THE FLOODS IN THE UNITED STATES.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 313, 14 June 1875, Page 3

THE FLOODS IN THE UNITED STATES.

The following incidents of the recent floods at Port Jervis, New York State, are related by the Port Jervis correspondent of the Aew York Times: — Among the many incidents that attended the deluge of yesterday, none possess such thrilling interest as the two-mile race three citizens of this place had with the advancing flood, W. H. Nearfass and L. O. Bose, the former supervisor of the town, and the latter a superintendent of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, went in a sleigh two miles up the river to keep watch, in order that they might give an early warning to the inhabitants. It was about 7 o’clock in the morning, and they were driven up on a double sleigh. The road they took runs for nearly two miles on the top of the river bank, about four feet from the edge. The bank is of an average height of 15£t the entire distance, with the excep-

tion of a space of about a quarter of a mile, where a depression occurs, reducing the bank for that distance to a height of Bft or 9ft. This low ground is between 'what is known as the Pine Woods Camp Ground, two miles west of Port Jervis, and the tavern of A. H. Rose, beyoud the Camp Ground. It was to this latter place that the party drove. The river was rising slowly. To make further observations they drove to Rose’s tavern. They had not been mere long before their attention was called to a negro who had climbed to a high knoll on the Pennsylvania side of the river, and was looking steadily up the stream. Suddenly he threw up his hands and shouted to some one in a house at the foot of the eminence to “ Get ont of there.” The alarm was evidently not heeded, and the negro started precipitately down the hill, rolling most of the way. Entering the house, he soon appeared with an armful of household goods, followed by his wife and several children, and all hurried up the hill. There is a cluster of houses about Rose’s tavern, and the inmates all laughed heartily at the negro’s hasty exit, and scouted the idea that there was any danger from the expected floods, The gentlemen from Port Jervis, however, were of the opinion that the alarm of the colored man was caused by something he could see up the river from his high post, and were prepaiing to ascertain what it was when, half a mile up the stream, sweeping majestically around a bend, the object of the negro’s alarm was seen in the form of a moving wall of ice, which seemed to be literally stalking along like a giant. The river commenced to rise rapidly where the party stood, and they saw that unless they got across the quarter of a mile of low ground at once their return to Port Jervis would be cut off. Buchanan, the driver, instantly turned his hoises, the two others jumped in the sleigh, and the horses started under the whip as fast as they could run. When the advancing flood was first seen by the three the river at Rose’s was eight feet below the bank. By the time they got under way the ice had been lifted up even with the top of the bank, and was still rising rapidly, and travelling with great velocity. The race now began. The sleigh had not proceeded two lengths before the ice commenced filling the road in its rear with huge blocks, and was following the flying conveyance with a speed and noise that were fearful. The driver plied the whip at every jump of the horses, but although they seemed to fly, the two yards’ space between the sleigh and the ice was not increased by an inch. The horses were not many seconds clearing the low ground, and when they struck the foot of the declivity leading up to the higher bank the flood of ice almost touched the sleigh, and the occupants of the rear seat crowded up in front, momentarily expecting that some one of the thousands of huge blocks running along almost abreast of them would topple over and crush them. They reached the high bank, and although the icy wave rushed by them within three feet they felt that they had escaped the greatest danger. Looking back over the road they had passed, they were filled with awe at the scene. Instead of the depressed land, with a narrow road crossing it, they saw that the hollow had become a mound of ice. Cakes weighing hundreds of tons lay piled up several feet where the road had been, and were even thrown clear across the road over the fence into the fields. It was through that low, gully like piece of land that it was thought the river would make its way if the ice-gorge did not give way when the high water came. But for the fact that the upper end of the gorge had worn away almost to that point, there is no doubt the flood would have been forced through there, and much greater damage would have followed than resulted from the inundation of yesterday.

A few hundred feet west of the residence of Wade Buckley, which is in the extreme upper part of Germantown, the river turns away from the road, and a flat of several acres reaches out to the river's edge. When the flood reached the flat, the channel became blocked below, and the whole mass became for a time stationary. Presently, under the great pressure of the body of ice above, the flood took another course, and commenced sweeping through a low part of the flat, which would take it on the east side of Buckley’s house and directly across the road. It was necessary for the parties in the sleigh to pass k ’that spot first. Again Buchanan plied the whip, and his gallant team cleared the dangerous ground a length ahead of the wave, which swept across the road the next instant, and was soon carrying destruction before it in Upper Germantown. The last man on the iron railroad bridge was Robert Frampton, a superintendent of track in the Erie employ. An engine run by “ Billy ” Morris had been making trips between the depot and the bridge, carrying Superintendent Thomas and others. The last trip, they started to cross the bridge, and were going over it slowly. Besides the engine and Mr Thomas, there were on the locomotive Engineer Van Wormer, Conductor Gorr, and two others. The ice was then lodged, and was piled very high up the stream, a clump of birch trees on a small island two or three hundred feet above the bridge being surrounded with ice half-way up to their tops. Engineer Van Wormer, who had been watching the ice called the attention of the others to a peculiar swaying of the birch trees. This was soon followed by an undulatory movement of the ice, and Conductor Gorr exclaimed “ The ice is moving.” They were half-way across the bridge, and in looking back over the track, Mr Van Wormer replied, “Yes, and the bridge is moving, too 1”

Superintendent Thomas saw that the bridge was swaying to and fro, and evidently getting beyond the control of its braces and [supporters. “ Billy” Morris at once reversed his engine, and although the ice was rapidly rising toward the very tiers on the bridge, and the structure began to tremble and crack, he dared only to move at a slow and most careful rate, for otherwise the jar would have hastened the fall of the bridge, and hurled them all among the surging mass of ice below. When they reached the span on this side of the river,- the others were swinging like a suspension bridge, and the ice was rolling up in huge billows beneath it. The engine got off the bridge in safety, and the shout that arose from those upon it showed how, deep was their relief. Mr Frampton, who was on the track at this end of the bridge at the moment the engine returned, suddenly remembered that it was nearly time for trains to be coming along toward the bridge from the west. No one on the other side knew of the condition of the bridge, and unless the fact could be communicated, the result would be terrible. There was only one way to get the information to the western side of the river, and that was for him to cross the bridge and carry the news himself. Without

a moment’s hesitation he started swiftly for the other side on the narrow walk at the side of the track, she bridge was rising then from its piers, and swayed like the basket of a balloon. Mr Frampton continued on his way. When he reached the centre pier the two spans ahead of him began to move around and leave the abutment on the Pennsylvania side. It was impossible for him to go further on his perilous journey, and he was about to retrace his steps in despair, At that moment he saw the trackman of the first section above the bridge, who had come down to see the river. Pausing long enough to signal him to go back with a flag, Mr Frampton started on his way back. He stepped from the river bridge on to the canal bridge not a second before the immense structure behind him fell with a crash and was carried down the stream.