The flood of October 10, 1903, otherwise known as the Pumpkin Flood, carried away 6 covered bridges on the Delaware in Bucks County including those at Riegelsville, Upper Black Eddy-Milford, Uhlerstown- Frenchtown, Lumberville-Raven Rock, New Hope-Lambertville, and Yardley-Wiburtha. Only the covered bridge at Stockton was spared having been rebuilt on higher piers after the flood of 1841.
Four days of rain, beginning on Thursday, October 8 and ending Sunday morning at 2 am, October 11, took the river from its lowest mark attained all summer to the highest known in written history at that time—a rise of 27 feet, 1 and 3/4 inches.
https://bucksbridges.com/items/show/66. And bridgehunter.com
Riegelsville Bridge
At a length of 577 feet, the Burr-style bridge had three spans and cost $18,900 to build.
The Riegelsville Account of the 1903 Flood
On Saturday, October 10th, 1903, Operator Burroughs of Riegelsville notified, by telegraph, Operator Gaunt of Milford and the other telegraph offices down river, that at 5:06 pm the center span of the Riegelsville Bridge had been swept away and was hurtling downstream.
Again at 10:30pm, Riegelsville sent a message down the telegraph line that, this time, the Jersey span of the bridge had left its moorings not two minutes earlier.
The first portion of the bridge broke up as it headed downstream, but the second portion of the bridge landed some ten miles down river, wreaking havoc as it went, on Eckels Island between Milford and Frenchtown.
After the two spans on the New Jersey side were swept away in the October 1903 flood, the Riegelsville Delaware Bridge Company paid for a replacement bridge from the Roebling Company in Trenton. During the six months the bridge was out of service, Jack Edinger and Sam Sigafoos operated a ferry across the Delaware.
Upper Black Eddy-Milford Bridge
It was one of the shorter Delaware River covered bridges, at a total length of 681 feet. lt was a Burr-style arch bridge with sidewalks on both sides. Its style is known as a “shotgun bridge,” due to its center dividing wall.
The Milford Account of the 1903 Flood
At 2 am, the night operator of the Milford Mills had called out the alarm for the mill force to begin moving things to the second floor. By the light of day things were looking even worse. The Millworkers fastened down the outbuildings with anchoring ropes. Despite this, walls and sheds were washed away by the rising water.
When the telegraph message came at 5:06 that a span of the Riegelsville bridge was heading down river, the townspeople of Milford took bets to see if their bridge would topple when it was hit by the Riegelsville center span and even on how long it would take to make it down stream. It actually took 55 minutes, striking the Jersey span of the Milford Bridge midway to the first pier at 6:01 pm, but thankfully the Milford bridge withstood the assault, remaining intact.
The second span of Riegelsville bridge hit Milford at 11:10 pm. This time it hit the Milford Bridge lengthwise like a “battering ram” in the exact same section of the Milford Bridge as the first section had. Contemporary accounts describe: “There was a deafening crash…and then amid a cloud of dust, the Jersey span of the Milford bridge was slowly but surely pushed off from the first pier and abutment.”
“The old structure fighting for every inch of its hold, seeming loath to leave its supports, wherein it had rested for sixty-two years…these two large bodies now joined as one, continued onward with the swift current.” (photo: westjerseyhistory.com)
After the flood waters receded, the Bridge Company had several meetings to deliberate the next steps to repairing the bridge. In the meantime, ferry boats were being employed by four men from Bridgerton, PA: Leonard Stone, Calvin Smith, Samuel Wismer, and Albert Fisher.
It took three months and five days to repair the bridge, using wood that had washed down river from the Riegelsville bridge. It reopened on January 15, 1904.
Clinton Hammerstone, of Bridgeton, PA, driving the bread wagon, was both the last person to cross the old bridge and the first to cross the new one. (Photo: westjerseyhistory.com, 1908)
Uhlerstown-Frenchtown Bridge
This wooden bridge from Uhlerstown to Frenchtown was built in 1844. Its length was 962 feet with six spans.
The Frenchtown Account of the 1903 Flood
The Riegelsville and Milford bridges, now hurling toward Frenchtown, separated. The Riegelsville section grounded upon Eckel’s Island.
Twenty-four minutes after the Milford span left its moorings, it crashed into the Jersey pier of the Frenchtown Bridge, the force of which pushed the first and second sections of the Frenchtown structure from its supports at 11:42 pm.
Still the river was rising 2 inches an hour.
After the waters receded, a wire cable was stretched across the river at this location for a flat-bottomed ferry.
The ferry was used to carry both foot passengers and wagons, with ferryman, James Gray at the helm.
The new bridge opened in 1905 using the original masonry substructure with its five piers and two abutments and replacing the missing spans with a steel truss.
Lumberville-Raven Rock Bridge
This bridge was built by the Lumberville Delaware River Bridge Commission in 1856. Designed by Solon Chaplin, it had four spans over the Delaware and one span over the canal. It covered 705 feet, and cost $18,000.
The Raven Rock Account of the 1903 Flood
Raven Rock was hit hard by the flood waters, the lock and bridge across the canal were carried off as well as one span from the Delaware River Bridge.
Like the Uhlerston-Frenchtown bridge, the missing span was replaced with a steel truss bridge.
New Hope-Lambertville Bridge
This bridge opened in 1814. It had six spans, with a total length of 1,051 feet. It cost $67,936.37 to build. (Photo: BCHS, John A. Anderson, 1897)
The Lambertville Account of the 1903 Flood
A record of 11.5 inches of rain fell across the region in a 24 hour period. Accounts describe the railroad tracks just above Lambertville as, "a twisted corkscrew stretched across a ditch where the embankment should have been." The town of Lambertville flooded and the entire Delaware crossing bridge was destroyed.
Hundreds of railroad and mill workers were stranded from their jobs, having a devastating effect on the local economy. The Bridge Company immediately hired a steam launch which had the capacity to transport 25 passengers across the river, getting commuters to the railway station.
It took nine months to build a modern metal bridge. The new bridge was opened in July 1904 at a cost of $63,818 by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.
It was a six span, Pratt through truss containing 962 tons of steel and was 1,053 feet long. It was built by Lewis F. Shoemaker and Company of Pottstown, PA
Yardley-WiLburtha Bridge
The Yardleyville Delaware Bridge Company opened its toll bridge in 1835. The original bridge was 903 feet long with six spans. (Photo: lostbridges.com)
The Yardley Account of the 1903 Flood
The entire wooden bridge was destroyed in the 1903 flood. The Yardley bridge collapsed with “a roar that could be heard a mile away, the debris came crashing into the Calhoun Street Bridge.” Another account described, “it’s sections twisting about like derailed train cars.”
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Folks like Mr. Girton, the Yardley butcher used this ferry to get his wagon across the Delaware until a new bridge was built.
As the entire bridge was destroyed in the flood, it was replaced by a steel Warren Truss bridge in six spans atop the original foundations.
This Presentation was created by Amy Hollander, The Historic Properties Manager for Bucks County, Department of Parks and Recreation
Credits:
bucksbridges.com bridgehunter.com westjerseyhistory.org lostbridges.com