The 1889 Flood in Williamsport

The 1889 Flood In Williamsport Pa

In late May of 1889, the water  rose 34 feet, flooding three-quarters of the city of Williamsport..   The log booms let loose, and  approximately  200,000,000 feet of logs. 40,000,000 feet of timber,  along with several mills and factories, were carried away or destroyed.    The bridges were washed away. and much other property had been  carried away or destroyed, with  a number of lives and homes lost

City Of Williamsport Looking West, 1889 Flood

When you think of the 1889 Flood, it's hard not to think of Johnstown. On May 31 1889 the South Fork Dam at Johnstown failed. Over 2,000 people died when the dam let loose and suddenly destroyed 4 square miles of Johnstown, fourteen miles away. Ninety Nine entire families were lost at Johnstown.

Williamsport had a different sort of dam than Johnstown, and that was about to break too. In 1846, the lumber company built a log boom, a six mile series of piers use to collect and store logs during the spring log drives. The Lumber capital of the world was about to watch all of its lumber be carried off, and it's most of mills would be destroyed.

Maynard Street

To Governor Beaver - "The situation is this: The boom has been cleaned of logs from the principal yards along the waterfront and the manufactured lumber has been swept away. The houses of the poor people nearest the river front have been carried away with all they possessed. ...."

Maynard to Second Street

"Thousands of people are homeless and without anything but the clothing on their backs. Provisions are scarce and are needed quickly. Many of our people are in absolute want for the necessities of life.".

The Fallen Bridge

The Pottsville Republican reported on June 4 1889 that between fifty and eighty people who were on the Market Street Bridge in Williamsport watching the flood were washed away and drowned.

West Jefferson & Front Street

"Stocks of goods in stores are ruined. It is impossible to estimate the loss and damage to property. Five million dollars is a low estimate on lumber alone. Other losses larger."

Telegraph to Governor Beaver from Mayor Foreman of Williamsport:,  June 1889.

Boom Mill Carrying Away The Bridge

" We badly needed disinfectants. Dead animals and all kinds of filth are strewn upon the streets and grave fears of an epidemic are entertained. "

Front Street & West Jefferson

"Send us help at once, in the name of God, at once. There are hundreds utterly destitute. They have lost all they had, and have no hope of employment for the future. Philadelphia should, if possible, send provisions. Such a thing as a chicken is unknown here; they were all carried off. It is hard to get anything to eat for love or money. Flour is needed worse than anything else."

"One thousand military tents will afford the greatest possible relief to our people who are now without shelter. Send us several large mess tents where we can fee the people in large numbers. The low ground where these people reside is an unfit place for them to return to for sanitary reasons". MAYOR FOREMAN.

Office

The Daily News, June 1889

Market Street Bridge

Market Street Bridge, June 1 1889

Lumber City Planing Mills, 3rd & Hepburn

By June 6th, provisions had arrived from Harrisburg and Philadelphia, and there was "no longer any fear of anyone suffering from hunger"

The tents had also arrived and been set up, making provisions for those who were homeless.

3rd St Looking From Market Square

The people of Williamsport raised $12,000 for the relief of the unfortunate.

Market Square

As Depicted in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper

The Lumbermans Committee on Lost Logs found that there were 21,000 feet of logs between the Loyalsock and Muncy that could be recovered.  There were also many millions of feet below Muncy that could be recovered.

Advertisement of Log Stamps by Saw Mill owners after the 1889 Flood

Men standing on top of the court house.

Hepburn House in the 1889 Flood

Hepburn House On Left

Fourth Street Looking East From Campbell

Fourth Near Elmira

Foot Of Hepburn Street

Front & Hepburn Street

 Hepburn Street & ? Alley

Hepburn St from 3rd St

Looking towards Beaver Mill From Klines Furniture Factory

 West Thiird Street

 North east corner of Market Square

Market Street Looking North From Market Square

East Market Street

 Pine Street

  

 Front & Hepburn 

Mulberry St From Penns R R

Wood Mill & Side Of P & R Trestle

Side of P&R Trestle

Wreck Of Lumber Yards

 Boom Mill Before The Flood

"The flood entered Williamsport at 3 a.m., Saturday morning. For six hours, the chains of the boom were able to hold the great mass of logs in place; then with a crackling roar, the two great burdens of logs were free; 150,000,000 feet of logs started southward to the main channel of the Susquehanna. In the wake of the logs, floated all sorts of manufacture and finished lumber products from the Williamsport mills, a railroad station, and a steady procession of barns, sheds, chicken-coops, and outhouses."  https://www.jaha.org/edu/flood/why/rain_susquehanna.html#_ftn2

 Boom Mill At Ransoms Island

 Jersey Shore Bridge At Ransoms Island

Sawmill

 Near Wire Rope Works

Nobles Old Mill

Nobles Old & New Mill

Nobles & Bear Mill Ruin

Near Otto Factory 

Slaughterhouse

t1889 Flood In Williamsport

Index Of Floods By Year

1889 Flood In Milton

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For More Local Stories & History Of Williamsport

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1899 Flood