Fredonia Advertiser
Friday, July 31, 1857
Submitted by Richard Palmer
The storm on the Genesee Valley on Friday last was followed by a destructive freshet. The Genesee River rose immediately into a flood, sweeping away all the bridges between Belvidere and Oramel. The canal was submerged and badly broken in three places.
Just above Belfast a culvert was washed away which will not break repaired in less than ten days. There is another bad break near Caneadea, and still a third near Oramel. It is thought it will require fully fifteen days to effect repairs.
The village of Oramel was fairly inundated, and the streets and cellars were filled with water. So sudden a freshet was never known to the oldest inhabitant. The damage must be heavy, although distributed among many individuals.