VOL. LXVII.
Unprecedented Floods Along all Streams
—{ireat Damage to Bridges and ail
Kinds of Property,
The rain which set in last Friday af-
ternoon was almost unprecedented in
this county for its downpour, and oth-
er sections of the state had as much as
ours. Damages by floods along large
and small streams are reported from
all quarters.
In this county there was a general
wash-out along the streams and low
places, sweeping railroad and wagon
bridges, stables, outbuildings and fen-
ces,
The rain set in on Friday afternoon,
after a hot sunshine from a clear sky.
It was a regular pour, accompanied by
lightning and thunder with very little
storm. The rain kept up until Mon-
day, pouring down with occasional in-
terruptions, day and night. Monday
forenoon it was still raining moderate-
ly but the sky looked portentious.
On Saturday all day and night the
rain fell in torrents and the streets
were a sheet of water. It was almost
continuous and the downpour was tre-
mendous. About two o'clock Sunday
morning a terrific rain began falling,
which continued until about six
o'clock, during which time there was
not a moment's cessation and every-
thing was flooded. The streets were
covered and the water overflowed
everything.
Many cellars were filled with several
feet of water and many a householder
waded through the water to get goods
up on a dry floor.
On Tuesday the trains ran from
Lewisburg and Bellefonte to the Sink-
ing creek bridge about four miles from
Centre Hall, where transfer was made.
The mail traffic has been completely
paralyzed, aud no connection can be
made until the repairs are made.
The bridge between Lewisburg had
two spans in the center swept away on
Monday.
Freight trains make no pretense of
running, and the railroad company
only endeavor to get the mails through.
The condition of affairs was only
equaled during the great flood in 1889,
when communication was cut off with
the outside world for several days.
At Spring Mills, Penns creek and
Sinking creek began to rise early Sun-
day morning, and the streams were
soon overflowing their banks. Sink-
ing creek brought down a lot of drift
which lodged against the county
bridge crossing the stream near the
old store stand of J. D. Long. The
stream had risen about five feet and
overflowed all that portion of the
town. The bridge was swept down
stream, taking the footlog with it, and
landed against a tree in front of the
residence of Dr. VanValzah. The wa-
ter here was flowing over the road and
threatened to enter the first floor of
the dwellings. Fences were swept
away and the residents began to re
move their goods.
In front of Pealer’s store there was
about four feet of water, which threat-
ened to undermine the foundations
and sweep the building down stream.
The level land near the depot was cov-
ered with water to the depth of several
feet and had risen to the depot plat-
form. Many residents near the depot
were compelled to get off the first
floors, as the water entered the houses
to some depth.
Monday the water began to fall but
the streams were still high. Dr. Van
Valzah said: “This was the highest
water we ever had at Spring Mills, and
other floods we had do not compare
with this one. In 1865 we had a flood
which was greater than in 1889, but
this year gives a new record. In 1889
the water was very high, but we never
in the history of the town had any-
thing to equal this.”
Much low land was overflowed and
considerable damage was done to fields
and fences below Spring Mills. There
was much apprehension felt in Spring
Mills as to the breaking of the dam at
Farmers Mills, and the residents were
on the uneasy bench all the time.
Penns creek was a river and it was
thought the dam would break, which
would have precipitated nothing short
of a catastrophe upon the town.
At Coburn, which fs the point where
Elk, Pine and Penns creek join and
forms Penns creek proper, the water
was very high, and the streams all
overflowed their banks,
Coburn in 1880 experienced a disas-
trous flood and four lives were lost
here by drowning by the rush of wa-
ter. The water on Bunday was almost
as high as before, but there was no
flerce current to do damage. A
number of fences and small bridges
were swept away.
On Bunday the people living near
nearly all filled. The iron 3 bridge that
spans Penns creek at Green Briar was
in danger of going several times, but
by the heroic efforts of the people liv-
ing near there, the drift was removed
and the bridge was saved. Two of the
bridges that cross Elk creek on the
pike are swept away, the one near
Millheim and the other near A. R.
Alexander's farm. The bridge near
the toll gate is also badly wrecked. A
few small township bridges are also
carried away. The banks of the rall-
road were badly washed.
Monday morning the passenger
train from Bellefonte arrived at Centre
Hall about one hour late, where they
received orders to remain owing to the
break in the Sinking Creek bridge near
Spring Mills. This bridge is about 150
feet in length and is a wooden strue-
ture. The stream had brought down
a great deal of drift which lodged
against the tressling, and forced the
bridge about ten feet out of line, leav-
ing the rails and ties only suspended
above the stream.
