The New York Herald Newspaper, December 12, 1878, Page 3

"DESTRUCTIVE: FLOODS. Vast Amount of Damage by Tues- day's Heavy Rains. SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. Millions of Dollars’*Worth of Property Destroyed, NEW YORK’S LOSSES. Pennsylvania Coal Regions Inundated and Buildings Washed Away. SEVERAL LIVES LOST. Westfield, Mass, Submerged by the Burst- ing of a Dike, Beuxrows Fats, Vt., Dec. 11, 1878, About a quarter past seven o'clock last night an ac- cident occurred on the Rutland division of the Cen- tral Vermont Railroad, about two miles south of Bertonsville, in which two persons were instantly killed, another was fatally and a number seriously injured. A culvert had been undermined by the heavy rain which prevailed yesterday. The express train which left Boston at two o'clock P. M. left this place on time and proceeded rather cautiously, as it was feared that something might be wrong owing to the storm. The accident occurred at the first culvert south of Brockway’s Mills, Although the water had undermined the culvert the rails appeared to be all right, and the first intimation of danger was the precipitation of the whole train, consisting of a locomotive, one bag- gage car and one passenger car, into the gulf. The stream, though usually a small one, was swollen largely last night, and the gulf opened about eighty feet in length. | KILLED. EDWARD DAVIS, fireman, of Rutland. FBANK KEMP, express messenger, Bellows Falls. INJURED, ‘A. L. PRATT, engineer, collar bone broken! KIT RICE, baggage master, fatally. E. W. HORNER, road master, nose broken, Mrs. HARRIET HAZELTON, passenger, slightly bruised. FLORA DAVIS, passenger, hand injured. FOUR PASSENGERS, names unknown, slightly Druised. ‘The baggage car turned bottom side up in the bed of the stream, and Kemp and Rice were found under. the baggage and express cars. The engine was thrown clear across thechasm and the baggage and express wars lay on top of it. The passenger cer hangs on the edge of the chasm, one-third of it hanging over. ‘Themen sent to Bartonsville to telegraph for help found much trouble in getting there, because the _ Abrtdgeshad “heen washed away. A ‘wrecking’ train, with surgeons, went from this place. PLAYING HAVOC WITH THE BRIDGES, One bridge is gone near Bartonsville and a railroad, briége over-the river is reported going. Saxtons - River is very. high. Farnsworth & Co.'s woollen - guill, at Saxton’s River village, was in great danger at @ark and is probably gone now, as it has rained hard ever.since and all the streams are rising rapidly. Probably a large amount of damage is done in this -wicinity. The. Connecticut River has risen rapidly ince Monday morning. NEW YORK. MILLIONS OF DOLLARS’ WORTH OF PROPERTY DESTROYED—DESOLATION ALONG THE HUD- SON—WASHOUTS STOPPING RAILROAD TRAVEL. [BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.]j Kixaston, Dec, 11, 1878, Ulster county, abounding as it does with mountains and streams intermingling in such a way as to be no protection against such severe storms as that of yesterday, is to-night a scene of confusion such as many of its people have never witnessed before, Desolation in the extreme is seen on all sides, and even at this late hour anything but a rough esti- mate of the da:nage sustained cannot be given. No loss of life is reported, but the damage to property is enormous, in all probability reaching in this city and county from $750,000 to $1,000,000, The upper part of the city is surrounded with flats sep- arating it from the Esopus Creek. They are at * present entirely. under water—thousands of acres of _ land flooded—giving it the appearance of a vast lake. Asmall hamlet bordering on the creek, separating it from the city, was connected therewith by a ‘bridge constructed in 1839 (which had previously been de- stroyed by a freshot), is deluged and the inhabitants are unable to go from their houses except by the use of boats, About midnight » small dwell- ing, occupied by James Cummisky and family, was carried away with its contents down the stream ata rapid rate. rns and outbuildings were lifted from their foundations and followed tho swift flowing cur- rent. The shrieks of the inmates of the houses for assistance Were pitiable. Nore dare venture their lives to render them assistance, but fortunately they escaped with the abatement of the fury of the storm ‘and the dawn of day. winner. ~ The Rondout Creek overflowed, and immense dam- Sactto property ensued. Wilbur, the stone market of is county, and Eddyville are on the banks of this stream. At Wilbur, Wilbur Lime Kilns, t lewis’ Stone Planing Mill, the » Bluestone ing and Rub- Ding Mills of J. Mills are all considerably dam- aged. A number of sinall buildings and two resi- dences were also swept away PDDYV At Eddyville the loss was especially extensive, ‘The ‘water has so damaged the guard lock on the Delaware and Hudson Cansl that the water ran over it and through it, and has flooded what is known as the fly,” on which were buildings, five of which are de- stroyed and many others damaged. The store houses of the New York Cement Company, Martin's Cement Company and Delaficid & Baxter were flooded. Dam- ages, $5,000, . Tho J. B, James cement sheds are utter wrecks. A large number of horses were drowned. A tenement house owned by the Lawrenceville Cement Company, and ‘occupied by ten families, went down the stream with the house- hold goods. The foundations of many houses are weekened, and an idea prevails that “the end is not t.”” A boat went over the dam with a cargo of 000 barrels of cement belonging to Connelly & Bhaffer; the boat parted in the middle and the ce- ment went tothe bottom. The crew were rescued. ‘Two coal boats, two cement boats and about thirty canal boats are missing from Eddyville, The streets are flooded and the current still rans with terrible velocity. SAUGERTIES. At Saugerties the Esopus Creck, which empties at that point, rose to a greater height this morning than ever before, reaching fifteen fect on the dam. The damage thus far at that point has been very grea he Saugerties Rowing Ciub house was car- ried and dashed to pieces. The iron mill and blacksmith shop gave way at one o'clock this morn- ing, letting the waterrush through the mill four feet and the damage is estimated at $20,000, Shef- & Son’s paper mill was slightly flooded, and will te obliged to shut down fora while. The firm also Jost 200 tons of coal. Six boats were torn from their moorings in the creek. The steamboat Marina now lies high and dry behind Coon’s Island. The canal boats General Grant, Yates, Jewell, Conscript and Richard the Great lay sunk on the flats north of the lighthouse, Total loss roughly estimated at $50,000, OLEN Fntb. AtGlon Erie Battelle & Kenwick’s white lead