30 THE FLOOD OP 1S43. 



given time during the present freshet, as in tliat of 1795. 

 The time of the greatest height of the water was half past 

 six o'clock. The above information was furnished by James 

 Howard. 



The first heavy loss of property on this stream, occurred 

 at Amor Bishop's mills. His dam was entirely carried away, 

 together with a part of the race — his mills, also, were consid- 

 erably damaged. Two tenements which stood near the creek, 

 with the furniture which they contained, were carried away, 

 but no lives were endangered. The flood at this place reached 

 its greatest height about six o'clock, and was ten and a half 

 feet above usual low water. The abutments of the bridge at 

 Bishop's were swept away, with the exception of barely 

 enough of the face wall to support the wood work, which, 

 singularly enough, remains in its original position, except the 

 hand-railing, which shared the fate of the abutments. This 

 was a sleeper bridge of one span — the abutments being 

 founded on the solid rock. The abutment on the western 

 side of the creek is so nearly carried away as to allow a por- 

 tion of the stream at low water to flow where it stood — its 

 facing stones alone being left to support the ends of the 

 sleepers. These, with the planking, remained so firmly that 

 they do not appear to have moved the fraction of an inch. 

 While every thing was yielding around it. so firmly was this 

 bridge held to its place, that during the height of the flood, 

 large floating trees were observed to strike against it with 

 great force — their roots being drawn under it, and their tops 

 thrown many feet out of the water. 



A memh>er of the committee has made a careful examina 

 lion of the subject, with a view of ascertaining the principles 

 up)n which the floor of this bridge was enabled to maintain 

 its pfjsition, perched up on the tottering ruins of the abut- 

 ments. The following is the result of that examination : 



The water, at its height near the margin of the stream, 

 and forty-three yards above the bridge, was ten feet six 

 incli^-s Its greatest height on the mari^in of the flood, op])o- 