The mail west arrived at the bridge
about ten o'clock, where a transfer of
of mail and express was made, and the
trains run back again. All other
schedules and trains for the day were
annulled. By the transfer at Spring
Mills, the road was practically open
between Beliefonte and Lewisburg.
The turnpike across Nittany moun-
tain from Centre Hall to Bellefoute
has been rendered impassable. The
small bridges in the mountains
were swept away and the road bed
torn up. Beveral parties tried driving
across but were compelled to return
and go around by Lemont, a distance
of eighteen miles.
On Sunday the Stone mill dam
broke, the flood gates and ten feet of
the breast being swept away by the
tremendous amount of water, Much
damage was done to fields and fences
by this immense amount of water
which swept everything before it.
Fortunately there were no dwellings
in its path, and its destructiveness was
comparatively harmless.
Great damage was done in our coun-
ty to hundreds of acres of growing
crops by flelds being washed out.
Moyer's mill dam, one mile above
Coburn, broke on Sunday night, dash-
ing its waters in the direction of Co-
burn thence down thro the mountains.
The mill dam at Oak Hall broke on
Monday morning. Eleven head of
cattle, in an adjoining meadow, be-
longing to Aust Dale, were drowned.
The high water washed many flelds
in and about Linden Hall, and acres
of land heretofore rich in productive-
ness hive been ruined. Much of the
corn planted this spring will have to
be replanted, and farmers will be some-
what deterred in their work, by the
extra duty placed upon them. The
damage to crops in Centre county can-
not be estimated, but will reach a high
figure.
The dam at Joseph Moyer's mill
near Centre Mills broke under the tre
mendous head of water and precipitat-
ed the body of water upon the sur-
rounding country. Considerable dam-
age was done by fences and land being
washed.
At Colyer's saw mill above Tussey-
ville the owner Wm. Colyer suffered a
loss of about $500, from several hun-
dred finished cider barrels and keg
heads being swept away.
The extensive and expensive tram
road lately built at Paddy mountain
was almost completely washed away
and it will be some time before the
lumbering operations can be resumed
there.
The county will suffer great pecunia-
ry loss in having to replace bridges
swept away by the flood. At Miles
burg several bridges are gone and
more damage was done than in 1880,
In the Buffalo Run district the dam-
age was great. Bridges, stables, out-
buildings, fences, ete., were swept off.
Beveral head of hogs and cattle were
drowned, by being swept down stream
in the buildings,
WILLIAMSPORT UNDER WATER,
The Flood as High as in 1880 ~The Boom
Breaks
At Williamsport the Susquehanna
river rose to a height of thirty-three
feet and there was a six foot flood in
the streets in the city whichh was as
high as in 1889, when the city was al
most inundated.
The great boom broke early Monday
morning and 60,000,000 feet of logs
were swept down the river,
The Pennsylvania railroad bridge
stood the tremendous pressure of logs
and water and was not damaged, but
the city bridges were badly wrecked.
Four spans of the Market street iron
bridge were washed away and three of
the four spans of the Maynard street
bridge are gone. Both bridges were
iron and the pecuniary loss is heavy.
The people in the city were aware of
ihe danger thesatoning them and all
removed
the streets was oul y made with boats,
The loss to lumbermen by the boom
breaking will be thousands of dollars,
whilethe city suffors to a large extent.
No trains were run into Williams-
port for two or three days aud the city
was completely isolated.
On Bunday the river had risen 21 ft,
and still rising, and people spent Sun-
day moving their effects to places of
safety and the Sabbath was a bedlam
in Williamsport. The shouts of thou-
sands of men moving their effects to
higher places caused a stir and confu-
sion indesribable, everything was top-
sy turvy.
The flood is now gradually receding,
but in the business section of the town
on Tuesday there was yet twenty-sev-
en feet of water. Williamsport and
the entire West Branch valley pre-
sents a sight indeed. The people pre-
pared for the worst all day Sunday, so
the losses in many instances will not
be so great as five years ago. A care-
ful estimate of the financial loss for
Williamsport and Lycoming county,
at this time is $10,000,000,
This city sustained its greatest loss
in the wreck of the Busquehanna boom
and the loss of 175,000,000 feet of logs
held in it. At one o'clock Monday af-
ternoon the boom burst and the logs
went floating down the river. These
logs in their rough condition were
worth on an average of $10 per thou-
sand feet. Manufactured here, they
would have been worth twice that sum.
