Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-02-28

than 200 miles, Of scenes Of human suffering,
which werc truly northumberland Of u destruo-
ton OF property, which, in Il country of less re-
Operative power, would affect it's prosperity for
years TO come. Tho first town of any size
which wo saw inundated, as we ascend
cd tho river, was Parkersburg, in Virginia.
A: the period of our passing the fresh was not by
any means at its height, yet u considerable por-
ton of the Town was under water, and the inha-
bi,an,s in a state of dreadful apprehension. Mari
eta, from its comparatively low scitc, was expect
ed to suffer much. On nearing it, tho appearance
of the town, rising Immediately out of tho wator,
novel in the extreme. We found the whole place
covered-the water in the second stories of many
houses, aud the streets n~avigated in every dircc-
ton by boats of all sizes-thc Steam Boat iii which
we were, could have gone throughout tho Town.
The water was nearly as high as II was ever known
and yet, at that period FRIDAY Morning, Feb.
loth,) tho second rise had not reached there. IL
was supposed by persons on board, acquainted
with The rlvor, that, Judging from what we alter
wards saw, the water must have attained an
elevation of 3 or 10 feet morc-in which case
a very considerable portion Of tho place would
necessarily be carried off. From Ma
r'ctta TO Wheeling we were rarely out of sight of
houses, of all sorts and sizes, floating down tho
current. 1t is Il moderate calculation to say that
we saw two hundred, many of them large and
substantial frame buildings, and, occasionally, a
warehouse filled with flour and other produce. We
saw one of the latter description which was rccog-
nizcd as belonging to Short Creek, above Wheel
ing, containing, as we afterwards ascertained.
2O00 barrels of flour. Besides houses, immense
quantities of hay and straw in stacks, wood, rails,
every description of household goods, SC. &c.
we're the melancholy trophies of the food. The
houses along the banks being generally swept off,
or surrounded by water, their unfortunate inmates
were under the necessity of birouacking, notwIth-
standing the inclcmoncy Of tho weather. In nu-
merous instances we saw women and children
crowded together before a large fire protected.
from the inccssant rain, only by u temporary shed
of planks, or n boat turned bottom upwards. Our
boat, for perhaps two-thirds Of the distaDxo
from Marietta to Wheeling, held her course pith-
out the banks of the Ohio, over cornficl Ids and
meadows, some thirty or forty feet above the usual
water mark. In some instances the river ''proper''
was hidden from our view by woods, and on ono
occasion 1T became necessary to cut down u treo
IN order to enable the boat TO proceed. The whole
scene was one OF painful interest, though novel
and picturesque in the extreme.
we may expect to hear for weeks to come of
devastation and sufering-which must have been
greater below, than above, Cincinnati. Should
there have been corresponding floods in the Upper
Mississippi and the Missouri, the accounts from
the Coast and New Orleans will be truly distress
sing. Strong apprehensions were expressed for
the safety of some Towns on the Ohio, known TO
be on low seites-Shawnec Town, the CONNER
cial emporium of Illinois, in particular, it was
expected would suffer dreadfully, if indeed it was
not totally DESTROYED.