works suffered loss to the extont of $10,000, The entire vil- lage was inundated. Whole families vacated their ee, taking Furnas te aya of Woods in order to NEW YORK HERALD, THUKSDAY, DEUEMBER 1%, 1878-TRIPLE SHEET. Corners, broke throi per’s Lake, and is now running through W: » & pleasant village at the base of the Overlook Mountain, carrying destruction in its course. Danlages at present estimated at $20,000. RONDOUT'S IMMENSE LOSSES, At Rondout the lower portion of the city and docks were submerged, coal toden boats sunk, the steamers Crane, Pittston and Norwich; the sloops Ben Aken, Charles Lynch, James Grant; the Delaware and Hud- on Canal Company's barges Honesdale and Marvin; the ice barges C, Rt. Wordendyke and 8. Schuyler; the schooners Viola, May and other small craft were badly damaged, invelving sor loss. The roadbed of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad was washed out near this city for a distance of about a quarter of a wile, The entire track, rails and ties, were washed about fifteen feet out of their original position. At several places land slides have occurred, No trelns Sire gone over the road since yesterday afternoon, and though a large force of men are employed in repealing the same itis not likely that there will any train over the road till Saturday, No mail can be received for a few days, The trains on the Walkill Valley Railroad are running regularly, but are obliged to transfer passengers and buggage at Springtown, owing to # washout in the road. The steamer James W. Baldwin, which should have gone down to New York on Tuesday night, will not leave until its next regular trip to-morrow evening. ‘The steamers Martin and Eagle, of the Albany and Newburg line, were unable to come into the creek at this point and make their regular landings. ‘bridges were carried roads washed out, and the Mink Hollow st wien empties at Shandakin a) NEWBURG. At Newburg the storm proved destructive. Four and threc-quarter inches of rain fell. The roads were badly washed in every direction, some of the more exposed being rendered impassable and the dwellings flooded. The tide Inst night was the highest ever known, the river covering nearly every dock at this city. The b 28 in the lower streets were filled with water and ral serious washouts occur- red on the short cut branches of the Erie Railroad. No trains have passed over it since noon yesterday, the trains to and from New York going by way Newburg branch. Men are busy repairing the breaks and expect soon to haye the short cut track in run- ning order, CORNWALL. At Cornwall, yesterday, many houses near the river wore flooded anid the pgople rowed over the docks in boats. One or two small barn’ were carried away at Highland Falls. Sixty cords of wood floated off the dock at Fort Montgomery. At Fishkill Landing the Duchess Hat Works were partially inundated. im & Place’s storehouse was flooded by the high tide, 300 barrels of lime slaked and the building narrowly escaped destruction by fire, PovcuErepsie, N. Y., Dec, 11, 1878, Between here and Rhincbeck on the east shore ten canal boats lie against the railroad bank, and floating about the river are two barns, part of a dwell- ing house, numerous bodies of dead horses and mules, hay, rk, flour and fifteen or twenty new sleighs, &c., the — most of which no doubt came down Rondout Creck and into the Hudson from Eddyville. Reports from Cats- kill show considerable damage along that stream, but details have not yet arrived, Hupson,.N. Y., Dec. 11, 1878. The dye house of A. T. Stewart & Co.'s Waterville Mills, at Leeds, Greene county, was swept away last night by the freshet. The water works of both their mills were damaged, Axpany, N. Y., Dec. 11, 1878. There is a flood in the river here and many cellars and basements on the river front are full of water. Much damage has been done. Among other suf- ferers are Mr. McCabe, who loses $1,000 worth of lime; Robert Geer, who loses $800 worth of tobacco; Mr, Rork, who had a large amount of lumber swept away, and Messrs. Durant & El- more, who lose a car load of flour. Trains from the East and on the Susquehanna road are delayed. The Central road is all it at present. A bris is being constructed to reach the People’s line of steamers. The river is fifteen fect above:low water mark. AROUND PORT JERVIS. Reports from all points in this vicinity show that immense damage has been done by the rains. Every bridge between Monticello and Mongaup Valley is gone. At Oakland Valley, onthe line of the Port Jervis and Monticello Railroad, the flood has been very destructive. The Neversink River is overflowing aud carrying away the suspension bridge at Paradise, which is valued at $4,000; also other bridges are be- ing carried away, dwellings flooded and families driven from their homes. A large farm house and barn, owned by Mr. Skinner, at Rose Point, were completely destroyed. The farm was destroyed by a new channel. being cut through it. The pens of Mr. Wehinger were washed away, together with twenty hogs, The New York abutment of the Barrett Suspension Bridge, at this place, wes carried away at nine o'clock this morning, cutting off com- inunicetion with Pike county, Pa. The entire struc- ture will probably be destroyed. The river has risen about twelve feet, the highest known for many years. ‘The loss to the bridge company alone is very heavy. Two hundred thousand dollars will not repair the total damage in this neighborhood. Bincuamros, N. Y., Dec. 11, 1878. Both the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers are — ~— since 1865, and ca Senge but _ much e ted yet because of no ice, families on Diekineon’ ‘atrest have been'taken their houses in Loaté. ‘Lhe wwter threatens to carry away numerous houses and other structures. Watertows, Dec. 11, 1878. Aheavy gale of wind has prevailed along the St. Lawrence River and line of the Rome, Watertown and nab’ Railroad since midnight. Telegraph wires are prostrated badly, and it is feared consider- able damage has been done. Wuitrnaut, N. Y., Dec. 11, 1878. At Ticonderoga the large hardware store of Will- iam Hooper & Co. was flooded, damaging the most of the stock, Twenty-five bridges crossing Mill Brook, between Mineville and Port Henry, were swept awa; leavitig only two standing. The iron bridge and over sixty feet of the embankment just north of Port Henry, on the line of the New York and Canada Rail- road, was whshed out. The gers will be trans- ferred at that point to-day and the trains run as usual, At Elizabethtown females were obliged to leave their homes and many cattle were drowned. At Keeseville the water was higher than at any time in twenty years, but no serious damage is re- ported, Mowtaomeny, N, ¥., Dec. 11, 1878, The heavy rains of yesterday did considerable