Milford chronicle., 1927-02-25
DELAWARE SUFFERS
FROM WORST STORM
OF THE WINTER
Seventy-five Mile An Hour Wind,
Accompanied By Driving Rain
And Snow Played Havoc.
LOWLANDS WERE FLOODED
In Milford The Tides We're High
est Since 1918 And Many Dis
tricts We're Flooded.

Delaware, together with most of
the Eastern Atlantic Coast, was Wis
tied by the worst storm of the win
ter last Saturday and Sunday at
Sunday at which time a bowling
storm, made worse by wind which
at times reached velocity Of IS
miles an hour, swept everything be-
fore it. In Wilmington and New
Castle county the wind was accom-
panied 0y snow and sleet, which
halted traffic and caused interrupt
ton of telephone and telegraph SER
vice. Kent and Sussex counties were
visited by rain, which fell in tor
rents during Saturday night. At
Milford the wind backed the waters
of the MispilliOn River up to the
highest level that it has reached
since April, 1918, when the highest
flood tides in local history were
recorded. The water flooded the
lumber yards of L. N. Hearn & Co.
and parts of the 1. D. Short lumber
yards. While it did not overflow the
banks at the new Community Build
ing, the water came within a few
inches of reaching the top of the
wharVes at that point. Parts Of Sip
pies marble yard were under water,
and all of the private garages own
ed and rented by Clarence Russell
were flooded to the depth Of several
feet. DR.. William Marshall had to
move his automobiles from his gar
age which was likewise flooded. East
Front street, North Milford, which
leads to the old New Wharf road
was several feet under water. Drap-
er, Davis & Company's fertilizer
plant was flooded with about three
feet of water. Building operation on
new addition to the factory were
discontinued until Tuesday morn
ing. Many homes in that section of
Milford were flooded. The wind up
rooted many large trees and reports
of buildings unroofed were frequent.
Advertising sign boards and other
/ large bodies were destroyed by the
! force of the wind.
| \ Bowers Reach suffered heavily
frem the storms ravages. Almost
the entire village was under water
Saturday night. In the centre Of the
| town water flooded Davenport's gar
age and boats and small buildings
were carried well up on to the
marshes along the public road lead
ing into Bowers. Some of the boats
were badly damaged. Cottages along
! the bay front suffered heavily from
! the wind and waters of the bay. At
! Slaughter Beach the water broke the
high beach line and washed back
over the marshland well up into
/ Slaughter Neck. The road leading to
the beach was covered with water
for several days. The cottages at
Slaughter Beach were exceptionally
well built and withstoOd the storms
fury well. Most of the boardwalk
was carried away and will have to
be rebuilt.
Rehoboth and Lewes did not fare
so badly. The direction of the wind
carried much of the force Of the
storm away from Rehoboth so that
it did not get the full force of the
heavy flood waters. Seaford suffer-
ed from the storm waters of the
river there. In New Castle county
Delaware City and the town OF New
Castle were hard hit.
While it is not unusual for heavy
spring tides to flood some Of the
lower sections along the river at
Milford, Saturday nights storm
caused more wide spread damage
than any since 1918 when the flood
in April descended on the town. Old
est residents say that Saturday
nights wind was about the heaviest
to blow consistently for long time
that they had ever witnessed.