1903 Flood
On October 16, 1903, The Bergen Democrat concluded that: “Not within the memory of the present generation has there been so great a loss and so much inconvenience from floods as during the past ten days.” The storm deluged all of the country within 200 miles of New York, severing railroad connections with New York City for the first time since the Blizzard of 1888 and cutting off mails for two days. The flow of water was stronger the nearer the rivers came to the ocean, and the Passaic and Hackensack spread out to an extent not thought possible—almost every town in Bergen County suffered. Towns along the New Jersey & New York Railroad were particularly injured, lying so close to the Hackensack River. It was thought that the loss of bridges in Bergen County would necessitate the Board of Freeholders to immediately provide $150,000 for emergency repairs and replacements. The City of Paterson sustained losses estimated at $1,000,000. The water rose three feet higher than it had ever been known and as a result a portion of the city was under water for several days. Wallington, opposite Passaic, was almost wiped off the map for several days. Lodi, with its mills, also suffered severely. At New Milford, the flood tides on Friday, October 9, 1903, and again on Saturday, reached a depth of eight feet in places, doing considerable damage. The plant of the Hackensack Water Company was closed for several days, while work on the reservoir, then being built nearby, was abandoned. The lumber sheds of Copper & Demarest were wrecked and nearly $1,000 worth of limber floated away. The dam at the button factory on the Meister farm gave way, flooding the building and undermining its foundations. At River Edge, the flood struck the house of the Canoe Club and the piano was found floating around the building. Roads and property in the vicinity of the river here were inundated to the depth of several feet on Friday and Saturday. The bridge east of the River Edge depot successfully withstood the flood, though it had been considerably damaged when a big scow, owned by Cooper & Demarest of New Milford, broke from its moorings, came downstream and struck the west end of the bridge. Freeholder A. Z. Bogert and Mr. Bloomer, whose yards bordered the river, were heavy losers as the flood carried lumber, cordwood and coal downstream. Bloomer Brothers lost their stock of cordwood and their shed; the old family homestead was flooded up to the first floor. [Note: the Bloomer House stands east of the River Edge Avenue Bridge, opposite the River Edge Station, in New Milford] A. Z. Bogert lost a quantity of lime, plaster, building material and fertilizer. Although the railroad tracks were submerged in places and landslides caused hundreds of tons of earth to be deposited on the tracks, service to Spring Valley, New York, was restored on Monday, October 12th. At New Bridge, water overflowed the riverbanks and spread across the country to rising ground. Many houses were flooded by water one to two or more feet deep on the first floor, causing considerable loss of provisions kept in cellars, as well as to furniture. Business at Kaufman’s New Bridge Hotel was entirely suspended as the barroom and all floors even with it were submerged. The piano was saved by standing it on soapboxes and the spirits were stored on high shelves. Herbert Howland, Midland Township clerk, was nearly drowned when he tried to save the Howland Avenue bridge. The high tides at Hackensack enabled George Van Buskirk to kill 83 railbirds.