damage in this section. “The Wallkill River is nearly as high as it has ever beon in spring freshots. A new stone bridge on the Wallkill Valley road, a mile and a half south of Kingston, was swept away yesterday afternoon, leavingta gap twenty feet wide and stopping the passage of all trains. Trains on each side trans- fer passengers, the connection being broken between here and New York. All the wires being down de- barred the transmission of all despatches last night. The trains were all over three hours late. PENNSYLVANIA. GREAT DEVASTATION IN THE COAL REGIONS— PROPERTY OF GREAT VALUE DESTROYED— BRIDGES AND RAILROAD TRACKS WASHED AWAY. [BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.) WILKEsBARRE, Dec. 11, 1878. ‘The heavy rainfall in the extended basin, of which the Susquehanna River is tho drain, has filled the populace here with apprehensions of disaster. The river is now twenty-seven feet above low water mark, and rising at the rate of eight inches per hour. The natural confines of the river are overflown and the wide expanse of plains between here and Kings- ton. is one vast sheet of angry water, sweeping. in its course nearly every structure of importance. Thé rise in the river at'this season is unprecedented. Many people have been loth to consider tho possibility of a flood of this magnitude at this time of the year, and have been-in the habit of. settling upon these low lands during harvest time aud the early winter months. At six o'clock last evening the river was nino feet above low water mark, and at eight o'clock this morning it was nine fect higher, with the tide rising at the rate of ten inches an hour. As the morn- ing advanced hundreds of people gathered at the Fast wharves on the Wilkesbarre side and gazed upon the rushing, roaring flood, which continued to in- crease in strength and fury. The west banks of the Susquehanna were overflown, and the water reached far up the trunks of the tall trees that stand, like sturdy sentinels, along that side of the river, BUILDINGS FLOATING AnoU’ The adjacent felts on Kingston flats were in- undated, and th® yellow looking water swept away fences, barns, stables, sheds and every conceivable structure that was not secured. The ferry boat houses and little docks along the river were all carried off. ‘The surface of the river was dotted with débris of all kinds, trees and tree stumps predominating. Now and then a pleasure skiff, in most in- stances overturned, was observed floating down. A few men made attempts to secure the craft, but were deterred from going far into the stream on account of the strong current and the huge drift that swept along atafurious rate. It was appar- ent that a great deal more water would yet come from the mountains on both sides of the river. Tel- egraphic advices from the Upper Suaqnehanna and the Chemung River were to the cffoct that the rain was yet descending, especially at Elmira and Owego, Phen all the lower portions of the cities were inun- dated. THE FLOOD IN WILKESHARRE. All travel between this city and Kingston by steam car or other vehicle was cnt off, boats alone being used to convey people from the ed of the flood on the Kingston side to the bridge, and cven this was attended with danger, as the water over the flats with tremendous velocit; k, better known as Hollow Creek, overflowed its banks as early’ as ten jock = last’ =—snight and caused great excitement among those who live near the stream, especially among the residents on College street, who were awakened by the angry roar of the waters rnshing over the fields and along the street. Several families were compelled to seck safety in boats and flee to higher grounds, All night long the inhabitants labored in their earnest efforts to save property. Consider. able excitement prevailed among the women aud children, enhanced, of course, by the darkness and the unknown force of the detuge. At an cariy hour this morning the family occupying the old historic _Newett House, stone, which has wit every flood and ice gorge for the ; vinced that their . | lives were imperilled. Huge logs drifted through h the windows. here was not a foot of dry within half a mile. They took to their boats and made for the Kingston side, where they were safely landed, The ‘oldest residents of this place say they never saw so heavy a freshet. At an carly hour this forenoon the field hands, who have been in the habit of residing in huckster cabins on the flats, were compelled to make a hasty retreat. In one instance a family named Conners hed only just launched their skiff from the windows of their shanty, loaded with threo children, the mother, and a hired man, when the large trunk of a tree struck the building and knocked it off its foundation. ‘The , house floated stream with all the household goods. members of the family saved only what they could carry in their arms. The stable, which was upon about the same level, has since gone. ‘The hired man had previously entered the barn and turned loose two horses and a cow, and at- tempted to drive the beasts from the barn, but they would not enter the water. All went down the river in the barn, The husband was absent at Philadelphia to dispose of some of his produce, which has now been disposed of by the flood. On the Wyoming flats a score of barns and stables have been swept away, with all the live stock aud cereals they contained. The loss in this item alone is very great. DESOLATION IN THE MINING REGIONS. At Avondale, a few miles below this city, the entire mining community were driven from their homes by the waters. They took refuge up in the mountains. The men went to work and built temporary thatch huts for the women and children. At Plymouth several bridges are down, roads are rendered impassable, and several barns and stock yards, together with their contents, washed away. Monocacy Island, between this city and Pittston, about one mile long, is inundated to the depth of about six feet. A hermit was living there and farmed the island. There is no débris of his hut re- maining, nor is it known that the occupant was saved. He has not been seen to-day and it is. supposed he perished with his horses, cows aud swine. Barrels of apples, eges and other light produce continne to sweep pest here. ‘The wealth that is constantly floating down the main current, at the rate of twenty miles per hour, will probably never be sccurately estimated. PIT[STON EXCITED. At Pittston great excitement prevails to-night. The river is still rising rapidly, and the banks are overflowing, imperilling West Pittston, the prettiest plwe in the Wyoming Valley, having a population of about 3,000, “A little depression at the foot of the spur of the Alle- ghany Mountains on the west of the borough is how receiving @ portion