Evening journal., 1918-02-18
PORT DEIOyT saved
BY BREAKUP OF ICE
Flood Which Threatened
Town Tears Channel and
EscapsS TO Bay
MAIN STREET
IS LIKE A CANAL

when the flood which Tor clgh5 nours
threatened 10 sweep away residences
and stores along the river front re-
ceded into the susduehanna river tear
ing open channel through the ice
packs and made its way TO the Chesa-
peake Bay.
The water rose about eight feet
above high water mark. overnowing
the bank on the cast side. and made
rs way TO the rocky palisade at the
base OF which dwell most Of the resi-
dents OF the town.
Railroad men and other citizcns eX-
pressed the view that the danger point
has been passed. due 10 the opening In
the river channel. which has been
frozen over for tw0 months This has
permitted the back-up water and Ice
70 be carried 20 the bay
Few people slept in the town Satur-
day night. The roaring and crunchins
Of the fields Of Ice and tho constantly
rising water vanished all desire Tor
slumber. They slept yesterday, how
over believing that the danger had
passed. Scores o. families had small
rowboats. skins and launches fastened
10 the lawns, and Saturday morning
Main street was verltable conal. Men
nolcd from one house 10 another In
their skiffs.
Early saturday night word was sent
10 the people at Port Deposit from Nc
Cal Ferry that the Zee was piling up
IN hack OF the great dam and that they
could expect a rise Of the Susquehanna
river when the fee and water would
%. IaF nta =
houses have rooms on a level win the
one street of the place. and these were
warned Go remove their furniture 20
upper floors.
Many heeded the warning. but there
were others who thought mat the wa
Ter would not risa further lhan their
little yards facing ihe river. The IN
undalion started 49, o'clock ana by j
a. m. yesterday the water had risen
nearl four feet IN The towns main
street The fret floors OF many Of the
houses In the centre n the town were
under water for nearly five hours.
Storekeepers having warehouses on
fhc east Side of the street saved much
N their merchandise by removing Il 10
fhe upper floor. There were CORES oi
fhe finer residences That escaped dam
age.
Ice gorges IS feet high have formed
for miles north OF Mccall Ferry and o
break came Saturday night. The gorge
that was formed north Of the Mccall
Ferry dam was the largest In 10 years
and s1me anxiety was felt over the
safety of the great dam.
Engineers decided that the only thing
10 do was 20 force the ice fields over
the top Of the dam. At II p. m. the
power plant held back the water until
ihe pressure caused the ice 10 rise to-
ward the top Of the dam.
no accomplish this feat u was neces-
sar, for the river to be held back unlil
the ice packs north Of the dam rose iu
feet sieh. The water forced the ice up
,yard until IL finally reached the top Of
fhe dam. aud thousands Of tons went
over the top" and smashed itself 70
cakes on the rocks below.
When the opening was made by me
first gorge, seas of ice ami water Iol-
ioNyed and for miles around the thun-
der of the gorge could be heard Be
fore midnight port Deposit was told
mat the go e. had been broken and
was being 10 ced over the dam Less
than an hour later the frozen river was
flooded and water began rising win
marked rapidly toward the town.
n reached its highest level at a. m
Huge ice foes came with the flood and
drifted 10 the streets and alleys. Front
and backya' ds were laden with ice and
water flooded the cellars and flrst floors
OF the low district.
citizens hoped that the fee would cul
channel and make It's way 70 lht
bav. A stlff northwest wind was blow
inc and the waves from the flood lap
ned against the windowpanes of the
vround-0oor rooms. while women anC
children watched from the top floors
port Depositers are optimistic. DESPITE
the alarming conditions. they ala no.
get excited and were imbued with ili'
belief that their homes would not o'
washed away.
n was 20 a. m. when the channe
IN the Susquehanna river broke an'
with a mighty roar countless tons o
lee were swept southwark. Just souti
of Tome station and near Herring RuI
IS a curve in the Columbia ana Por
neposit branch Of the pennsylvanl
Railroad. The tracks run parallel viii
the wind OF the river Railroad men di'
not believe that the line was IN danger
but they were on the alert
When daylight came the railrol'
track at Herring Run was buried unde
ice foes for nearly quarter mile
George " smith. assistant superlnten
dent Of the Maryland division OF N
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad, with a stan o
assistants. was on the road heiwee
Columbia and Port Deposit al
nichi and as soon as he learned Of tn
blockade. he wired Wilmington for ON
Of the c0mpany's biggest ice-ploWs.
As the result Of the wreck near Roc
Run and the ice pack on the track Oh
columbia branch was blockaded fror
n p. M. Saturday TN pm. yesterda,
Mr.. Smith had a powerful locomouN
-ent along with the ice plow and alto
six hours work tn track was cleared
Just outside OF Port Deposit cakes q
ice were piled 20 feet high IL va
forced against the east bank of tn
river. and when the water recede
much Of il was left on the bank.
The town was clear OF water hefor
noon. but much OF the ice renamed
warehouse on the wharf Of the Tol
chester Company was burned at MID
NIGHT. The Water Witch Fire Con
nanv. composed Of volunteer fremeT
we're unable 10 do anything 70 save tn
building. A number OF small rs
houses were damaged.
The channel in the Susquehanna rive
increased from 30 feet 10 nearly 81
feet yesterday and the water was ilow
inc at an estimated rate Of 10 miles a
hour. Thousands Of tons Of leo wer
being carried, down the river. some
III L.