Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1860-04-19
THE GREAT MOOD OF 1850.

food of the past week:
The Wheeling Tntelligenc.r snys:
The STORM AND Hon WATER. During
the storm yesterday afternoon QI,h) ayoung
son at Mr.. T.. ]. Gar len, of the First Ward,
was 80 badly injured that it is feared he can.
not recover lie was playing in his fa,her's
yard, when the top of a board pile was blown
upon him crushing him to the ground.
Several buildings in different parts OF the
towd were damaged by the wind. Cant.
Sam mason's house, in Centre Wheeling.
was somewhat damaged, ns was Detwiler,s
FIGURING Mills on the river bank, where a
large stack and the gable end of the Mill
were blown down. Numerous IL, ,eoe.
ments that happened to be situated where
old Boreas could get fair blow at them,
were unroofed.
The gable end of Sweeney. machine
shop, in the first ward, was blown down.
together with several sheds attached TO the
establishment. Other buildings in the vi.
cinity were badly damaged, and the wind
played sad havoc with the fences on the
Island.
TIE lntelligencer, Of the 10th, saws that
there were less than thirty three feet OF
water in the river on Ssturd sy, and still
falling rapidly. The ida May passed down.
perfectly black with people. She reports
that in going up the river on Wedn esday
last, she met, above this city, a house floot-
ing in the river. and still occupied BY two
woman uhd a child.
The Bridgeport Journal. of the 18th inst.
says:
THE FREsHET.-Nature, in a freak. has
just given us one of her most marked exh;.
bitions OF power, that has ever fallen to the
lot of "the Oldest iuhabitant to witness
On Tuesday afternoon last. the sky began
to lower, the lightning to flash and the rain
10 descend in such torrents that in n few
minutes all the %rivulets. feeders of the Ohio.
had overleaped their banks and were rush
ing headlong with n mighty torrent. The
fall of water must have been great and rand
for in many creeks not two miles long, the
water gushed out with a swell! of some ten
or fifteen feet, advancing perpendicularIy
with a force more terrible than an army
with banners, destroying everything in lis
course within reach. We had seen 0oud.
before. We saw those of 49, and 80, and
had n traditional account of one II wears
previous TO '32, and were resting upon the
superstition that a great outbreak could only
happen about once in 90 wears. This, oc-
curing in 8 years, has Knocked our theory
to %tatters, und we now ackrow edge tina,
E-py. while living, a d Cham2man and nj
the Almanac makers KIN w no more about
storms nbrewing lhan the mun of the moon.
In estimating n food here so as 10 he
spoken of as 1.-THE flood" our criterion is the
covering of Wheeling Island. SO far as
we could see every inch of earth was under
water. The houses only projected, with
here and there a COW standing to It's knees
in the current ready to be swept away
Differing from other floods, this one w,s
not so ruinous in its consequences on the
bottoms of the Ohio, because it was not ms
high by 4 feet, as the fl cd OF $50, and be.
cause the people had Of late years built
with reference to a catastrophe occurring al
some time not very far distant; but the
popularity Of this l,od was the effect pro.
duced upon those who lived on creeks
Here, by tho suddenness of the dash, every
thing movable, within ten feet of former
measurements. was swept awav-houses.
fences, horses, cattle and even human be.
iugs.
It is impossible to par,icularlzr, as every
man has a long chapter OF accidents s%udici.
ent to make a big book; suffice il now to
say, that in no former flood. within our re.
collection, has there been so much damace
done, the loss in property averaging from
800 to $4,000 per man, according to cir
cumstances and situation. The loss f those
living upon the high lands was also great
the soil on many fields being completely
abraded. The fences were scattered BY the
winds, crops washed out, and a great dam
age sustained by slips Of hill sides, IRENE.
diable in this generation.
Bridgeport has suffered largely, although
we presume not more than other places ON
the same level. We are glad to be able to
state that the bridge aero IS Wheeling creek
stands upon the piers from which it had
aoated; and although not precisely in the
same place, it bids fair TO be serviceable as
a pup &c DeneUl. Inc HreHtest ora back TO
the Village we now see. is the immense mnss
of logs, fence rails, bnards. animal car.
casses and trash of all kinds accumulated
in the creek by an obstruction produced By
the railroad bridge at its mouth. The creek
is falling fast, and no evidence Of any plan
by which the drift can be set a going to
clean the channel. II the railroad had been
destroyed at the commencement, il would
have snved TO the citizens many thousands
Of dollars in point Of health. and comfort
AZ I, 10, five hundred teams 1. month, would
not remove the obstruction.
The streets, Saturday morning, are clenr
of water, and people can now GO about on
terra frma without some inconvenience
What the adjacent counties may be doing
we csnnot ut this writing say, for tile reason
that al communication has been cut off,
telegraph lines down, mails obstructed BY
the damage to the railroads and turnpikes.
Our own Post Office has been aaont for the
last four days, thereby excluding all news
from the outside world.
Duiing the storm of last TUESDAY after