The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-24
FLOODS CAUSE
BIG LOSSES TO
N. ]. PROPERTY
Morris County Is Inun-
dated as Many Streams
Overflow Banks.
NO DEATHS REPORTED
Crops Suffer; Lights Go
Out: Several Persons
Narrowly Escape.
CAMPERS OUTFITS GONE
Fire Bells Riot Call ArOuses
MOrristOwn; Night Rescues
From Windows.
OUTFITS GONE

Nine DAYS Of rain swelled New Jer-
sew streams to flood proportions. Dams
and retaining walls broke yesterday,
so that large part of Morris county
was inundated.
All day and into the night the tor
rent roared down what was tribu-
tary Of the Whippany River through
Morris Plains, burying the northern
streets Of Morristown and continuing
its race to the Whippany and Passaic,
incidentally flooding factories and
power plants all along the rivers
course.
Swollen rivers overflowed their
banks, destroying half the crops;
houses lost their cellars, whole kitch-
ems mysteriously disappeared in the
current, beds fioated clear out Of
houses, fiivvers drowned In the first
burst, all electric power in Morristown
was cut off by the mad waters and
traffic in the Morris and Essex Railroad
was suspended, but there was no loss
OF life.
The damage is estimated at from
500 900 to 100000, depending upon
the extent that the farms suffered.
Shortly before 6 O'Clock yesterday
morning the bulging Brant's Pond, two
miles above Morristown, tore huge
gap at one end OF an old mill dam that
was built in Revolutionary days. Willie
the torrent sped through the torn Jaw
Of the dam the downpour was at its
heaviest. Following the route OF the
little stream down past the Theodore n.
Vail homestead the swirling race wild
ened to 200 feet in a flood 9 feet deep.
Through Speedwell Park 1t went, pour
ing into the basin Of Pocahontas Lake,
where the sweeping overflow was for the
time arrested.
Municipal Gardens Inundated.
The lowland quickly filled and
swelled its banks until the municipal
gardens were covered with three feet OF
water. Meanwhile torrent pressed
over the Jaqui dam and tore along with
the Whippany youngster into Norris
town
The roar tumbled Morristown out of
bed. and In a few minutes the old fire
bell banged a riot call. Fully $4,000
persons from the town and surrounding
country hurried TO the scene. The fury
Of the rapids spent itself chiefly in the
negro and Italian section Of the city,
rising eight feet over Centre Race
F1sgler and River streets and into Cole
avenue. which runs parallel with the
Whippany.
Frantic people stuck their heads out
OF second story windows yelling for help
while the fremen poled RATS across the
Hooded area and rescued men, women
and children from the marooned dwell
iIgs.
An ingenious pulley was rigged up, to
which was attached an ashcan. BY this
method were the little negro children
carried In safety to land. Men swan
out in night clothes and carried their
families with them. Six horses of the
Carpenter-KnightC Company were led out
OF their stables, but the wagons were
washed away.
John Morrison. Chief of Police. who d.
rected the rescue work. for the first time
easily as ducks. The hens were clutter
ing on the second story window stills of
houses. and he beckoned them down with
the common coop lure Here, chick
chick. ch-i-c-k!" To his astonishment
they pelicaned into the water and padded
right over to him.
NeEress Dives After Her Purse.
stout negro woman refused to he
rescued because she had never been in a
boat in her life. She was carried to a
raft outside her window and as the Graf,
punted along the flood the bottom
scraped over a picket fence. With q
shrek the woman flung out her arms and
from one OF her hands dropped a purse
containing a fortune OF $50. With nc
thought OF her fear for water, she
promptly dived after the purse, and q
few minutes later was towed fighting to
the nearest window.
When the water reached the level OF
the Morristown and Erie bridge over
Kidgevale avenue in Morristown freight
cars were rolled upon 1t to prevent the
structure from being washed away Traf-
flC on the road was stopped.
As the food increased in volume the
water filled the bottom OF the Public
Service gas tanks and poured into the
cellar of the Norris and Somerset Elec.
trio Company's power house, cutting on
all light and power from Morristown
Boonton. Mountain Lakes. Whippany
Florham Park. Hanover Township ant
Chatham Township, Street bridges were
washed away and the trolley tracks were
covered with a small landslide
A mile below Morristown the sewage
disposal plan caught the swollen river
| and overfowed. Down at Whippany the
paper mills were put out OF operation by
! flooded engine rooms
Fifty feet OF the roadbed of the Sus
quehanna road was washed away at But
/ Ter, and north of the town another striI
OF 200 feet was under water. A wash
out occurred at an abandoned saw mil
dam.
Ramapo Flood Destroys Crops.
The Ramapo River jumped its bank