Valley Girl Views: The 1904 Ice Flood In Bloomsburg, Catawissa, Danville, & Espy.

Ice gorges that had broken up and were left behind near Danville, after the third flood in six weeks between January and March of 1904.

In 1904, an especially severe winter left the Susquehanna river frozen nearly solid. Newspapers in Danville and Bloomsburg reported that there were immense chunks of ice on the river, as thick as 34 inches and protruding as high as eighteen feet.

In a span of just over 6 weeks time between January 27th and March 9th, Bloomsburg, Catawissa, Danville, and the other small villages nearby, would flood three times. The entire area lived in fear, not knowing when the ice would jam, or what would happen when it let loose. In the first two floods, homes were lost, and fields were coated in ice. So much so that trains full of spectators, as many as 6,000 in one week, traveled to Catawissa to view the damage and ice, from as far as Williamsport, Dushore, and "the coal region". So many people visited the small town that the hotels and butchers ran out of food, and small vendors set out road side stands selling "ice gorge sandwiches".

For a few weeks between early February and early March, there was a lull. Proposals were heard, and even attempted, to break up the ice. They were not successful. Newspapers warned of worse case scenerios, stating that when the ice broke, carcasses of animals would be floating down the river along with all of the homes and buildings. Many people lived in fear, or fled the area.

And then in early March, the temperatures rose, and the spring rains began. The third, and final flood of early 1904 was the worst on record for that stretch of the Susquehanna River. Nearly every bridge was destroyed. Towns were without water, gas, and electricity, and the trains and trolleys could not run for days. Water filled homes, and Ice gorges two stories high were left in fields, and along railroad tracks. It was weeks before life returned to normal, and even then some of the ice gorges lasted into July of 1904.

In January of 1904, Bloomsburg recorded a record low temperature of 26 below 0. The Lewisburg Journal recorded 29 below zero. Then in late January, moderate temperatures caused the river to rise and the ice to act as a dam.

January 25, 1904

The low lying towns of Espy, Bloomsburg, Rupert, and Catawissa flooded. For three days, the trolley and railroad lines were closed. This was the first of three floods to pummel the area between January and March of 1904.

Flooding in Espy

The Phildalphia Inquirer, Jan 25 1904

Just two and a half weeks later, the a large amount of ice began to move, destroying the covered bridge linking Berwick and Nescopek.

Flood waters in Berwick, with the Covered Bridge spanning the river

Mr & Mrs Herbert Nagle were crossing the Berwick Bridge when the bridge began to crumble from its foundation. The structure had separated "by a space of nearly three feet" when a spectator rushed to their aid, and the trio made it off the bridge just as the structure collapsed.

The middle span of the Berwick Covered Bridge, floating away

Later that afternoon, the same ice jam destroyed the Mifflinville bridge.

Ice on the river, with 3 spans of the Mifflinville bridge off to the right.

At Ray Croops farm, food waters crept up slowly, then finally rushed in, leaving an ice glare covering the ground. When the ice broke, large cakes cut down his orchard trees, leaving only stumps behind.

Catawissa Flood, 1904

When the waters subsided, the river was still thickly coated in ice. Not since 1865 had the area been covered in water. Water was several feet deep on Water Street in Catawissa, and large ice slabs weighing many tons littered the landscape within half a mile of the river.

Flooding In Catawissa, 1904

Catawissa, 1904

And the worst was still to come.

Despite the ice and water, trains resumed service, and mail came in regularly. Thousands of visitors came by train to Catawissa to see the ice and damage. Hotels and butchers were sold out.

Ice Along the Catawissa Bridge.

The Pittston newspaper reported that one of the strangest facts of this flood was the "springing back" of the Catawissa River Bridge. Ice jammed against the bridge on Sunday, causing the two middle spans to bow out of position by several feet. The bridge hung together however, and later that evening the backwater relieved the pressure and the bridge swung back into position.

January 26, 1904

The crowd visiting Catawissa the following week was even larger still. Trains came from Williamsport & Dushore, and five trains arrived from the coal regions. It was estimated that nearly 6,000 visitors came to the small town that week. Again hotels and butchers ran out of food. Vendors set up stands and sold "ice gorge sandwiches" to the sightseers.

February 12, 1904

The area had weathered two floods in less than three weeks time. And the river was still covered in ice. City newspapers reported constant danger and worst case scenarios, and the citizens lived in fear of what disaster would come when the ice finally broke.

Proposed Solutions

On February 18th, Alfred Cole of Jamison City proposed a dam be constructed above the gorge. Heavy timbers would be placed on the ice about six feet apart, and then the ice would be cut above the stringers about 200 feet. This would form a sheet of water against the stringer, which would in turn force it over the dam on the gorge, causing a honeycomb effect that would wear the ice away.

In exchange for this project, Cole requested a free pass for life on two railroads, and $5,000. The commissioners did not feel his proposal was practical, and rejected it.

A few days later, the commissioners accepted a different proposal from Frank Creasy of Berwick. In his plan, lumber and oil were placed in ice crevices and then set on fire. The hope was that this would break up the ice and get it moving. This, in addition to moderate temperatures over the next week, caused the ice to melt a little, but not fast enough so that the river could not carry it off without additional flooding.

