Huntington advertiser. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1874-1921, 1875-03-04
Flood In Charleston.

about FIVE feet in the kanawba and
Elk, and at 4. M, Thursday, the
guage read 81 feet. From that time
it arose steadily from s to II inches
per hour until Friday noon when it
marked IS feet in the channel and
still rising about five inches per
hour. 1t arose ID feet during Thurs
day night, and about 6p m, Thurs
day, arose t,co feet IN one hour, All
day Yesterday, one continuous stream
Of Drift wood, interspersed here and
there with small houses, corncribs, etc
floated past the city on the swollen
river ut the rate of about eight miles
per hour. The rise is said to he un-
precclented for rapility, except the
famous flood of 1864, when the Kama
wha arose over her banks and canoes
had to be brought into use to get
through the centre of the town.
Yesterday afternoon about ) O'Clock
we went out to the foot Of CoN's hill
at the head Of Capitol street and
found Cox's branca backed up by
Elk away above Capitol street, which
was covered for an hundred feet with
a sheet of water aud still rising. Go
ing down Donnally street we found
the water extending from the Bap
list Church clear across the valley
beyond W. Is. Carder's residence,
which was under water nearly up to
the second floor, where he had his
fam ly safely slowed away. Hailing
him he got out of the second story
anrcame to Us with skitt in which
We embarked with several friends to
view the "water-scape' DER. Car
dtrs house and the neighbOring ones
were flooded about / u IN Yesterday,
and so rapidly did the water rush in
that many were unable to save ther
furniture etc, on the first floor, while
dozens OF famil Is were compelled to
abandon their houses to escape Sew
eral houses in the rear Of Madison
Lailiev's residence were almost
entirely submerged, while the brick
ward below TIE Methodist church was
flooded over up to the steam engine.
The water along here must be thirty
or forty feet deep in some places.
The Methodist church was sur
rounded on three sides by the water,
though from its elevated position we
believe the basement was not flooded
by the water which ran up State
Street above the Union School House
and spread from there to within Il
tew feet of p. W. Morgan's residence.
All the shops, shamties and buildings
along State Street and near the brick
yarl mc ten er fifteen feet under
water and all deserted. Some were
only marked with q chimney or
stove pipe sticking above the water.
Going on down the valley of the
creek, we found Truslow's lanyard
out of sight, and only an old bark
mill to be seen. Parsons Il Apple
tons wooden factory WIS not quite
reached, though the water WIS over
the bridge on the plank road, and we
could see one wide sheet OF water
from the Methodist Church, stretch
80 rs far as Elk at the Keystone
bridge The aggregate loss may not
be extremely great, Yet there are
dozens o. poor families who have
sustained severe and burdeusome
losses. The prospects were yester-
day evening ia,a that the worst Is
over. and when th> water has with
drawn, and the streaL1s again return
to their proper channels, we eau more
safely estimate the losses 1t has
been a great atfiiction. and attorGs a
fine opportunity to people 10 show
their charity to The many sufferers
HI Weekly Courier.