of the water of the Susquehanna as it comes down from the north, A considerable body of water has backed up and lodged in low places in the borough. ‘The people of Pittston have only once betore felt the necessity of preparing for @ flood, and that was in 1875, on the occasion of the ice gorge of that year. At Tunkhannock the waters are splashing the beams of the large covered bridge spanning the Susquehanna at that place. A FAMILY IN PERIL, At Fletcher's, a small place above, Abraham Fletcher declined to take the advice of friends to remove his family and effects this morning to a safer place. This afternoon his family was taken from the roof of his dwolling by neighbors. Nothing is known of Mr. Fletcher’s fate. His wife says that he started out two hours before to cross the river to get a large flatboat, and that when in about the middle of the stream, an eighth of a mile away, his boat collided with the branches -of a tree and was upset. Fletcher clung to the branches of the trees, and she watched him until he was out of sight. She has hopes of his ultimate gafety because he is a good swimmer. She admits that he had been intoxicated since the rise of the river began. ‘One bridge on the{Lackawanna River is gone, an- other on the Moosic River and a third on the Coney Creek. A man and his wife were crossing Coney Creek bridge in a carriage when the abut- ments gave way. No trains have been run on the Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Rail- road to-day, the track being washed out. An early train for New. York attempted to run through tho overflowing water, but the engine fire was put out. A long train of coal cars was backed up to the blockaded train and coupled thereto, and thus they were pulled out and enabled to proceed, making the regular New York connections. All the trains on the Lehigh Valley re are late, owing to washouts and other obstruc- ions. The Susquehanna River is still rising. In the dark- ness it is impossible to discern the character of the freight that the waters carry down. ‘THE FLOOD AT SCRANTON. (BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.] Scranton, Pa., Dec. 11, 1878. The storm has flooded the flats along the Susque- hanna and Lackawanna rivers, which have been rising rapidly to-day, and in many places on the Lackawanna and Bloomsburg road the track is submerged by four feet of water. The accom- modation train at Avondale passed through water a foot deep this forenoon. ‘The flood continued to rise at the rate of eight inches an Bone. malD- st atthe» its. preeant,--Aapt. ‘The mail train, which his vity for Northumber- land at ten minutes past two this afternoon, could not get past Plymouth, about twenty-five miles dis- tant, and was forced to return. The Lai bee has not been so high since the memorable ice gorge. ‘Thousands of acres are submerged slong the low- lands. A number of houses from which the inmates had to fly this morning are standing in the water along the lower portion of oming Valley. The Lackawanna, which passes through Scranton and joins the Susquehanna — at Pittston, has not been so high in many years, A pedler named Gottlieb, who attempted to crows Leggett's Creek, near this city, with a horse and wagon last even- ing, was drowned and swept into the Lackawanna. His horse escaped. The man’s body was not found. The smail train from Saratoga to Scranton last night had ‘a narrow escape at Starrucca, on the Jefferson branch of the Erie road. A few minutes after it crossed the tottering bridge at that place the bridge was swept away. The engineer felt that it was unsafe before crossing, but “was bound to bring his train over.” The mails have been detained in several directions. The weather is cold and cloudy to-night. It has not rained much during the day, but snow or rain ia expected to-night. MANUFACTURING STOPPED AT EASTON, (BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.) Easton, Pa., Dec. 11, 1878. ‘The Lehigh River began rising at an early hour this morning, and, being backed up by the Delaware River, has overflowed the docks and several of the streets on the south side of this town. The Delaware has overflowed Front street on the cast side and flooded the kitchens and parlors of @ large number of residences. Over one hundred families were compelled to move out of their houses. The Delaware River raised all day at the rate of one foot an hour, and is _ fill with drift wood, trees and Fears are -entertained that the log moored in the Delaware, near the t Gap, will break from their fastenings, and that the bridge across the Delaware at this place will be carried pe in which event it will be impossible to save the Lehigh and Susquehanna and Lehigh Valley Railroad bridges. Several storehouses on . Docl street filled with merchandise are submerged and considerable damage has been done. REMOVING PURNITURM IN BOATS. The streets on the river fronts are lined with boats removing household goods. The excitement has been most intense. Crowds line the river banks eagerly awaiting whatever may occur. The trains on the Belvidere and Delaware Railroad are running behind time owing to the tracks being submerged at the Delaware Water Gap. All of the furnaccs, wire mills and factories in Easton are stopped. No re- liable estimate can yet be formed of the amount of damage done, (BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.) Waren Gar, Pa., Dec. 11, 1878. Tt has rained in the Delaware Valley for the last forty-eight hours at this writing. Tho Delaware River is twenty-six fect above low water mark and still rising. The Delaware, Lacka- wanna and Western Railroad track is covered with water. The river is higher than it has been for thirty- seven years. PrittspurG, Pa., Dec. 11, 1978. Aserious smash-up occurred on the Baltimore and Ohio road shortly betore daylight this morning. A west bound freight train jumped the track near Laughlin Station and was badly wrecked. One of the brakemen, named Fuller, was buried under the débris, aud when taken out was fonnd to be badly hurt. The road was badly blocked at the wreck, and passengers were compelled to be trans- ferred all day. A heavy landslide occurred at Soho, on the same road. Both rivers are very high aud ions of Pittsburg and Alleghany are submerged, mt beyoud the flooding of cellars no damage is re- ported. MASSACHUSETTS. RAILROAD TRAVEL PARTIALLY SUSPENDED IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS —-GREAT DAMAGE IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE STATE, (BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.) Nortn Avams, Dee. 11, 1878, ‘The effects of the storm have been most disastrous thronghont Western Massachusetts, particularly in Berkshire county. The mountain streams have been swollen to unprecedented size and hardly