Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-03-30
Ehfntrtg Gt1at

People who have been following the
rise of the volume of water in the
Susquehanna river the last few days
will be interested to know that all
though the wide branching river has
risen to from fifteen to eighteen feet
above low water mark frequently, -
mas only been eight times in the last
seventy years that the Susquehannh
has gone above the twenty-foot mark.
According to we'll authenticated rec
ords there were some floods prior to
1886 which sent water all over the
lower end of the city, but the points
of measurement were not the same as
now owing to the fact that the banks
were different and there were not so
many islands. The first flood of which
anyone around here knows anything
was the pumpkin flood of 1880. 1t
is more or less traditional too 1t is
remembered largely because it was in
the Fall and the high water carried
down the yellow pumpkins from In
dian villages and farms of settlers up
the river. The town was then mainly
between Paxton and what is now Wal
nut streets and from all accounts
there was not much in that In any
event the flood went over all of what
was then Harrisburg. Soon after the
war of 1872 there was another flood.
In 1886, when Harrisburg began TO
have some lines and the river bank
was raised, there was flood which
! had record of % feet, inches.
Under present conditions 1t might
| have been about 81 feet, say some who
know what changes have taken place
in the river In March, 1865, just
before the end of the war the river
rose to 249 and menaced the two
bridges That was the last flood of
any account until 1886 when some
thing over twenty-one feet was re-
corded. The big June flood" of 1889,
made the record of 81 feet, one inch,
which has not been equaled since
and the water was up to Washington
street on Second and Paxton creek
backed up for many blocks. In 1894
there was a 25-foot flood, which did
much damage at Steelton. The 1901
Hood was only a little over q feet.
Next year, when the old cam elback"
bridge was destroyed the water went
to 2S.9 and in 1904, the year of the
so-called ice flood" it was 23.3. Low
water mark is now established by tho
national State and city governments
and the records are in excellent shape.
The rapid rise of the Susquehanna
and the complete submerging of the
city's front steps" caused people to
flock in large numbers TO Front street
all day yesterday in order to get a
good look at the swiftly flowing stream
with now and then a log shooting by
with the speed of n miniature express
train. An interested party up around
the bend at Maclay street in order TO
estimate the rapidity of the rise,
placed stick in the bank and left it
there for little less than an hour. on
taking 1t out, the measurement of the
portion which had been covered by
the rising river in that time was seven
inches. A mathematician would soon
have the water up over the top of the
bank at that rate!
That winter is over-at least for the
present-was demonstrated yesterday
when the river bridges began to be
used again for afternoon walks.
Dozens of people were out for prone
nades over the Susquehanna in spite
of a wind that blew rather cold at
intervals across the ice that was piled
| about the islands. The bridges are a
fine place for an afternoon walk and
are used by many people In the Spring
and Fall.
Feline felicity is an unknown term.
: Feline courage is scarcely more n char
acteristic of the ordinary cat, and
! when spirited little squirrel puts to
rout a full-grown and active descend
J ant of the wildcat species one is in
clined to place ones faith henceforth
+, in the little squirrel.
An interesting tableau was enacted
in a rear yard in Locust street the
: other day when large sized cat sud-
!, denly spied fat little squirrel seated
! upon the top of fence and chewing
diligently away upon a nut. Mutual
hostility appeared on the faces of the
two principals in the affair; then the
feeling was transmitted to other por-
tions of their anatomy, and two tails,
? a bushy one and a furry one, began
. angrily TO fan the breeze. Anon there
i was action, but it consisted mainly in
, the complete putting to rout OF
I Madame Cat, and little Billie" if we
: may borrow from "Trilby," went on
his way rejoicing with another scalp,
figuratiYely speaking, hung to his belt.