The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-08-25
THE GREAT RAIN.
I,,,nep,e Damage in the city.

a very neAYy e!VAH1 n S .LSs-I
day afternoon 10 the north and northeast
Of the city, The lightning was intensely
vivid and the thunder, though heavy,
indicated that the principal storm center
was a considerable distance away. Grad
nally The lowering clouds approached,
and at precisely six o'clock It began
10 rain in the city. At first there
was considerable thunder and light.
Ming, but these did. not increase
in proportion to the rain, which poured
down in torrents until all the streets
leading from the hills, both north and
south OF the creek, were raging torrents.
The rain fell without intermission for
three hours and ten minutes, and
amounted to sos inches, which Ia the
greatest iall ever known in this region,
and Il has never been approached except
in July, 1869, when the fall was 4.4O
inches.
Commencing SO early in the even
ing, very few OF the street lamps
were lighted, SO that all reportorial
observations had ODE taken in darkness,
rendered more intense by the lurid glare
Of the lightning. In the northern por-
ton Of The city there was heavy wash
out at the mouth Of Jonathans Gut which
undermined house belonging to a Mr..
Jones, rendering It unsafe, and II will
probably have to be torn down il 1t does
not fall Of itself. The stone wall 10 front
of what Is known as the Marshal board
| ing house, on Main street, was washed 90
as to tumble down. The damage, how
ever. north Of Main street hill was incon-
siderable, Z,
Market street, between 10th and
| 1lth was terribly flooded, and many OF
the cellars on the east side Of the square
were partially filled with water and il
required vigorous leyeeing with old
sacks around the 'gratings to keep the
water out. Down 18th street the water
rushed in torrents and meeting the flood
pouring down Main street hill between
| 18th and 18th filled up the cellars OF the
new buildings on the corner Of Main and
| l2lh streets. From these cellars the &C.
cess 10 the cellars on water street was
easy, and several were probably filled.
The most serious damage was sus.
tanned by Henry Seamon, who estimates
his loss on tobacco at not less than 500.
On Main street, between 18th and 14th,
there seems to DO some imperfection in
the Main street sewer, and under the
tremendous pressure OF the flood the
water was driven into the cellars Of
Messrs. Greer 4 Laing and L. S. Della.
plain & Son. The former keep nothing
liable to injury in their cellar, while the
latter have large amount OF solid goods
which sustained considerable damage.
They, however, with a force OF twenty
men soon moved all goods exposed to
On l4th street the waters were
augmented by the flood from q
portion OF Chapline and Market
which combining made probably the
heaviest stream north Of the creek. The
new cellars north Of Crangle's block, on
Market street, were filled to Overlooking.
At Smyth's corner the water gathered
into sort Of whirlpool over and around
the sewer opening, running over the
pavement and into smyth's cellar, par
tally fllingit. On 14th street just east
of Smyth's corner the sewer bursted,
throwing up great jet Of water, the
rise and fall OF which was an indicator Of
the pressure in the sewer at different
times. Between Eotf and Jacob, on 14th,
The new cellar Of Mr.. Castle was
was completely filled and the paved gut
ter was washed ont at one point TO
depth Of several feet. A rumor pre-
vailed that an immense gully had been
washed out on Jacob street, but in the
darkness we could find nothing Of it.
1 Another rumor encountered us that res
idence built by Mr.. Clator on. the new
ground in the neighborhood Of the tack
factory had slipped into the creek. This
we found to be incorrect. A barge with
considerable number Of empty barrels
and few filed with oil broke from It's
moorings near the refinery at the foot oil
Chapline street, and was carried down
against the pier OF the Main street stone
bridge, and after passing that struck mid
ship on the pier Of the Railroad bridge
and was broken in two and the barrels
floated out into the river. There was also
some flooding OF cellars on Nam between
14th and South street, but tue houses be-
ing closed we could not ascertain II any
damage was sustained.