Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1920-03-06

teANCNEu tUc ttiu ItNUt uiG HkyvC4
water ways But fer tho sudden
believed. would have been . hum
dredfnld worse than Ii reported.
The food Of yesterday was urdorbt-
eddy the worst In the last hhlf Corr
tury In this section ef the I'm; -
States.
Philadelphia, March q rr~zirg tenn
pnrasurss, which came on the heels Of o
raging snow. wind and rain stornl, were
expected today 10 cheek the floods which
last night broke over eastern Pcnnsyl-
vsria and Delaware, causing heavy dam
age and driving many persons from their
homes.
The storm, which raerd from 8 o'clock
last night until shortly before daylight,
was one Of the meet severe NJ the winter.
Driven by strong northwest gale, the
spow piled UP in big drifts ard brought
tho trolley service in this city 70 stand
still
After midnight the Market street elc-
waited was the only lire operated Hun
dreds Of right WORKERS living IN outlying
scotions WIRE forced TO spend che night
at hotels. Shipping on the Delaware river
was also imreted
Virtually ewrry strrsm in this section
Of the State overhowed It's banks yo@,er-
day, and ice gorgrs broken by the high
water swept away bridges and railroad
tracks. Telegraph and telephone service
wos put ont n commission IN many
places and q number ~ towns ard cifiss
we're in darkness last right by the flooding
al power plent,. Trolley service ws. ted-
" crippled and several inrs w~ve forced
IN rvt,~~1v nj
washosrt.. Scores OF houses along the
hanks Of the swollen STR ana washed
away and many mills and farsor,re hsd TO
shut down lecat,s~ Of flooded boiler rooms.
Men. women and children marconed IN
their hones we're RESCUED in boats, come
Of them being taken from secondStory
windows.
Towns along tho Sehuylkill ard Sus-
auehanna rivers appeared 10 be the heavi-
est sufferers. Reading Lancaster, Harris
burg, WlIlsamsport and Wilkes-Rarre re-
ported heavy damage. Parts If all these
towns were inundated and much of the
surrounding lew land WIS under water.
Nest Of thom we're without suburban
trolley service.
Tho breaking of two ice gorRcs in the
Schuyikil river above Reading caused
all the industries in that city using
electric power TO close drwn. Bridges and
housrs were swept away Mt Lancaster and
the city's filtration plant was threatened.
All the streams in the Wyoming valley
overnowed and low living sections Of
Wilsss-Barrc ard Suburban towns were
under water. At South wilkes Barre all
trss,c except by beats WIS susranGed
and score, If families were marooned IN
their homes.
The pumping station OF Allentown WIS
flooded and the city was without water
for several hours
The Lehigh river wss packed with ice
brought down from the up valley dams
and the bridges at bethlehem were closed
throughout the night
Nearly all the mills in the northwest
section If Philadelphia had their base
ments or lower foes flooded and many
OF them were forced to elsa. Parts III
the driveways in Fairmount Park were
also under water. The Schuylkill river
rose a foot an hour ard early to-day was
% feet above normal In the ManGylInk
section. Fifty feet of new bridge that
spans the river at Conshohocken, Pa,
was torn away by the food.