In consequence the loss to the lumber-
men alone will foot up over $3,000,000,
Added to this the loss occasioned by
wrecked bridges, the stock of merch-
ants, household effects, damage to
crops, ete., will easily bring the dam-
age up to §10,0000,000,
A number of drowning accidents
have been reported, but as yet these
rumors have not been confirmed.
tl
FLOOD AT BELLEFONTE.
Bursting of a Dam Precipitates a Flood
Upon the Town.
Bellefonte, though apparently perch-
ed high and dry, had its quota of the
flood and a portion of the town was
submerged.
the city, is perhaps the Heaviest love BY,
and its loss is placed at $50,000,
At Conemaugh the roundhouse
seemed to be about destroyed, and all
the engines were removed toa place of
safety. The foundation was under-
mined, but the buildibg stood.
mf
The Flood at Lewishurg,
Monday's report from Lewisburg
says the sweeping torrents that on
Bunday bounded over the banks of the
Busquehanna river continue to rise at
the rate of eight inches an hour. Ina
few hours it was as high as in 1889,
and the heavy rains that fell on Bun-
day will likely swell it higher,
The whole Busquehanna valley
is
titution is widespread. Lock Haven,
Williamsport, Milton and Bunbury are
in great distress, being under five feet
of water, with the worst to come. Lew-
isburg is situated on high ground and
hax not been damaged with the excep-
tion of some building on the surroun-
ding flats, which have been carried
away on the crest of the fearful cur
rent. The water works, gas works
and electric light plant, which are lo-
cated along the river, have
stopped and until the flood recedes the
town will be without water or light of |
any kind.
A train of freight cars was put
on the bridge, the floor of which was al-
most touched by the water,
Two spans of the bridge have since
been carried off by the flood and all
communication with Montandon cut
ofl.
tin
The Fiood at Lock Haven.
The great flood swept down the West
CAPITOL GOSSIP
FILLIBUSTERING AT AN END FOR
THE PRESENT,
Vice President Stevenson Selected a Com-
mittee Which Began Iovestigation
Today.
WasHiNGTON, May 21.—There is
nothing like presenting a united front
to the enemy for convincing them
that business is meant. The Benate
Just now presents a striking confirma-
tion of this assertion. Just as soon as
every Democratic Senator in
| seats each day
should move to adjourn the Republi-
main in their
period to keep it up and there was lit-
the silver Republicans publicly gave
notice of their intention to aid the
Democrats in keeping a quorum and
in getting a vote on the bill, and there
are other Republican Senators who
privately expressed the same senti-
ments. The fillibustering died hard,
but when Senator Harris's motion for
the Senate to meet, beginning today,
at 10 o'clock was made no negative
voles were cast,
This does not, of course, mean that
Republican opposition to the bill has
been withdrawn, but that it has been
forced by the united front of the Dem-
ocrets down to a legitimate basis and
that extended debate is no longer ex-
pended upon minor items in the bill.
The Democrats have no desire to stifle
debate on the really important sections
Branch valley causing great loss on |
the lowiands.
The river rose rapidly and the low- |
er portion of Lock Haven was sub- |
merged. The booms broke and set |
adrift about twenty million feet of saw
logs. Aside from loss of logs and lum-
ber the damage is nothing like that of |
five years ago, as the merchants had
ample time to remove the goods. No
loss of life has occurred in Clinton |
county, so far as can be learned. The |
farmers are heavy losers on account of |
The stream, Spring creek, running
through the town had only risen about |
two feet Sunday morning, when the |
breaking of the dam at Rock Mills let |
an avalanche of water loose which |
swept down upon Bellefonte. Fences, |
outbuildings, ete., were swept before |
it. Water street was submerged to a
depth of about five feet and fences and |
board walks were swept away.
A corner of the Logau Machine |
works building was swept off by the
flood and the water rose to an unprece- |
dented height. The press rooms of |
the Watchman and Republican offices |
were flooded to a depth of about five |
feet, and all buildings in the vicinity
of the depot were flooded.
At Crider's lumber yard, about 75.
000 feet of boards were swept off, along
with alot of the manufactured lum-
ber.
The railroad bridge at Morris’ lime
kilns and the county iron bridge at
the nail works were carried away.
Down through the Bald Eagle valley
the flood did considerable damage, and
at Mill Hall everything was overflow-
ed and all kinds of traffic suspended.
