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| Lehigh Valley R. R. trestle collapse at Bridgeport, Pa. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, March 3, 1902.
PASSENGERS DELAYED.
No Through Trains Sunday From New York
BETWEEN BUFFALO AND ALBANY.
Loss of Life in Many Places—Mines Flooded—Nine Lives Lost at Wilkes-Barre. Horses, Carriages and Occupants Carried Away—Paterson Inundated—Brave Rescuer Perished.
Wilkes-Barre, Pa., March 3.—A heavy rainfall and rush of water from its upper tributaries caused the north branch of the Susquehanna river to rise rapidly again. At 8 o'clock Sunday morning it was 29 feet above low water mark and at noon had reached the 30-foot mark.
At 10 o'clock in the evening the gauge showed 31 feet and 3 inches. It is feared that there will be a further rise of a few inches before the water recedes. The high water mark was equal to that of 1865, which has always been known as a record breaker.
The water is over both banks of the river from Pittston to Nanticoke and resembles a vast lake. Nearly one-half of the city is under water. At Westmoor, Firwood and Riverside, nearly all the residents vacated their houses. The water had reached the first story and was gradually going up to the second. Those who lingered too long had to be removed in boats. The cellars of the Sterling and Wyoming Valley hotels and many mercantile houses in the central part of the city were filled with water early in the day.
The people living on River and adjoining streets, which is the principal resident portion of the city, were hemmed in by the water and are unable to leave their homes unless by boat. All the streets in West Pittston are under several feet of water.
Two hundred families living in the lowlands of the town of Plymouth had to leave their houses hastily, the waters covering the first floor and putting out the fires. The body of Mrs. Rowland, who died in the afternoon, had to be removed from the premises in a boat, as there was danger of the house being carried away.
Dr. W. J. Butler had to be rowed in a boat to a house at Riverside to attend a woman who shortly afterwards gave birth to a child.
At Nanticoke several houses were swept away by the rushing waters and the people living in them had a narrow escape with their lives. The flooding of the boiler room of the power houses of the Wilkes-Barre and Wyoming Valley Traction company disabled the entire electric railway system of the whole valley. The Lehigh Valley railroad was able to get a train through from Mauch Chunk. It was the first train from the east since Friday afternoon. It will take a week before the bed is in such shape as to permit the running of trains on schedule time. The tracks of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western railroad between this city and Pittston are covered with several feet of water.
Washouts are reported all along the line of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. It is not known when this road will be able to resume the running of trains. Three feet of water covers the tracks of the Pennsylvania railroad at Buttonwood. Reports from the mines show that many of them were flooded and it will take some days before they can be pumped out. This will curtail the output of coal. Nine lives have been lost thus far. The casualties for the past 24 hours were three.
William P. Riley hired a cab from Richard Beckert to drive him across the river to his home in Luzerne borough early Sunday morning. The carriage, horses and occupants were caught in the swift current on the roadway above North street bridge and carried down stream. The horses were quickly drowned. Riley clung to a limb of a tree but was finally drowned before help could reach him. Beckert landed on a big cake of ice. His cries were heard in the darkness. Two men started after him in a boat and, after floating around on ice for an hour he was finally rescued. The other victims were unknown. One is believed to be a tramp who had taken refuge in a barn that had been swept away.
The damage to property is already estimated at $1,000,000.
Old Bridge Destroyed.
Harrisburg, Pa., March 3.—The second and third piers of the famous old Camelback bridge on the Harrisburg side were washed away by high water early Sunday morning. The bridge was built in 1816 and was probably the oldest bridge across the Susquehanna river. It is owned by Harrisburg capitalists and will immediately be rebuilt.
IN CENTRAL NEW YORK.
All the Lowlands Between Rochester and Syracuse Flooded.
Lyons, N. Y., March 3.—It has been raining hard in this section for 24 hours and is still raining. The water is rising in the Clyde river and the New York Central and Hudson River and the West Shore tracks are washed out between here and Palmyra and between here and Clyde.
The chief railroad communication is by way of Geneva over the Pennsylvania division, thence east and west over the Auburn divisions, the tracks running under water part of the way. The Northern Central road weighted it bridges down with cars to hold them.
The water here is six inches above the highest water mark ever known. East -Water, Montezuma, Forgeham, Franklin, Elmer and Shuler streets are travelled only by boats and the current is so strong that boating is dangerous. If the water rises two-inches more it will extinguish the fires under the Wayne County Electric company's boilers. This company supplies Lyons and Clyde with electric light, heat and power. Telegraph and telephone communication is hampered by washed out poles.
Ganarqura creek and Canandaigua lake outlet are choked with thick ice and when this goes out it is feared the bridges all along the Clyde river will be swept away.
