The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-10-06
at Harper's Ferry-Graph.
lie Narrative Of IN Eye Witness.

Calamity at Harper's Ferry-Graph
lie Narrative Of an Eye witness.
Correspondence of the Baltimore Gazette
HARPER's FERRY, October 2.
THE RAIN sToRM-sUDDEN RISE IN THE
SHENANDOAH.
Again has our hapless town expert.
enced one Of those many infections
which the Fates appear to have stored
up for US, and which we have, almost
without cessation, felt since the i'll
Omened day on which John Brown in
troduced to us the first Of our long
series of misfortunes. Having survived
that famous raid; having gone through
the ordeal of the war consequent on it,
and having suffered the many privations
which total destruction of our indus
trial resources has for ten years entailed,
it might be supposed that even the Fates
would relent in our favor. Not so, how
ever On Friday night last occurred
our crowning calamity. On Wednesday
night it rained heavily, as also on Thurs
day, Thursday night and Friday. We
expected that our rivers would rise as
usual, but we had no conception that
any more rain had fallen in the regions
traversed by the Potomac and ,,Shenan-
doah than is usual in equinoctial storms.
About 2 o'clock P. NJ. on Friday, how
ever, a rise of unusual rapidity was no
ticcd in the Shenandoah, and at the
same time rumors by telegraph reached
MS of deluge farther up the Shenan-
doah Valley.
" Before those rumors could be traced
to any reliable source the Shenandoah
had actually surrounded, with its angry
waves, the houses near the bank, and SO
rapid was the rush of its waters that it
is said by many it rose six feet in four
minutes. This, though probably an
exaggeration, will give you an idea of
the deluge by which we were over
whelmed. Many of the people living
on Shenandoah street, which was paral-
lei with the river of the same name,
had not time to escape, and compare
lively few living on Hers and Over
tons Islands could realize their situa-
tons until it was too late The Poto-
mac did not rise, and to this unfortu-
nate circumstance is to be attributed
the terrible loss of life and property
that | have to chronicle, as a consider
able rise in it would have backed up
and checked the current of the Shenan-
doah, making still water, which, though
it would have flooded, would not have
carried away the houses, and would
have allowed of boats being sent to
the relief of the people.
THE FLOOD AND THE EXCITEMENT
About s o'clock on Friday night an
excited crowd was gathered at the foot
of Union street, in South Bolivar,
watching with agonized interest the fate
of three families that resided on the
line of the Winchester and Potomac
railroad, on Overtons Island, directly
opposite Union street, and who had not
time to escape, the bridges connecting
the island with the main land having
been carried away with the first fierce
rush of the water. Your correspond
ent joined the crowd, and Immediately
crash was heard, caused by the giving
way of portion OF the house occupied
10y James Shipe and his wife, The
young moon cast a sickly light on the
fearful scene, and the shadows Of the
clouds that drifted over her face and
obscured her feeble beams, added a
gloom to the already sufficiently sad
dening spectacle. The light was not
enough to enable us to see distinctly
the fearful tragedy, but cries
Of terror from man in NOR
tai agony, revealed too truly that hu-
man being was hopelessly struggling in
the waves. 1t is now known that this
was Samuel Hof, who resided near
Shipe's house. His wife had gone to
the mainland. and he preferred trying
to swim ashore 10 the chance of being
carried away with his house, when per-
haps the water would have gained still
greater force He was swept away, and
his remains will probably never be
found. Shortly after light was noticed
on the porch of the house occupied by
Mrs. Overton, her daughter, Mrs. Mills,
and two children Of the latter. The
light Immediately disappeared, and a
grinding, crashing noise, heard at the
same instant, made it certain that the
porch was carried away at the moment
the person carrying the light set foot on
it. In about three minutes after the
house itself was carried away and all
its inmates drowned. A large brick
house of the group owned by Mr.. Muir
phv, but from which he had escaped
| in time, was next overturned and
carried away. An old and very
worthy colored man named Jerry
Harris, a plasterer by trade, had
fled to il with his family from his
own house, which was much smaller,
and of course more liable to be des-
troved. When Mrs. Overton's. house
disappeared Harris was heard to moan
piteously and pray, and soon he and
his family, with the house in which
they had sought refuge, disappeared in
the angry waves.
There were five of this family
drowned-Harris and his wife, daugh-
ter and two grandchildren. Next went
the remainder of Shipes house. He
has been miraculously saved and from
him we gather many particulars ofthe
disaster When he heard his house
crumbling, he stripped himself for
swimming. He seized his wife and
swan with her to the railroad water
tank, some twenty yards off AT least
ten times he endeayoredto get hold OF
| it but every time he was beaten back
by the waves that surged around 1t,
His wife told him to save himself, that
she was prepared to die, but that be
was not, and that in vainly trying to