South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1877-11-30
Great Freshet and Destr lotion
Of Property.


there occurred such rises in. the streams
Of this county. nor so. great destruction
OF crops and fencing. So extensive has
been the obstruction that II amounts to
. calamity. The South Branch COM
inenced rising on Friday night last. and
continued rising uptil o'clock on Sat-
urday SO rapidly that in many localities
the rise was from, twenty to twenty. five
feet perpendicular water. on the level
bottoms. Scarcely a shock Of corn or
stack Of hay remains; the whole valley
is clean sweep, crops aud fencing
entertainments all broken or swept away;
the hne bridge near Romney is saved
and uninjured; but only saved by the
loss of the heavy embankment on each
side of the river, tue long embankment
on the west side, was swept away some
quarter Of mile down to the natural
level, and in some places ten feet below,
covering many acres of the magnificent
bottom of Mr.. VIM. Taylor from one TO
three feet in gravel. The loss to tbs.
county is heavy. as the bridge is almost
useless without the embankment. The
l>sscs in this valley are so great that it
is difficult at this date to even approx
mate the amount. A, the fat cattle
and other stock of every kind left on
the hands Of the farmers at the begin
ming of winter without food, probably
not sufficiency of food left to winter
the horses that are used 10 till the
ground. consequently the cattle must be
thrown on the market, or seek a more
favored country for food. In many pla
ces the lands are greatly damaged by
washing away the soil the glebe fasm
Is reported greatly damaged and what
is true of this valley, from all the re-
ports We have, is true OF the great Capon
and North River valleys. every where a
clean sweep; the bridge oyer Capon was
moved some six inches OH it's founda.
ton; one span Of the South Branch
Railroad bridge is swept away i; the
store OF Mr.. William French near that
point, is said to have been submerged to
the roof, with all its contents, and his
dwelling moved from it's foundation
AT Green Spring Run the water was o..
yer tue counter in the store house. The
baltimore d Ohio Railroad is said to be
greatly damaged, reported 10 us ten
miles swept away at and near Cherry
Kun; the little town OF Okonoko is said
TO have been swept away; but as no
trails have been running and all tele-
graphic communication being cut off
since the freshet, we know but little
from distance. From all reports from
Hardy county it is probable the losses
TO the people there are even greater than
IN Hampshire, for the simple reason that
they had more to lose; through a gen.
tIeman from Moorefeld to-day we laarn
that both Of their new bridges are dam
aged. From Patterson's Creek the most
reliable Intelligence is that the losses
and damages is great, but not so great
as caused by the October freshet there
last year.
From the valley OF the North Branch
we learn, that stream also was unpre-
cedentedly risen, and that the towns of
Piedmont, keyser and Cumberland,
were submerged, and great losses in 4.
Cured by the farmers in crops, fen.
cling, &c.
While we deeply sympathze with our
people Of tho valleys in their losses, we
arc reminded that the poor who are de-
pendant on the fertile valleys for food
may be the greater sufferers. In the
few past heeting years very many por-
tons Of our country have been visited
with like disasters and distress, and we
escaped; now our time TO be scourged
has come, and yet VIC have 10 loss Of
life TO record. our wives aud children
have not been carried away in the great
Hoods. Does il not become Us asapeo.
pie 10 humble ourselves before the great
disposcr Of events, and be thankful fer
what We have left? The thoughtful and
rejecting must be rorciby reminded how
uncertain our hold, and imperfect our
title 70 orr worldly possessions. Truly
Riches take TO themselves wings and
NY away" We lie down at night sur
rounded with abundance, and awake in
The morning TO behold our barren fields,
and yet, "rhe fool hath said in his heart
there is no Cod"
From an account Of this great food,
Ne Gull from the Cumberland CiDaiaH
o. Sunday last, kindly loaned us, az we
have had no mail since III ay last,
by the proprietor Of The Armstrong
Hone. ,.r ~.