a village or town has escaped serious damage, Along the Hoosac River, which was higher this morning than it has been since the great freshet of ten years ago, much damage has been occasioned, A nuinber of small houses havo been washed away, and everything movable within reach of the flood has been carried down stream. Many of the great factories have been obliged temporarily to suspend work, The railroads have suffered terribly. Travel eastward from’ here is entirely sus- pended over the Hoosac Tunnel, the Fitchburg, Troy and Greenfield railroads, On the latter road there are bad washouts at Charimont, Buckland and near Shel- bourne Falls, A TRAIN TWELVE HOURS LATE. The Western express over the Troy and Boston road due here at four o'clock this morning reached here about twelve hours late, owing to a wash- out at North Pownal. The water coyered the track this morning near that place for & quarter of a wile, to a depth of four or five fect, but it is rapidly decreasing. The freight traffic is suspended and the passenger trains are very irregular, On the Boston and Albany roud, near Chester, a span of the fect iron bridge has been broken down, and passengers and mails have to be transferred around, A large force of men was put to work on the breaks on the Troy and Greenfield road this af- ternoon by Manager Prese tt, and it is expected that travel will be resumed in a short time. SPRO TELD, Mass., Dec. 11, 1878. ‘There are several bad washouts on the Boston and Albany Railroad in the v: ity of Westfield. Last evening's trains, in both directions, stuck between Westfteld and Russell. There are no trains running west of this city to-day on account of a washout, 150 feet Jong and 10 feet deep, a mile and a half this sido of Westfield. At the same distance beyond Westfield 1,000 feet of both tracks are gone. At Russell two more sections of 300 and 200 feet are gone. At Huntington, one-half of the town iron bridge, one span of the Boston and Albany iron bridge, a portion of the dam and mill ot the Chester Paper Company and the dike of the Highland mills are swept away. The streets are like a river bed. At Westfield the loss is fully $300,000, The dike on the south side of the Westfield River overflowed last evening and washed across Elm street and through Meadow street, cutting off the centro of the town from the depot. At the same time the dike gave away a mile west of the village, pouring water all through that section from west toeast. The stream across Elm street, runs to-night ten fect deep. Tho cellars of all the stores on Elm strect, nearly to the Post Office, a distance of half a mile, are flooded, ‘The stream from the west swept through Lincoln, Franklin and Orange streets, surroundéd the fac- tories on Elm street near the river, burst through the embankment. of the New Haven and Northampton Railroad which crosses the river and undermined the track for thirty rods. Late xt night the gas went out. The buildings destroyed were mostly in the vieinity of Elm. street, in a direct line of the Hood. Steers & Turner's organ factory on the east side of Elm street, near the river, was partially destroyed. The loss is’ $15,000 on the contents of the building. Peck, Osden & Co.'s Whip factory is also gone, in- cluding the brick storeroom; the damage to the stock alone {9 5,00. Leonard Atwater's unoccupied whip factory, Praim’s four story brick block and E. Avery's whip factory’ are all smashed to pieces. The quassia cup factory of S$. H. Shute, near the bridge, is gone and the material is scattered a mile down the stream; the loss is $5,000; Praim’s block was worth $10,000, Two wooden whip factories, occupied by Holeomb & Cook and Edmund Cooper, were swept away with all the: The track of the New Haven and Northampton Railroad is injured to the extent of $5,000 in a stretch of aquarter of a mile. In Centre Village numerous houses were taken off, but no lives were lost. A house oecupied by Widow Sackett was taken up bodily and settled in o hole fifteen feet below the surface of the ground and the family were confined there for several hours. The county and Morely bridges and the west end of the dam of Crane Bros,’ paper mill, in Little River, two miles east of Westfield, were sweptaway. There is great loss in the town by dam- age to streets and sewers. ‘The river is now rapidly subsiding. A Pittstield despatch says that the bridge on the Boston and Albany road at Huntington was swept away by the storm, and trains from the West are blockaded there. A large number of passengers aro waiting for the opening df the road. On the Housatonic ilroad there is a washout at Cornwall, and last night's train from New York and a special train are stopped somewhere on the road. At le there was 4 great alarm last night, the ‘Ashmere Reservoir threatening to give way. At Leo- minster great damage was done by the giving way of the dam. Nonruamrron, Mass., Dec, 11, 1878. ‘The extent of high water damages in Northampton and Hampshire county are greater than were indi- acted yesterday. Lamb's wire mill andthe dam of Clement & Hawke's cutlery mill are badly ured, The Stato Hospital property was injured. by the loss of and and improve- menté, the Vernon: mill dam ‘was destroyed, eral hundred: fett’of cand and ‘railroad were b beg carried away. Hiver road, above At: one. farnier’ $1,000 worth of tol ‘Acres of meadow land -are, buried in ae sand, meadows. ww Leeds are strewn wit! clothiag; furniture, ng;-wagons, broken timber, &c. The bend in the river at Leeds is greatly changed and @ great scene of ruin is presented. NEW HAMPSHIRE, TWO MORE RAILROAD ACCIDENTS—TRAVEL AI- MODSD BUSPENDED--TRAINS RUNNING INTO RIV- Coxconrp, Dec. 11, 1878. A serious accident occurred on the Montreal Rail- road last evening at Sewall’s Falls, about a mile and a half above East Concord, in consequence of a wash- out caused by the heavy rains of yesterday. As the evening through train to Montreal, con- sistingysef +s smoking, "vaggago.;.and mail car combined, and passengér and Pullnitih cars, were passing over the engine and tender were precipitated down an emiBankment abont dhe tuhdred and fitty feet from the road., “The, b gat struck into the side of the washout and teloncted into the passenger car next behind., Both cars were thrown on to their sides in an Opposite direction’ frofi’ th’ locomotive. ‘The Pullman car was not thrown from the track, and the occupants experienced only a slight shaking up. In the passenger car were some fourteen people and in the smoking car eight or nine. In the baggage car were only two persons, neither of whom was injured, Some seven persons were injured. Oscar Boothell, of Lancaster, and Foster Littleton, were rather severely hurt, the former being cut in the head and badly bruised, and the latter