THE FLOOD OF 1843. 21 



Jesse Brooke, a short distance below, was partly carried away, 

 and that of John Evans, still lower down the stream, entirely 

 swept out. Mr. E. also had a large quantity of lumber car- 

 ried away, and sustained other losses. 



With the exception of fences, crops, &c., no serious 

 damage was sustained on what is called the eastern branch of 

 Darb}^ creek, above its union with the west branch. Its 

 waters were raised, however, to an unprecedented height. 

 Some damage resulted .from the flood on the west branch of 

 this stream, before it enters Delaware county. Thomas' mill 

 dam, a short distance above the county line, it is understood, 

 was entirely swept away. At the bridge near Mr. William 

 Crossley's factory, the water attained a height of ten feet, 

 and but for the flat around the north-east abutment, the 

 bridge must have yielded to the force of the flood. As it was, 

 the bridge, although wholly constructed of stone, was observed 

 to oscillate so perceptibly as to alarm a number of by-standers 

 for its safety. Mr. Crossley sustained some loss from having the 

 basement of his factory flooded. Samuel Moore & Co., who 

 own and occupy two woollen factories, next below Mr. Cross- 

 ley's had both their dams destroyed. The small dam on this 

 stream, which turns its waters into the main dam belonging 

 to Levi Lewis' mill, is also said to have been broken, as well 

 as the side bank of the main dam itself. The saw-mill dam 

 of Mr. Lewis, which is on a tributary that empties into 

 Darby creek, a short distance below his flour mill, was also 

 broken. From Mr. Lewis' mills to a point near Hood's 

 bridge, the creek has ample room to spread, and was product- 

 ive of little damage, except to fences, &c. Near this point 

 the water rose to the height of fourteen feet, being seven feet 

 higher than the ice freshet of January 26th, 1839. Hood's 

 bridge, which was a stone structure of two twenty feet arches, 

 erected in 1836, at a cost of $1,553 ^^ the county, had both 

 arches swept out, and the abutments nearly destroyed. It 

 may be regarded as a total loss. 



After leaving this bridge, the creek has wide flats to the 