The new railroad from Bellefonte
thro Nittany valley to Millhall, has
its bed badly washed out in many pla-
oes and all bridges gone,
On Buffalo Run down to Bellefonte
all bridges are swept away.
The low places around the Bellefonte
station were submerged and all cellars
flooded.
JOHNSTOWN SUFFERS,
The Flood City Suffers Considerable Loss by
High Water,
On Monday morning Johnstown
was visited by the highest water since
the flood on May 81, 1889,
Johnstown had its trouble as usual,
and the Conemaugh has spread its wa-
ters into town and merchants were ob-
liged to remove goods from cellars,
Stony creek reached a height of
twelve feet and began to recede. It
was then thought that all danger was
past. Monday evening, however, a
heavy rain swept the Conemaugh val
ley between Johnstown and Altoona,
and by ten o'clock the Conemaugh
river was rising rapidly. To make
matters worse, there was a cloud burst
near Ebensburg and this mass of wa.
ter poured down the Conemaugh wval-
ley and by midnight the river was a
torrent,
The alarm was sounded by fire whis-
of the people who live in the neigh-
borhood of the Conemaugh river left
their houses and took shelter on high-
er ground. The water continued to
rise rapidly and by three o'clock had
reached its highest point. In many
places it was from six to eight feet over
Water |
of the bill and the proposed amend-
{able amount of time will be consumed
| whe :n the sugar schedule, the income
| tax and other really important por-
| tions of tha bill are reached, but they
do not intend that debate merely for
delay shall play any farther part in
the consideration of the .bill, and in
{ reason to believe that they are sup-
ported by nine-tenths of the people of
the country, regardless of politics, who
| want this question settled at the ear-
| depth of about six feet.
i u—— ——
In Philadelphia,
The flood that on Monday swept
down the Schuylkill river gathered
| volume each hour and at night raged |
The fairness of Vice President Ste-
in selecting the committee
investigation,
authorized by the resolution adopted
without a dissenting vote by the Sen-
park. The water overflowed the
| wharves and backed up into the streets |
{and houses two squares from the
ibanks. The water was three feet deep
| over the tracks of the Balt. and Ohio
railroad and two feet of water covers
the ground floor of the company’s sta-
tion at 23 and Chestnut streets. There
and
Ohio tunnel, between Arch and Spring
Garden streets, and all travel south
has been interrupted over the road
since noon on Monday.
I
At Sanbury.
The river overflowed its banks on
Monday afternoon and the water has
spread into parts of the town,
All communication between Bunbu-
ry and Northumberland has been cut
off.
Two spans of the Philadelphia and
Reading iron bridge across the river at
Muncy were foroed down about 3 o'cl.
by a gorge of logs,
Huntingdon Flooded,
The Juniata on Sunday was 20 feet
above low water mark and a great por-
tion of the town of Huntingdon was
under water, and people were driven
from their homes, and others are im-
prisoned in their houses by surround-
ing water. Bridges in all directions
are swept away.
At Lewistown,
All streams in Mifflin county had
risen to a wild flood. South of Lewis
town the country is inundated and
people had to flee to high lands, The
MeoVeytown iron bridge is wrecked.
Republican State Couvention.
The Republican state convention
met at Harrisburg on Wednesday, and
nominated Gen. Hastings for govern-
or by acclamation, amid great cheer
ing. The General was notified of his
nomination and invited to address the
eonvention, The General appeared
and was received with cheers, and fre-
quent applause given to his utteran-
Bargains in Clothing,
New suits made to order, $15 to
$18. All new Spring goods, at Mont-
gomery's, Bellefonte,
—Lewins, Bellefonte, has the most
{ing officers of the Senate in selecting
| similar committees in the past. Al-
though he would have been justifiable
in putting three Democrats and two
Republicans on the committee, he on-
ly selected two Democrats—Gray, of
Del, and Lindsay, of Ky., allowing
the Populists one member—Allen, of
Nebr.,, and the Republicans two—
Lodge, of Mass., and Davis of Minn.
The first work of the committee will
be to try to get at all the facts connect~
ed with the outrageous attempt to
bribe Senators Kyle, of 8. D., and
Hunton, of Va., to vote against the
tariff bill. BSBensational disclosures are
looked for in this case, but your cor-
respondent is not over sanguine that
they will pan out; not because they do
not exist, but because when men start
out to accomplish anything by bribery
they seldom leave their tracks uncov-
ered to a sufficient extent to have the
crime legally fastened upon them.