Along the lowlands farmers are compelled to use boats to reach out buildings and are moving the live stock and turning it loose on the high lands. Apparently the entire low lands between Rochester and Syracuse are inundated.
PAGE FOUR—EDITORIAL.
Penny postage is, of course, a thing to be desired, though it is thought in many quarters that there are some other things in connection with our postal service more urgent. Considering the vast area over which the government transports mail, 2 cents for a letter is not excessive or burdensome. The reduction in the rate to 1 cent may be deferred if necessary until other enterprises now confronting the postoffice department are taken up and disposed of. Among these propositions is the reduction of the charge for money orders, which is now much too high. The success and popularity of the rural free delivery system warrant its extension and should be given further consideration. The abuse of the second class mail privilege is still a matter to which attention should be given. Then there is the matter of the wages of the letters carriers, which needs readjustment upon a more just and liberal basis. Besides, there are those who think that a start ought to be made toward the establishment of postal savings banks and a parcels post system before the penny post plan is adopted.
THE BIG FLOOD.
ICE DID GREAT DAMAGE TO BRIDGES NOT GOING OUT.
Fears for Port Watson Bridge—Work on Trolley Bridge—Seven Bands Gone from E. C. & N. Y. R. R. Bridge—E. C. Rindge's Milk Peddlers Couldn't get Home Saturday Night—Melvin Conger's Narrow Escape.
The big flood which has prevailed for two or three days past is practically over and the water is receding. For three days last week the sun shone out warmly under cloudless skies and the snow melted with amazing rapidity, filling rivers and creeks. The water poured down from the hills in torrents. Then came the perfect deluge of Friday night, and on Saturday it more or less rained. Saturday afternoon the ice began to go out in the rivers and then the fun began. Water would go under bridges, but gigantic cakes of ice seemed inclined to take the bridges along with them. The Traction company had a force of men at work on its bridges over the Tioughnioga river fending off the ice and working it through so that it would not form a jam above it. The water was clear up to the ties of the bridge. Similar work was done at the Port Watson bridge, and before night the bridge was closed to the public, as it was not thought to be safe. There was great anxiety lest it go off.
The bridge of the E. & C. N. Y. R. R., further down stream, did not stand quite so high above the water as the others, and seven bents were swept away. It will be quite a task to get the bridge in shape for traffic again. The train from Cincinnatus Friday night hurried back to that town as soon as it reached Cortland, and then Saturday morning got to McGraw as quickly as possible where the steam pile driver was located. It is today working its way east to Cincinnatus driving piles as it goes to rejoin bridges and culverts. One bent of the bridge over Trout brook near McGraw is also out.
The middle abutment of the bridge over the Tioughnioga at the countyhouse is moved about a foot out of position. Fully twenty tons of ice are banked up against the willow trees on the south side of the cross road near the countyhouse bridge. Two acres of land belonging to Ward Woodward next this road are covered to a depth of from 2 to 3 feet with blocks of ice from 4 to 10 feet in size. There was rye in this field, but the ice has practically plowed it up anew.
The milk peddlers of E. C. Rindge who have to cross on this road to get home were not able to get home at all Saturday noon after the ice began to run. They spent Saturday night with Mr. Rindge's oldest son Fred Rindge on the Bell place further on toward East River, and on Sunday peddled Fred Rindge's milk instead of their own. Mr. Rindge had a gang of men at work all day yesterday to get the ice out of the beaten track on the cross road so the milk peddlers could get home.
The water was not as high on the west branch of the Tioughnioga as in December but was over the road in places north of the stone bridge on Clinton-ave., Cortland. The Lehigh Valley R. R. tested its bridge very carefully yesterday afternoon before it permitted a train to go over it.
Melvin Conger had a narrow escape from drowning east of Port Watson bridge Saturday afternoon. He tried to drive through. The road has been recently graded up several feet so that it was hoped the water would not get over it and the current was so swift that Mr. Conger's whole rig was washed off the grade. Some people got a rope to him as he landed against the fence on the lower side of the road and got him out, and then rescued his horse, but the carriage was left in the ditch over Sunday, with the water rushing down around it.
The water fell all day yesterday, notwithstanding the rain, and today it has continued to fall still more. The weather changed to cold last night and this morning there was snow on the ground. The body of snow is now so well gone that there is not much likelihood of another flood this season.
A. W. GRAHAM SELLS OUT.
And the Morse Clothing Co. Will Take His Store in the Martin Building.
Mr. A. W. Graham has sold his stock of clothing and gentlemen's furnishing goods to the Morse Clothing company, nand already the new proprietors have taken possession. The store lately occupied by M. A. Graham at 101 Main-st. has been rented by the Morse Clothing Co., and as soon as repairs are made, the stock from the store now occupied by them will be moved into the new quarters. Until that time both stores will be run by the firm. It is thought that about two weeks will be needed for the repairs.
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