jammed in the lower part of his body. ‘The engineer, Charles Hoyt, of Woodsville, and the fireman, Jack Lawler, of the same place, were found about seventy feet from the locomotive, the latter being nearly buried in mud, Lawler was very severely injured. His face and head were badly cut and bruised andaleg and arm broken. Hoyt was sealded in the face and had his handcut. The loco- motive was badly wrecked, as were the two cars. On the same road at Tilton a washout occurred yes- terday afternoon, and the Warren Railroad bridge was carried away. At West Concord, on the Concord and Claremont Railroad, a bad washout was discov- ered by aquarryman just before the arrival of the Poterboro train, who signalled and stopped the train @ short distance from the washout. On the Northern Railroad at Danbury a washout has stopped the progress of all trains on the road. i pPiymoutH, N. H., Dec. 11, 1878. The water in the Baker and Pemigewassst rivers ix higher than known for years. A large amount of damage is done to roads, bridges and fences. The Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad is badly dam- aged. Many bridges and culverts were carried away. ‘The whole Pemigewaseet Valley is one shect of water. At Livermore Falls the floor cf the Massachusetts and New Hampshire Fish Hatching House is six inches undet water:» The young. salmon, of which thero are 400,000 in the house, will not -be disturbed unless the water rises two feet higher. WoopsvitLe, N. H., Dec. 11, 1878, The throngh expres freee train from Boston with two went info the river near Wentworth, where the trestle was swept away, and both were badly wrecked. No one was seriously injured. John Marsh, the engineer, was carried several rods down the river, when he caught hold of a bush and got out. The bridges were also swept away at Warren and Last Haverhill. Wrecking trains cannot reach the disabled train beforo this afternoon. CONNECTICUT. Seymour, Dec, 11, 1871 The effects of tho severe storm of Tuesday are ap- parent on the railroads leading out of Bridgeport. The Housatonic road had a washout at North Kent, which is already repaired. It has an engine off the track at the State line, and haa lost the Green River bridge below Barrington. The bridge will probably be replaced to-day. On the Naugatuck road there were several washouts in tho vicinity of Waterbury, several between Waterbury and Thomaston and some large cuts at Seymour. ‘The company is erecting a 140 foot iron bridge. It was on the false works which were swept away. The new bridge will probably not be com- pleted before Monday, but the track is otherwise intact. To-day the passengers, baggage, mails, &c., will be transferred at Seymour until the bridge is comple: In Bridgeport, beyond some injury to the shipping, no serious damage was done, MAINE, THE FLOOD DESTROYING PROPERTY AND CAUS- ING GREAT LOSSES. Barn, Dee, 11, 1878, ‘Tho railroad depot is surrounded by water and the track through the village submerged to the depth of three fect and badly washed. The train departures are all cancelled, Southard’s starch factory, a mile below the village, was carried awa ‘The water runs through the streets of the upper village, The cellars are full, The bighways north and south are impass- able, being several feet under water, The water is still rising faet. A large number of washouts are reported, the Grand ‘Trunk, and the Boston and Concord, and the Mon- — and Maine Central railroads sustaining heavy joases, Adespatch from Lewiston states there is a great freshet in the Androscoggin River, and there are rears that vast quantities of loge in the booms will go out. ‘The schooner Harp, Captain Tinker, of Calais, tor Boston, with « cargo of brick and Inmber, was driven sshore ip tho storm at Rockland. Me.. last niah' 300 5 SES went entirely to pieces. Trains are not running on the Grand Trunk Railroad, VERMONT. THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS’ WORTH OF PROPERTY DESTROYED IN BRATTLEBORO ALONE— LOSSES IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE. Brarrievoro, Dec, 11, 1878. Later accounts of the damage done in this town alone show that it will probably exceed $30,000, a large part of which will fall upon the town in tho destruction of highways and bridges, seven of the latter having been swept away within a space of two miles, Tho two story Grangers’ Hall, at Slate Hollow, Dummerston, was ashed away, as was also a portion of George Cook's idence and a large steam mill at Townshend and 1 bridges in that vicinity. Green River, Marl- boro, Newfane and Putney suffered correspondingly. ‘A washout oceurred on the Valley Railroad, ucar Dummerston and Bartonsville. isaxter pre- vented the running of regular trains over the road, and trains from Springfield and New York w prevented from making . Extey ¢ and Fuller Battery lose heavily by the destruction of their armories, Be REPORTS IN THE CITY. DAMAGE TO SHIPPING AT SEA—COASTING VESSELS OBLIGED TO SEEK SHELTER—THE WESTERN * ‘TRAINS DELAYED, ‘The weather yesterday had abated much in violence, althongh the wind was still boisterous, The sea- gulls which had been driven in from the ocean by the fierceness of the storm of Tuesday were curiously observed by passengers on the various ferries as they circled in erratic and giddy flight through the air or dipped with sudden splash into the deep trough of the waves after floating fragments of food. The tides were extremely high all along the shores of the harbor and on the New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut coasts, At the Fulton ferry slips the water was at least two feet above the usual mark. Both at the ebb and the flow it ran with fearful ra- pidity and several of the ocean steamers which ar- rived were docked with great difficulty and after much delay. The Lessing of the Hamburg line, which passed Sandy Hook about midnight on Tuesday, and reached Hoboken at half past eight in the morning, did not touch her pier until almost eleven o'clock. The Cunard, the French Transatlantique and the Auchor line steamers lay at anchor in the stream for some time, until the wind and tide had moderated, SHIPPING DAMAGED. The English steamer Tycho Brahe, Captain Miller, sailing under the Belgian flag and carrying the. Bel- gian mails from Rio Janeiro, arrived off Sandy Hook on Tuesday evening. The fog was so dense that it was deemed dangerous to approach nearer the harbor aud she put about and headed outtosea, The barom- eter was remarkably low—28.80—but the storm was not correspondingly violent, although the waves were continually breaking over the decks. The officers remarked at the time that it must be blowing very hard somewhere else. On board there was & menagerie and circus company. Many vessels were passed that were lying to with