THE FLOOD OF 1843. 81 



On Crura creek, at T. C. Palmer's mills, the excavating 

 power of the flood was very strikingly exhibited. A portion 

 of his dam was swept out, and below the breach an excava- 

 tion was made to the depth of twelve feet. Part of the exca- 

 vation occupies the former site of his wagon house, which 

 was undermined and carried away. At Beatty's mills, and at 

 L,ewis' mills, the denuding and transporting power of the 

 flood were strongly marked, in the excavations which it 

 caused, and in the removal of heavy materials. 



A breach of twenty or thirty feet in extent was made by 

 the ice freshet of 1839, in the stone breast of the dam of Enos 

 Sharpless, on Ridley creek. This breach had been rebuilt 

 with large stones, weighing from ten to twent)^ hundred 

 weight, and in order to make it more secure, these stones 

 were fastened together with straps of iron from one half inch 

 to one inch square, being bolted to the stones, and thus two, 

 three or more of these large stones were connected together 

 all through the wall. This part of the wall was all torn out 

 by the flood, and no two of these large stones were found fas- 

 tened together, but in nearly all cases the bars of iron were 

 broken off — in a few cases in which the bolts were drawn out, 

 the bars have been twisted and bent as if they had been no 

 more than bars of lead. Three of these stones having been 

 thus fastened together on the wing- wall of the dam, were car- 

 ried sixty or eighty 3'ards down the creek, where two of them 

 but little short of two tons weight each, lodged against trees, 

 with the irons broken off. On a meadow of Mr. S. a quarter 

 of an acre was divested of its surface, and an acre covered 

 with stones, gravel and sand. A meadow of about five acres, 

 belonging to Jonathan Thomas, was excavated to the depth 

 of four or five feet in some parts, and in other parts covered 

 with a deposit of stones, gravel, &c., to the depth of three 

 feet. Great changes have been produced in many places 

 along the valley of this stream, many of the rich flats have 

 been rendered nearh- valueless by deep excavations or heavy 

 deposits of stony materials. In the vicinity of the factories 



