Evening journal., 1904-02-23
SUDDEN FLOOD May
MAKE NEW CHANNEL
New Peril for Those Living
Along the Ice Bound
Susquehanna

Harrisburg, Feb. 2s.-Harrisburg's
weather observer. r. r.. Demain. IS Of
the opinion thai there has developed in
the matter of the ice-bound Susque-
hanna new danger which few people
seem to realize.
The extent of the cold of the past
few days he says in an interview
has frozen the gorges in various por-
lions Of the river SO soiidly that thaw
viii not Immediately set them in mo-
tion. Thus the water that will come
down stream from the melting Of the
heavy SHOWS that cover the northern
part Of the State will have to force its
way around the gorges. That means
that this water viii be forced over the
banks and that there will be havoc
wrought among the lowlands.
"The worst danger lies in the fact
that the people who viii be affected
don't seem to realize the nature Of the
impending danger. We get lots Of
newspapers here from small towns
along the Susquehanna and the tone
Of all their news articles regarding the
river situation is that thefdanger is for
the present passed. This has given the
residents along the stream the false
impression that they are in safety until
the gdrges break.
For instance. take the big gorge
above Sunbury. II extends for fortyr
three miles up the North Branch ana
lis locked tightly between the banks,
which are irregular and crooked The
ice in this gorge is twenty-five feet
thick, and with the temperature below
zero or near that point the cakes of
ice have become frozen into practically
one solid cake, and the channels under
The ice have become more and more
congested. The only way a rapid rise
Of the water behind could get down
the stream is by forcing an unnatural
channel beyond the rivers bank"
Slow Thaw Not Dangerous.
on the other hand, old rivermen are
Of two minds about the matter. They
say that either the present gorge viii
result in the greatest flood of all the
rivers disastrous history, since the big
one OF 1915, or else that there win be
absolutely no trouble az ALL That is
TO say. il he thaw Is gradual and even
Throughout the rivers course. the ice
will pass away slowly-will rot, as they
put it. where It stands-but that II the
thaw Is anything else save very slow
indeed, then the damage win be wide
spread and the picture Of the break
up" worth going miles to see.
. The character Of the danger that
threatens. practically the whole valley
from far above Harrisburg 70 the
rivers mouth. is best observed att
Chlck.es. near Columbia. From the
top Of the precipice AT this point, the
great vein Of solid ice stretches out in
a gigantic 5 ten miles in length, a
mile and a quarter across and varying
In depth from ten to forty feet. Where
once there were rocks and shadows
as well as where the sweep was clean
and deep-where the course was so
swift that q canoe braved it with peril
and where it was turgid and slow-the
Susqpehanna is frozen over TO the very
bottom.
Lowlands Threatened.
On the York county. side. the tan
brown hills come almost to the water
and small danger is impending But on
the Lancaster county shore are miles
ana miles OF lowlands. from Marietta
upward. lined with mills and lumber
yards which must surely face ruin II
the great gorge breaks as suddenly as
has been of old the custom OF its
smaller predecessors.