all sails furled, but none of them displayed signals of distress or seemed to have sutlered’any considerable damage. The schooner H. W. Race, Captain Zeeluf, arrived in the morning from Virginia, with a cargo Of oysters. She got into the worst area of the storm off Abse- eum, N. J. The wind blew with terrific force and the sea swept continually over the vessel, carrying every- thing with it. The crew clung to the masts and the shrouds with almost the strength of despair. The mate, Charles Carter, whose home is at Moriches, Long Island, was carried overboard, and at the same time the only boat was swept away by a gigantic wave. They could not render him any assistance and his death cannot be doubted. The skylight of the cabin was broken and it was deluged with water about three feet decp. The cargo shifted from side to side and the decks were almost completely sub- merged during several hours. So dangerous was the situation of the schooner that the captain ex- pected every moment that she would sink, until after twelve or fifteen hours the land was sighted and a pilot was procured. ‘The mails from the Western States were backward in arriving, some of the railroad trains coming in as much as six hours behind time. The New York Cen- tral and Hudson River mail train which was due Tuesday evening at seven o'clock did not get in until one o'clock yesterday. About sunset the clouds which had obscured the sky so long began to break in the West and the sun- light fell in silvery sheets through the narrow rent. This was what the country people call “drawing water,” and it was remarked as an indication thatfair weather was not yet on the threshold of the present. GREAT DAMAGE IN NEW JERSEY. The storm caused much damage about Paterson, N.J., and northward, At Haledon, a suburb of Pater- son, the high dem across Oldham Creek was swept fences, roads anda large portion of the horse rail- way track leading to Oldham, While a large area of the roadway Icading to this suburb from Paterson was completely undermined a man named Adam Scott attempted to drive over it. Suddenly himself, team and vehicle sunk from sight in a chasm ten feet deep, through which the torrent was rushing. Mr. Scott was rescued with mnch difficulty, but one of the horses was drowned and the other was drawn out nearly dead. The dam over the same stream, near the Passaic County Almshouse, was carried away by the force of the waters coming down from above, and bridges, fences, two small buildings and the roadway for a considerable distance completely demolished. All the bridges on the Wagaran Creek between Paterson and Ridgewood were carried sway, rendering the road im- assable almost throughout its length. The dams at Horrow's woollen mills aud White's grist mill were also carried away. Almost every road throughout that section is submerged. In Paterson a new brick house on Tyler street, be- longing to Mi P. Hornton, wasentirely demolished by the wind and rain. In the same city, on Main street, a portion of the chimney of the’ Vreeland Building fell during the storm, the bricks coming down to the sidewalk like hailstones. Several narrow escapes occurred and one man was quite severely in- jured. The Montclair Railway, west of Paterson, is sub- merged for miles in the vicinity of Lincoln Park and at other points, and travel is suspended. For long stretches the track cannot be seen as far as the eyo can reach. The dwellings at Lincoln Park are sur- rounded by water to the second stories. and residents have been compelled to take refuge in the upper stories and to move about on improvised floats. The Laflin & Rand Powder Works toward Mountain View are surrounded with water to a depth of from ten to twelve feet, and all work is suspended. At Midland Park, on the New Jersey Midland Rail- way, Odd Fellows’ Hall was completely demolished by the flood and swept away, together with its ap- purtenances; also several other buildings in the same vicinity. Much damage has been done to the New Jersey Midland Railway track in this neighborhood and at other points. Over four hundred feet of the track was washed away at Midland Park alone, and in- numerable washouts are reported all along the line. The railway bridge at Wortendyke was destroyed, but the men worked all Tuesday night and all day yester- day, and it is already rebuilt. The high dam at Wyckof? was carried away, ant the waters swept everything before them, among others the Pompton railway bridge, on the Midland, which is now being rebuilt. ‘The giving way of the dam at Wyckoff caused the destruction of the two dams near Wortendyke and the big stone mill dam further east, and ised a great destruction of Lng oe . Wortendyke’s sill mill, at Wortendyke, was flooded and a considerable lors entailed. The bridge and dam at Lodi were car- ried away. Also the bridge at Kinderhook. MIDNIGHT WEATHER REPORT, War DEPARTMENT, d Orrick oF THY CHIEF StaNxaL Orricer, Wasninetox, Dev. 12—1 A.M. |) Indications, For Now England, cloar or partly cloudy weather, wosterly winds, stationary or lower temperature, higher pressure. For the Middle Atlantic States, colder, partly cloudy weather, northwesterly winds, higher pres- sure. For the South Atlantic States, clear or partly cloudy wea her, winds mostly westerly, stationary or lower temperature, higher pressure. For the Kast Gulf States, warmer, partly clondy weather, winds mostly southerly, stationary or higher pressure. For the West Gulf States, partly clondy weather, with rain areas, warm southerly, shifting to colder northerly winds, generally higher pressure. ‘The Ohio and Mississippi rivers will rise. ‘The dieplay of cautionary signals will be suspended on the lakestexcepting at Milwaukee, Grand Haven and Ludington, on and after the 15th inst, Cautionary signals continue at Oswego, Section Six, Rochester, Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland and Section Fiv Cautionary off shore signals continue at Indianola and Galveston, THE WEATHER YESTERDAY, The following record will show the changes in the temperature for the past twenty-four hours, in com- parison with the corresponding date of last year, as indicated by the thermometer at Hudnut’s Pharmacy, HERALD ae No, 21 3AM 6 A.M. 4 aie 12 P.M Sp 2 Mj.. 2PM... ag dretkes temperature Pepe “ oe AIM Average temperature for corresponding last WOM sevcseversvees Seaseven 3 WASHINGTON. Senator Blaine’s Revival of Sectional Agitation. + A NEW REPUBLICAN DEPARTURE’ Failure of Negro Suffrage to Meet Expectations, WHAT THE WHITES HAVE CAPTURED, Threatened Decrease of Southern Representation, THURMAN AND LAMAR IN REPLY, Passage by the House of the Interstate Commerce Bill, —_-——— FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, WasHINGtON, Dec. 11, 1878 THE SOUTHERN ELECTIONS IN THE SENATE—~ MR. BLAINE’S SPEECH AND ITS EFFECT. Mr. Blaine had a lovely day and a crowded audi- ence for his expected speech. The Senate galleries and the passages leading to them were crowded by half-past twelve o'clock, and before one o’clock the floor of the Senate was also filled with members of the House, one or two Cabinet officers and anumber of other eminent persons. Atoneo’clock the Vice Presi- dent declared the morning hour expired. A Senator rose, amid a general hush, and, in a humdrum voice, asked the reference of a bill; and then Senator Ham- lin moved that the Senate postpone all other busi- ness to take up the resolution of his colleague. The resolution was read and, as Mr. Blaine rose, Mr. Thurman remarked thet he would offer an amend- ment, but deferred it, at Mr. Blaine’s suggestion, until the latter had spoken. DURING THE SPEECH. ‘Thereupon, to the surprise and disappointment of a good many of his hearers, Mr. Blaine took up a neat manuscript and began to read his remarks, There is a good deal of difference necessarily between reading and speaking, and everybody knows that Mr. Blaine’s strength lies in off-hand speaking. He read, of course, clearly; but it was, after all, reading. While he spoke the democrats listened very care- fully, and the speaker faced them and ad- dressed himself directly to them. The republicans paid but moderate _ attention, and Messrs. Conkling and Edmunds employed them: selves in the diligent perusal of books durigg the whole of his remaks. Listening to speeches is not one of the habits of the Senate, however, and men as. famous as Mr. Blaine have often in former times read speeches to an assemblage of grave Senators, the most of whom were writing letters with conapice uous and irritating industry. OUJECT OF THE SPEECH. Mr. Blaine said his object was to place on record outrages by which the democrats had carried seven Southern districts and to ascertain what can be done to prevent such things. He assumed that there had been murders, intimidation, violence and fraud, be. cause such things had been charged and not contra dicted; and he neatly remarked that in South Carolina, in‘his opinion, there,had been no election at all, but only @ series of skirmishes in which the polling places were the forts, As thecommiseten of disgrace, _ ful outrages was not contradicted, he thought it jus® thatan inquiry should be made. GIST OF THE SPEKCH. But, he went on, there were matters which did not need to be established by inquiry, which were already certain,.and here he came to the gist of his.speech, Of 108 demrocratic Representatives from Southern States, he said, 101 are democrats. Thirty-five of the 106 were assigned to the South on account of the colored population snd vote, and all these had been seized by the democrats. This issue, he said, is not sentimental; it is not the bloody shirt; it does not concern the equal rights of the blacks. But the question is whether the whites of the North shall have equal rights with the whites of the South, whether the men who fought for the government shall have equal representation with the men who fought against it. He cited a number of figures, grouping and comparing Northern and Southern States, on which he asserted that 60,008 whites in the South had # representation in the Honse equal to that of 132,000 whites of the North, and that thus, for all purposes—for levying taxes, for appropriations and for fixing the policy of the government—the Confederate soldier of the South casts twice the vote of his loyal opponent of the North. ‘The thirty-five votes in the next House, which the Southern democrats had seized, he said, were nearly equal to the vote of New York or of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and he called it a ruthless seizuro of unlawfal power which would, he prophesied, arouse Northern public opinion and unite the monetary, commercial, manufacturing and other interests against the South, He meant to ask now not for the equal rights of the blacks, but for equal rights for the whites. “We will never suffer the Southern whites to be more thag ourselves,” he exclaimed, MR. THURMAN’S REPLY. ‘There was slight applause as Mr. Blaine sat down and Mr. Thurman rose to reply. He sent his amiend> ment to be read, the substance of which was given iit these despatches on Monday. Hedid not intend to delay or obstruct the passage of Mr. Blaine’s resolution with his amendment, he said, but he wished to say now that the aim of the Senator from Maine was clearly, under the pretest of a solid South, to create if he could @ solid North with which to rule not only the South but a large part of the people of the North also, The gist of the Senator's complaint, in fact, is that there were not enough republican votes cast in the South at tho late election, But he forgets the constitution of society there and he forgets that it is in the nature of things and inevitable that property, intelligence and education should rule. These will assert their pre-eminence everywhere in the world, and in saying this he did not raise a color line, but rather he sought to destroy it. He went on to speak of the minuteness and severity of the federal election laws, of the multitude of federal officers at hand to enforee them, and asked what more could be needed to secure jus- tice everywhere. Ho asked whether the same republicans who, against the protests of some of their own party, framed and passed the two constitue tional: amendments, were, now that these did not serve their partisan ends suy longer, about to re- trace their steps, and he spoke of the corrupt use of money at elections as a far greater danger than whet was asserted to have happened in ‘some South- ern districts, Finally, he said, there are im- portant questions of the currency, of finance, of tariff and many other material quostions. Are these, he asked, once more to be put aside in order that resolutions and speeches shall be made to ine flame the minds of the people against cach other? Mr. Edmunds remarked that he was struck with the jnstness of the Senator's remarks about the cor rupt use of money at elections, especially in view of some recent developments, and this neat allusion to the Tilden cipher despatches raised a gencral laugh, Mr. Blaine, now speaking briefly, without notes, said the democratic party does not hold rightfal sway in the present House, and in the next will hold it by frand and outrage, and as the democrats will them possess both houses they will have » Congress based on the destruction of human rights and which wil) lack the warrant of the consent of the governed. REMARKS OF MIN. LAMAR, Mr. Lamar remarked that he would have gladly fol. lowed Mr. Blaine if he had proposed any measure + XJ peally looking #0 an uoprovemient of the d