Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-08
FACES WORST FLOODS
Flood Situation in Pennsyl-
vania Grows Critical.
GREATEST SINCE 1902
SUSQUEHANNA RISES OVER %
FEET AT WILKEsBARRE.
Railroads Cut Off From Cities-Mines
and Plants Shut Down-Great
Suffering at Some Places.

| L1AhhlSBOfC, "a, MarCn S.-Harr1S-
burg today faces the worst flood in it's his
| tory. Weather Observer Domain predicts
that the stage of water in the Susquehanna
will exceed that of last Friday. The stua-
| ton all along the river is critical, and resi-
| dents of lowlands are moving to higher
ground. The river is gradually rising and
| will probably continue to rise for twenty
| four hours.
River conditions above this city are hourly
becoming more alarming The great gorge
| in the north branch of the Susquehanna at
| Sunbury is still solid. In the west branch
| the ice is running thick on nine-foot flood.
| Reports from Wilkesbarre are that the ice
| moved for two hours this morning and then
gorged solidly and remained stationary. The
| river at that point has risen nearly eleven
| feet in the last twenty-four hours.
Rising an Inch an Hour.
| At Williamsport the river is rising one
! inch an hour, and at Lock Haven it went up
! five feet in twenty-four hours. There has
| been rise of nearly five feet in the river at
| Selins Grove, with very little ice running.
| The gorge at Tunkhannock started to move
| last night, and the river rose six feet in
| twenty minutes. At Towanda the river has
reached a stage of 1875 feet above low water
mark and is slowly rising.
Conditions are slightly improved below
Harrisonburg except at High Spire and Mid
dletown. at which points the water is higher
| than at any time.
Suffering at Midd1etown.
| At Middletown the suffering is greater than
in any other portion Of the flooded region.
| The borough council has subscribed $500
| for the relief of the flood sufferers. and the
Y. M. c. A building has been transformed
into a temporary hospital. There is much
sickness among the residents of the low
| lands. Ten persons are being treated at
| the temporary hospital. The famous old
| Middletown ferry, which has stood many
| floods, was washed off it's foundations last
night.
At High Spire the water is one foot high
| er than it has ever been and Is rapidly ris-
| ing. There is much suffering among the
residents of the lowlands.
Channel 600 Feet.
| There is channel of six hundred feet In
| the middle of the river at Wrightsville, near
| Columbia, with the ice on each side intact.
| There is an immense gorge on the breast of
| the old Columbia dam, and the river is
gradually rising. The ice is packed up
against the Pennsylvania railroad bridge at
! Columbia, and has damaged one Of the
piers.
| While the Susquehanna river continues to
| rise the Juniata has been rapidly falling,
and the situation along its banks is much
| improved
WILKESBARRE, Pa, March Sat 0
! o'clock this morning the water in the
| north branch of the Susquehanna river was
| twenty-eight feet four inches above low
water mark and is still rising. This is the
| greatest flood since 1902, when the entire
| city was flooded All of the lowlands are
! under water and the towns on the west
| banks of the river are cut Off
| The Pennsylvania and Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western railroads are COM
pletely cut off from communication with
| the city.
| Some of the anthracite mines in the Vi
| cnity flooded. There Is a great ice
gorge seven miles south of here and the
| backwater from 1t extends to Pittston six
| teen miles away. Another gorge three
| miles north of Wilkesbarre is threatening
| serious damage.
Compelled to Leave Homes.
| At Burwood and Westmoor the residents
were compelled to leave their homes in
| boats. The railroad track at Catawissa
| below here, has been washed away. Mes
] copeck creek, a tributary of the Susque-
hanna, Is very high, and three county
bridges were washed against the large
| bridge on the Hazleton division of the
fennsylvania railroad moving it several
| inches. If the flood increases the bridge is
almost certain to go. The business sections
| of Plymouth and Edwardsville are under
water and almost all of West Nanticoke is
SuDi'ei ecu. IHeSe Towns are close to
| Wilkesbarre.
Ice Thirty Feet High at Marietta.
LANCASTER, Pa, March s-The ice in
| the Susquehanna river at Marietta moved
| at midnight and passed off without doing
| serious damage 1t was thrown thirty feet
| hgh along the banks. The river today is
reported clear from the new bridge at
Schocks to point below Columbia
| This morning the series Of pOroaS fro,,,
! Washington borough to Turkey Hill gave
way, and the ice moved down to Turkey
Hill, where it is firmly gorged. The lower
| section of Washington borough is SUBJ
| merged and the tracks of the Port Deposit
railroad are under from two to six feet of
| water.
Bridge Carried Away.
The railroad bridge over a small stream
emptying into the Suequehanna at the
| lower end of Washington borough was car
| ried away. No further damage is antici-
| pated there except from back water
| The gorge at cambridge, near Columbia
| is unbroken, and water is four feet deep on
| the tracks of the Pennsylvania railroad at
| that point. Another gorge has formed be-
| low Safe Harbor and the back water is
| sprea ding. Two miles above Safe Harbor,
below Columbia, a gigantic gorge has
formed flooding the tracks of the Column
bia and Port Deposit railroad.
Delaware Clear of Ice.
| TRENTON, N. j.. March S.--The water
| in the Delaware river has fallen several
feet since last night and the river is now
almost entirely clear of ice. Trains on the
Pennsylvania railroad are running on
| schedule time, and no further interruption
| is anticipated.
Buildings along the river front are still
under water but the damage will be small
| The most serious damage was experienced
| by the United Ice Company, whose big
| brick stables were washed away.
Flood Force Spent at Reading.
| READING, Pa, March S.-The flood in
the Schuylkill river at this point and north
Of Reading had spent it's force by daylight
| today, and the water is now slowly reced-
ing. while reports from south of Reading
Indicate that much damage can be expected
in the lower Schuylkill valley.
In this city the water got high as the
tracks of the Pennsylvania railroad in front
| of It's station and then began to fall. All
during the night residents along the river
front carried household goods to the upper
floors and prepared to vacate, but the wa
ter did not reach higher than the first
story.