The committee will also investigate
the numerous charges connecting the
Senators who arranged the amend-
ments to the tariff bill with the sugar
trust in a scandalous manner, and
your correspondent does not hesitate
to predict that the foundation of every
one of these charges will be forud the
same—Partisan vindictiveness against
tariff reform. But whatever the foun-
dations may be the committee propos.
es to get down to them if such a thing
is possible. Several well-known Re
publican newspaper men will find it
difficult to produce authority for charg-
es they have made against Senators,
and it will not be surprising if some of
them eventually figure in court as de-
fendents in criminal libel suits. The
first official work of the committee was
to vote unanimously in favor of hear
ing the testimony in secret. This was
not because of any desire to conceal or
to cover up anything, but because it
was thought to be the best way of get-
ting to the bottom of things. Every
word of taken will be print-
ed and made public at the close of the
investigation, but in the meantime
Senator Gray will decide just how
much shall from day to day be given
to the newspapers.
The first big batch of discharges
from the Government Printing office
continued until the force is reduced to
its proper number; meanwhile but few
appointments are being made.
acThe House has the business
NO. 21
habit of doing. It has worked faith-
fully on the appropriation bills and it
has them all in such shape that it will
soon be able to take up and dispose of
some other important business while
waiting for the Benate to send back
the tariff bill with its amendments,
They Are Not Wanted,
An army is now organizing in New
England to march on Washington for
the purpose of protecting property and
keeping the peace.
The recruits in the new organization
are union veterans, and they have {a-
ken an oath to risk their lives, if ne-
cessary, in defense of the government.
One of the objects of the movement is
of financial relief and to reform the
pension system.
While this so-called army claims to
be an anti-Coxey affair, the probability
is that it will make itself a nuisance if
These or-
half as energetic in seeking work as
they are in getting up their traveling
picnics they will have no difficulty
earning a living, and they will be too
busy to pay any attention to the cran-
ky reformers who are now giving the
public and the government so much
trouble,
The authorities can easily protect
property and keep the peace without
the aid of volunteers who propose to
beg their way through the country.
The Coxey and anti-Coxey armies
should be disbanded.
A gp en
Death from Exposure,
A four-year-old son of William De-
laney, at Jacksonville, this county,
in
On Friday afternoon the little
one had goue to the woods with other
people and became separated from
them. That night and all of Saturday
the family searched carefully for the
without gaining any
trace of him. On Sunday the entire
o'clock he was found six miles from
home. Losing his way, he had wan-
dered through the pitiless storm fur-
ther and further from home and at
last sank exhausted beneath a tree
The exposure to the elements for sev-
eral days without food so prostrated
the little fellow that he died soon after
being found.
Srnmssm— lf — i ——
Base Ball Game,
The Centre Hall ball tossers have ar-
ranged a game with the Aaronsburg
club to be played at the latter place
Friday afternoon.
This much has been learned already
~-that one club is to be licked, but just
which one we will know later on,
The Centre Hall boys have a reputa-
tion at stake and it would be doubly
hard and humiliating to have its col-
ors lowered by any club except the
gilt edged New Yorks, which have al-
ways been just a little speedy for us.
The Aaronsburg boys are said to be
dead sure that this time: they hold
pothing but trump cards and unless
luck does the “low down” on them
the mortgage on their ground can be
wiped out.
No matter how the game comes out
Millbeim wants a chance at Centre
Hall next Wednesday, to find out
whether it has improved any in the
last two years
——————— I A — ———————
Making Big Hauls,
The breaking of the Stone mill dam
has been the means of furnishing some
big tales about certain hauls of fish
and eels from its bed. One man is re
ported as having caught 175 eels, while
others fared almost as well. These
stories, however, we are inclined to
doubt, as they are a Lili Loo eely like.
i ‘
Coney Sent to Jail,
On Tuesday Judge Miller, in the po-
lice court at Washington, sentenced
Gen, Coxey, Brown and Jones, the
Commonwealers, for displaying par
tisan banners on the Capitol grounds,
to a fine of $5 each and twenty days in
Jail. They are now doing time serving
their sentences.
The Mall Service,
On Monday morning last the last
mail from the east arrived at Centre
Hall, and since then no eastern papers
were (received. The service is para-
lyzed and it will be several days before
tle to do at present, but when the de-
be some hustling.
WALLACE or Eckley B. Coxe [set up ;
against Hastings would oblige the Re-
publicans to get up quite early in the
WGC Ad ule nt Jun at wight
A tn.