crawled back to their beds
but early Sunday mo rning again
/ sought the river. Shortly after II
O'Clock the whistle was again sounded
AMI III response nearly half the town 5
! population made its way toward the
river. The ice broke below the bridg e
and moved quietly down as far as the
creek 5 mouth where it lodged. Above
the bridge it remained intact.
Meanwhile reports reached this city
from Bloomsbury and Catawissa tell
| ing of abnormally high water at those
points, while below town on both sides
OF the river the railroads were under
water On the S. H. & W branch all
traffic was suspended. On the d. l..
q W. line the 6 81 a. m train came
up to Dsnville but was unable TO pro
ceed to Bloomsbury owing to the sub
merged tracks east OF the town.
An engine and coach containing sew
eral ohclals ana number OF employees
'urIuE 'il' ICteiloo" paS>e' '''ioush
South Dauville en- route to Catawissa
where the food conditions made their
presence necessary Ahey proceeueu
A' LAT a. hoyu 0l"'IoH "ut oe'on"
tilat point t'ey Iounn 'Ie 'rack unoer
several feet of water
It was oo' uu'li ''eS I''u'ne'' 'na'
U"e leaL mag uuc VI lIle loe Jaln ~
ing between mere ana CataWlssa was
learned rs uescrlpe" II almost sur
passes credehce' an imposing mass OF
Ice towering thlrty Ieet or more III
helght' ming the wide channel from
shore TO shore and stretching on To an
lhtermlhaple distance or a' 1ar as the
eye can see.
Down the river similar conditions
pIeVailed. FROM ChulaeKey 10 hllneS-
grove there were series OF Ice jams
WIN SIreIci'eS between ii'eh "heIe
'l'o loo loii'"lnou sii'o)Vl "nu lh''c''
Allosether tile OBSTRUCTION uo"h tue
river seemed less formidable thah the
ice Jam apo'e to"h' ail"oueh just no"
hIucH reSiS'ance II might exert "Ileh
put TO the test was al uhkho"h quaint
lty. beIo" oIhpury me river was
Clear tDe ice having passed OH tle
dam about . o CLOCK saturday evening.
Inc ice also passed OH the west hr"hci'
a tcIephoh7 message recelVeu from
ouhbury last hlRht stated that the NV
er : not az an hIg'' at 'l'"' polnt.
"leh the ice noVeu Shortly pelore
noon SUNDAY the river stood slgh'ly
above the 2O-foot marx rom that on
during the daV IL rose steanily al the
rate oI nearly 'hIee lhcheS al hour' !
whlch Indicated that the water was
not nhdlhg lIs way thFouBh the ice
Jam below town as rapidly as IL came
uo"h upon Us from ABOVE. Al miu-
night the river stood at ~ teet ana |
was sui rising.
by three O'CLOCK III the afternoon |
Mahonlng creek was out OF ITS banks.
Many OF the cellars on Mill street had
a foot or more OF water III them. Cen
ter street was submerged mp as tar as
the Company stables. by noon the
wheel pits at the Reading Iron Works
were lulI Oh water out before hlght the
water poured over the surface from
Mahonlng creek INTO the mill III view
of the flood under the most favorable
conditions work will be impossible at
any part of the big plant for several
days.
At dusk the merchants whose cellars
were not yet Hooded, believing that
the worst was likely to occur, sum-
monod all the help they could com
maud and began to remove their goods
All had experienced or heard OF the
terrible flood Of 1915 when the business