Chenango County, NY Flood of 1905
Chenango Union, September 7, 1905
Continued from posting of January 15, 2017
Woman Drowned at New Berlin
Paper Mill creek, which runs on the outskirts of the village of New Berlin [Chenango Co., NY] felt the effects of the storm which raged Sunday evening and leaving its banks, tore down the main street. A dwelling occupied by J.M. Deering was undermined and swept away, Mrs. Deering being drowned. Her body was recovered from the street where it had wedged against the curb and was caught by debris.
The blacksmith shop of Harrison Smith, the carriage shop of Charles Fish and the shoe shop of William Clark were washed away. The electric light plant was crippled, light poles were washed out and the village was left in darkness. The flood tore up the street, undermined and broke the water main leading from the reservoir and the water from that source was added to the flood water. The dam did not go out. About fifteen people who attended the evening service at the Presbyterian church found themselves surrounded by water and had had to remain in the church until day light.
Unadilla Valley Road
Every bridge on the Unadilla Valley road between Bridgewater and New Berlin is washed out and the track is undermined in numerous places. Several weeks will be required to repair the track. It is rumored that the road will be turned into a trolley line. The New Berlin branch of the O.&W. suffered in several places and traffic was suspended for two days.
Boy Drowned in Oxford
Stewart, the eleven year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Young, Oxford, was drowned in the flood Monday morning. The boy walked out on a plank which led to a hen house, fell into the current and was carried down stream. The accident happened in full view of his parents and several other people and efforts were made to rescue him but without avail. The swift current carried his body beyond reach.
Never before has the water reached as high a point. The Lackawanna depot station platform was only about four inches out of water, the Episcopal church was in the midst of a swiftly running stream and water was pouring though the basement.
The Borden's suffered a loss of over $1,000. The water invaded the ice house, caused the ice to settle and bulged out the end of the building, some of the ice being carried off.
Sherburne Suffers
Sherburne suffered losses by the flood conservatively estimated at $20,000. Nearly 20 iron bridges were washed away and almost innumerable wooden bridges and culverts carried off. The upper reservoir broke out and the flood poured through the village. Cellars were flooded, the streets and yards piled with debris and about 20 lengths of the water main undermined and either swept off or broken. The village is without water. The newly graded school grounds were gullied, fences removed. Details are not at hand, but from glimpses caught while the flood was raging it is believed that many horses and cattle were caught on the low land and drowned, their bodies being carried down stream.
Edmeston Nearly Ruined
The village of Edmeston is a serious loser. Merchants have had their stocks ruined by the water which stood two feet deep on store floors, several barns were carried away, the residence and barber shop of A.F. Douke, disappeared on the flood, the wing of the house of Eri Chase was swept from its foundation and unnumbered horses and cows were drowned. There were no losses of human life or injuries to individuals.
North Norwich
This town was visited with the greatest downpour of rain Sunday night that it ever experienced, doing great damage to roads, bridges and farm property. R.A. Case, FW. Hopkins, Geo. Aylesworth, Cyrus Case, Wm. Lorimer, Henry Tracy, and P.A. Wilkes are among the greatest sufferers. Four bridges on the Henry Bowers creek were washed out, one near Fran Cases', two on the Whaupanaucau Creek and three or four on the King Settlement Creek, besides many small sluices. A barn on Jay Titus' farm was struck by lightning killing a horse that belonged to a man who was visiting there, but doing very little damage to the building. There are many land slides and washouts on the hills sides not to mention those in the public roads. Linn Case sat down to eat his supper with everything all right, in twenty minutes he went out and waded in water up to his waist and took his hog--a good sized one, that was handing by its fore feet to the top of the pen fence in his arms and carried it out to a place of safety. Wm. Lorimer had about 75 cords of stove wood floated off, a good deal of it has lodged near his farm. Miss Emma Buell had 75 fine chickens drowned. The storm was accompanied by terrific lightning and thunder.
King Settlement
The King Settlement brook was one of the chief causes of the trouble and the direct cause of the wreck at Wood's [Corners]. The stream left its banks early Sunday evening. At the crossing near the Buell Barnes plain it washed out the road for several rods, leaving the bridge uninjured. From here the water spread over the meadows finally taking to the highway near the residence of John Tallet. From here to Wood's Corners the road was badly washed out and in front of the residence of F.J. Tuttle nearly half the roadway is washed out to a depth of five feet. At the corners the flood divided on either side of the residence of Roscoe Johnson. One stream went across Mr. Johnson's front yard and the other between his house and barn. It was the meeting of these two streams against the O.&W. railroad bed which caused the washout and wreck at that point. Mr. Johnson was unable to get from his house on account of the high water. The story that his barns were swept away and entire dairy drowned was unfounded. His barns are intact and his horses and cattle were on high ground and safe.
To be continued
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