MARCH 1934 FLOOD OF LEWES' KIMMEYTOWN. .

MARCH 1934 FLOOD OF LEWES

The Wilmington News Journal of Monday, March 5, 1934 reported an sudden deluge

of flood waters caused by the thawing of heavy snowdrifts and Friday nights heavy rain

flooded the canning factory district of Kimmeytown with three foot of water Saturday

morning in the streets and over a foot in the cellars and first floors of dwellings .

Residents had gone to bed high and dry and awoke to find items floating around the lower

floors. The W. J. Warren Canning Company sat in several feet of water and 2100 bushels

of pea seed were lost when their warehouse flooded. Residents in high top boots went

about gathering floating items before they were swept out in the streets. The Lewes

fire department responded with pumps and other apparatus to help relieve the condition.

The high water blocked traffic with water above their car radiators and were flooded out

when they tried to drive through the high water on Kings Highway.

Town authorities found the cause to be frozen culvert under the railroad which\ would have

ordinarily drained off the section. One feature of interests was a maltese house cat that was

stranded on a post in the middle of the wide expanse of water until the firemen saved it.

There were no drownings or injuries reported.

There is concern the Lewes Rehoboth Canal will overflow tonight as the thaw continues.

The solid field of ice in the Breakwater is beginning to break up but no vessels have been

able to reach the Lewes piers . River pilots have been set ashore above Cape Henlopen the

past week or two. Late this afternoon two tugs, Van Dyke and Van Dyke II rescued the

Standard Oil tanker J. C. Donald and drew up to the Queen Anne Pier for supplies.

Abstract: Harrison H from Wilmington News Journal, Monday , March 5 1934.