Still, in spots the ice ranged in thickness from fifteen to twenty five feet.

One man was quoted as saying "all the petroleum, high explosives, and battering rams in the state won't move it. It's simply a waste of time to talk about, or even hope for relief, except from a prolonged period of thawing."

And then in early March, the weather warmed up, and a prolonged deluge of rain began. The rains were joined by the melting snow as it came off the mountains. The river and streams swelled and rushed, causing the ice to heave and move.

Flooding At The Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, 1904

In Bloomsburg, the ice choked muddy water "bubbled, foamed, and eddied about the lowlands". Water licked the windows of second story homes below the carpet mill. The fairgrounds were completely submerged. All of Scottown was under water. Boats rescued those who had remained in their homes. In the canal section of town, two houses were washed away, and more were teetering.

Flood Waters In Bloomsburg Pa, 1904

The Magee Carpet Company sounded their whistle to alarm the town at 10:15 that evening. An hour later, the yard surrounding the carpet mill was completely submerged.

The Rupert Bridge in the 1904 flood

Cattle were moved to the second stories in barns, and six feet of water buried the tracks of the electric railway to the north of town. Hoping to save the Rupert bridge, it was weighted down with a heavy train of stone and pig iron.

The Bloomsburg fairgrounds are on the left, railroad street is on the right

Bloomsburg Pa, March 1904

When the covered bridge near the paper mill was swept downstream and lodged against the P&R bridge, the debris was set on fire, in hopes of lessening the strain.

On Monday the Catawissa and Nescopeck creeks broke loose. More bridges, at Shumandsville, and McAuleys on the Catawissa Creek, and the state bridges at Long Hollow, were swept away.

Remains of the Catawissa River Bridge, in the ice

Eight feet of ice covered the the railroad lines for two miles.

The Railroad Tracks At Roaring Creek

The Railroad Tracks Half A Mile Below Catawissa

At 3pm on March 9th, 1904, the Danville Water Works sounded the whistle to warn the citizens that the ice was moving. Locals rushed to the rivers edge, planning to stand on the wooden covered bridge and watch the ice move. The bridge watchman however, warned them away, and posted notices warning of danger.

Ed Ammerman, Pete Jackson, Jim McBride, and Art Myely are said to be the last persons to walk across the wooden bridge, just before the mounting pressure from the ice washed it away.

Thirty minutes after the whistle sounded, the ice, which had been pounding the bridge, tore away the bridges sheeting on one span. A few minutes later, the first span of the bridge crumbled into the river, with four more spans following in succession over just a few minutes time. Only two spans on the Danville side were left standing

Remains Of The Danville Bridge after the flood

Mahoning Creek swelled, backed up, and then filled the cellars of the Mill Street stores, and even the first floors of homes. People were rescued from the second stories of their homes by ladders supported in boats. The water was 13 inches deep on some streets.

Mill Street, Danville Pa, March 1904

Ice Jam, Cooper and Mowery Streets, March 1904

"South Danville" March 1904

The water works in Danville was decommissioned, and the town was without water, light, gas, or electricity.

By 8pm that evening, the river had reached a record level of 29 and a half feet. And then, all of a sudden, the ice below town broke, and the water fell 10 feet in two hours time. A citizen recalled that the water ran out faster than a man could run -and it left 3 inches of mud behind.

The towns of Danville and Bloomsburg, like many others along the Susquehanna, were flooded and damaged. The March 9th 1904 flood is the largest flood on record. The river crested in Bloomsburg at 32.7 feet. (In 1972, the river reached 31.2 feet during Hurricane Agnes) But those towns fared well, compared to towns to the south, in Lancaster County. The York Haven power plant was destroyed, and the town of Collins was completely erased by ice. The village of Safe Harbor was all but destroyed as well.

Remains Of Ice Gorge Below Danville Pa, June 3 1904

William Brown of Danville took 15 photos of the bridge breaking up, printed them and sold them for ten cents each. He made $450.

Ice mounds were left behind, some as tall as a two story house. And many of them did not melt away until July of that year. Youngsters in Danville carved steps into one ice gorge, and climbed to the top. In Bloomsburg, ice was still piled along the railroad tracks, as high as the top of the train, in late April.

Ice Along The River After The 1904 Flood

The William House Truss covered bridge between Danville and Riverside was constructed in 1875. Only two spans remained after the 1904 flood.

It took more than a year to build a new bridge across the river. In the meantime, a 40 x 60 foot ferry was used to transport passengers and wagons across the river.

The Ferry loaded at the south end of Ferry Street in Danville. Rudders on the ferry took advantage of the river current to power the vessel along a cable across the water. It was steered by a wheel enclosed in a small cabin.

Passage from one side to the other took roughly 30 minutes. The cost was 15 cents one way, 25 cents round trip.

The East Bloomsburg Bridge was the only bridge along the river to survive. It sustained severe damage to the bridge floor, but the bridge was still standing

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