The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-10-06

afternoon 4 His escape was truly mi
raculous. No aid could be given tc
these people, such was the force of the
stream, and 30 badly prepared were the
citizens for, the emergency.
| About eight o'clock on Saturday q
colored woman was seen hanging with
her hands To a tree near the house Of
Mrs. Nunnemaker, on Shenandoah
street. Her whole body below the
shoulders was submerged, and furious
current was swaying her back and for
ward, as II eddied round the tree and
the houses near it. She was rescued
with great difficulty by youth named
William Gallagher and others.
THE RESCUED AND THEIR REscUERs.
Among the houses that were carried
away early on Friday evening in the
lower part of the town, were those oc-
cupied by 'Messrs. Anderson and
Greaves. These gentlemen, with their
families, had barely time to escape, so
rapidly did the waters surround them.
In this house were three families, inn
prisoned from SIX o'clock on Friday eve
ming until four in the afternoon of
Saturday, when they were rescued
by means Of basket passed
back and forth on rope ex-
tended to them, with great difficulty,
from the house of Mr.. Matthew Quinn.
About daylight on Saturday morning
the side of the house next the river
gave way with a loud crash, and
although the thunder of the furious
river, the noise Of other falling build
ings and the shouts of the excited null
titudes in the town prevented the fall
from being heard by any but the in
mates, the cries of the women and chill
dren, and the excited gestures Of the
male prisoners, made it evident that
some catastrophe had occurred. Re
newed efforts were made by the citizens
to release them, which were ultimately
successful, after twenty-five hours of
suffering and dreadful anxiety.
Too much praise cannot be given to
Charles King and Daniel Ames, two Of
our citizens, who exerted themselves
manfully to relieve those people, as well
as two or three other families whom
they rescued in a similar manner, on
Friday night. The latter gentleman
went in the basket on its first trip
across to Williams house, and, at the
imminent risk Of his own life, remained
there until he had sent across the last
Of the prisoners, encouraging the women
who, much as they dreaded remaining
in the house, were yet afraid to venture
in the basket across the raging gulf,
and securing the children with cords,
lest they might tumble out on the pas
sage When all were safe across, he
returned himself, and on again touch
ing terra firma, was greeted with loud
and hearty cheers Mr.. Williams
house was saved from total destruction
by two trees that grew near it, which
caught drift enough to break the force
of the current
THE LOSS OF LIFE.
The loss of life has been fearful
Three families named Bateman, and
other parties, numbering in all over
twenty souls, took refuge from their
own humble dwellings in large brick
building at Shenandoah City, about a
mile above Harpers Ferry, thinking
they were safer in large and imposing
building than in their own huts. There
is not vestige of the house left, and all
have persisted. Mrs Margaret Carroll,
widow of Eli Carroll, formerly proprie-
tor of the Wager Hotel" at this place,
was lost with the house in which she
boarded-that of Mrs Nancy Evans.
The other inmates tried to induce her
to leave with them, but being old and
feeble, and perhaps apathetic, she re-
fused, and they had not time to pick her
up forcibly, being very hard pressed
themselves. The whole number of
lives lost is, as far as we know, about
thirty-fve, but some suppose that
much greater number persisted, many
obscure people having lately squatted on
the lonely islands above Shenandoah
City, which were completely submerged.
The loss of property is enormous, and
some fifty families are left utterly desti-
tute of food, clothing or the shelter Of a
roof. The Winchester and Potomac
railroad is completely destroyed for a
distance Of two miles, and on the south
side of Shenandoah street, next the
river, there are but four houses left
habitable, several being completely de-
molished. A meeting will be held this
evening by our citizens to devise means
for the instant relief of the sufferers,
and to appeal to other quarters for aid
to enable those poor people to subsist
during the winter. l doubt if any Of
our loss be covered by insurance.
This Sunday morning an old and
very corpulent negress was picked up
from the river at Weverton, about three
miles below. She was sailing down the
river on a piece OF a roof and was COM
posedly smoking short pipe. She
hailed from Page county, some sixty
five miles up the Valley, and had ride
of nearly serenity miles in all. This
morning, also,a man was rescued from a
tree in the river, some two miles above
US. He lived at Smokers Ferry, and
was carried away in boat which was
upset, when he took TO the tree, and
there remained until rescued this morn
ing. do not know how far he had to
swim or how long he was lodged in the
tree. SPECTATOR.
Democratic Meeting AT Bolton.