Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-03-21
LEADER.
TUESDAY,. MARCH 2I, 1895.
GREAT FRISHET in THE
OIL REGIONS!
Half the Country under Water.
Great DestructlOn Of PROPERTY
4 FULL AND GRAPHIC ACCOUNT

GDlIOh LhADEhs N ODOOy kuOWs Hu6tQ'
er this letter, descriptive of our great food
will ever reach the hands CO sne LEADEE
editor or rot for the Official notice of the
Superintendent, just posted up, says, 'No
trains viii arrive at, or depart from this
station to-day" and there is no prospect Of
the trains being resumed for many days to
come. But like the shipwrecked mariner,
who seals up in bottle the details of his
disaster, and commits it 10 the deop In the
hope that, if he is lost the story of his fate
may be preserved, so we, surrounded by
surging waters, and with fair prospect of
being car1i4d off bodily amid tho whirl of
the billows, will leave record Of how it
happened, for you to look upon.
THE BEGINNING OF THE FLOOD.
French Greek and its tributaries have
been high for several days, in cohse9uenes
of the large bodies Of snow which still lay
upon the hilsi9es. But upon Wednesday
morning the stream began to swell rapidly
Soon it hsdoveThowed its banks, ard spread
over the low lands. The rise, from yester-
day morning to last evening, was remark a.
bly, rapid. The lower part Of the city began
to be overhowed, and the rising current
threatened the safety of the cottages built by
the Atlantic and Great Western Railway
| Company for the accommodation of its
employees, Some were surrounded, and
the tenants were advised to remove them
selves and their effects, Some did this at
once, while others delayed until their only
mode of egress was by boat. At this time
about 8 o'clock, P. M.-the situation was
I not only interesting but alarming. Many
families in the lower part Of the city had
been compelled to save themselves as best
they could, leaving their goods to the
chances of the inundation. Lumber and
fences we're floating about and the lower
floors Of many dwellings were covered with
water. About the McHenry House was a
vast sea, all the grounds, excepting q small
space Immediately around the house, being
flooded. As the gathering night shut
down upon the scene anxious eyes peered
through the darkness at the rushing waters,
and calculated how much higher they
would reach by daylight.
THURSDAY EIaHT.
By nine O'Clock theeKcitement was high.
Boats we're rapidly gliding to and fro,
bringing away the unfortunate women and
children, who had 10 other way of escape.
The water had crept up to the lower floors
and covered them with decidedly wet
blanket. At the McHenry House it had
steadily surrounded the building, not yet
bold enough to enter at the doors or win
dows, but seeking to fpd some insidious
way of gaining entrance. Finding an open
bulkhead to the cellars, which underlie the
whole house, it started little reconnoiter- /
ing stream down 10 spy out the land. Find
ing 10 opposition, it sent bigger force and
went tearing down until the cellars were
full TO the floors The air grew colder, and
snow fell fast snd furiously. So the night
closed in, and those who went to bed upon
the lower floors prepared to skedsddle
when they should hear the waves splashing |
about the bed posts.
RAILROAD TRAINS.
Meantime the train which left Cleveland |
st $50 in the morning had reached this |
place at six o'clock P. NJ, after careful pro.
gress over submerged tracks. The train |
which left here for the east in the afternoon
reached point eight miles east and re-
turned to this station. The Franklin train,
leaving here at 2:45 P. NJ, reached Toll |
mans, below Utica, and could go no further.
It picked its Wsy back to Utica and SlRid |
up in ordinary" its passengers forsging on
the country as best they could. Ali night
trains were abandoned.
THE SCENE ON FRIDAY.
Daylight this morning showed the water
still rising at the rate of an inch an
hour. Considering that the lake must now |
cover an expanse of at least 8 thousand |
acres this rise was not as small as might |
at frat seem. Two courageous families |
who had braved the terrors of the night |
upon the upper foors of the railway |
cottages, now concluded TO evscuste the |
premises, and Captain York, the veteran |
locomotive engineer, Il believe the Oldest |
in consecutive years of active service, in |
the country, brought up the rear OF the |
boat loads with his household gods, his wife, |
daughter and pet canary. A floating side |
walk is our only communication with the |
town, and over that great crowds of the |
curious came down to see the unwonted |
sight. Opinions differ as to whether the |
Wster has ever been so high before. One |
claims that in 1887 the waters were foot |
higher; another that in 1882 they were |
nearly IS high as now.
IL OcloeF 4. M-Thiek angry clouds |
cover the sky, and the rain begins to fall |
sgain. Already the water is on the rail-
road bridge near the depot, which is loaded |
with cars to prevent its floating away. |
The ground is breaking through in the |
depot itself, showing the water clear up TO |
the ties. A notice is posted up in the hotel, |
HAn guests having rooms upon the lower |
floor must vacsie them at once" and orders |
are given to take up the carpets. The wa
ter is steadily rising.
O'clock p. M.-The water has reached |
its height. For the last hour it has not |
risen. Faces which were full of doubt and |
dread begin to look hopeful. The water |
is about eighteen feet above its ordinary |
level.
5 O'clock P. M-Another danger men
secs US. The dam across the river at Be- |
mustown, two miles sbOve, is reported TO
be giving wsy. A rising of the water
confirms the report. Now for another
night of anxiety. At eight o'clock the
water is still rising and the wind also is
rising rapidly.
AT midnight the water is higher than
ever and the wind is blowing perfect
gale.
Saturday Morning. length we have
passed the crisis. The water has absted
six inches and is steadily falling.
What amount of damage has been done
it is Of course impossible to tell yet. Many
houses must have been swept away, and
doubtless some persons drowned. The de-
struction of property upon the creek and
upon Oil Greek and the Allegheny must
have been immense. It is said that mil
lion of barrels of oil have gone down past