Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-09-13
TIE FREsHET.
Great Damage 20 ProPeFty-The Draw
Bridge SwePted Awsy and VeAseIs
aroken from GheIF MoOFAnga.

The storm that commenced last Tuesday
morning has continued without intermis-
sion until the present writing, Friday
morning. Ali the streams are oYerfowed,
as well as all Of the fats and lowlands.
On the fats in the rear of Main street the
water reaches from bank to bank and Is
constantly rising, and has already reached
the covered bridge, and the indications are
it viii soon be carried away.
The house occupied by Joseph Louth,
near the iron bridge, at the foot OF Main
street, is flooded with water; the occupants
vacated the house about three o'clock this
morning. Louth found his pigs swimming
about in their pen, and by attaching rope
to them succeeded in towing each one to
q place OF safety.
Many trees and large branches were
broken down last night, and nearly all of
the apple crop has been whipped to the
ground. Hundreds of cellars are filed with
water, and nearly every residence in town
has been more or less injured by the water
beating in about the chimneys.
At the Harbor the damage viii be heavy.
The pontoon bridge has been carried away
and at present there is no way for crossing
from one side to the other. kilograms
were sent up. town this morning for the
owners of the schooners York State and
Star of Hope, to come down and take care
Of tbier bOaIs, as they had broken from
their moorings. (These boats have been
lying up the river In ordinary. It is sup
posed the lumber yard of Strong 8 Man
ming is being washed out, as q telegram
from the HsrbOr says quantities Of lum-
ber was seen passing down the river and
into the lake. The storm signal that Was
ordered up last Wednesday night is still
flying.
Fargo's milk wagons were unable to
cross the flats, at the foot of Harmon's hill.
this morning, and to cross the fats at the
foot of Spring street is at present an impOs-
sibility the water being five or six feet
deep.
s'The oldest inhabitant says such q fresh
ct has not visited this locality since 1897.
No trains have arrived here on the L. S.
& NJ. S. Ry since midnight Thursday; 10
cOmotives have, however, been sent out
and the tracks are being inspected after
which the regular trains are expected to
run.
The morning train for Pittsburgh left
here on time this morning but it will prob
ably not be able to get through to its des-
tination.
LATER P. N.
Since writing the above the freshet has
done vast amount of damage here, prin-
eipally at the Harbor. ALI o: the fats,
from bank to bank are covered with water
and reminds one of vast river. The
tracks of the Harbor Division Of the L. S.
6 NJ. S. Ry and the A, Y. & P. R. R. are
all submerged. and the water is rushing
to the lake with the velocity of the Niagara
rapids.
About noon when the water was at its
heighth the schooner York State broke
loose from her moorings up the river where
she has been in ordinary, and hoated down
stream taking with her the old barge Her
cules. When she struck the bank by the
L. S. & NJ. S. track she turned about and
went down stream bows first, at the rate of
ten miles an hour. Strange as itmay seem
she followed the crooked channel of the
river as though man was at her wheel,
and cleared every vessel and obstruction
that was in and along the sides of the riy-
er. A strong wind was blowing off the
lake, and the waves were washing nigh ov-
er the piers, but the current carried the
vessels onward against both wind and
wave. When she reached the mouth of
the harbor she turned to the east and was
carried abont quarter Of a mile down the
lake to the beach. 1t was one Of the
grandest sights the spectators eyer witness
ed while the vessel was going down the
stream.
Hardly had the schooner York State
reached the lake when the schooner Jessie
broke from her moorings jnst below where
the bridge stood; she was about half loaded
with slaves, and four of her crew and vO-
man cook was aboard. The sailors drop
ped both anchors bat they failed to hold
her, owing to the fact that the bottom is
rock, and she too was carried out into the
lake and beached near the York State As
the vessel.was passing the east pier she ran
near enough to it to allow all hands and
the cook to leap ashore, which they did
without much ceremony.
The draw bridge was swept away earlier
in the day, but was caught and tied to the
east pier; but as the water rose and the ve-
locity of the current increased it again
broke loose and was carried out in the lake.
Nearly all of the lumber at Strong &
Manning's yaru was swept away, as well as
the Ocean restaurant, the dock on the west
side of o'Neill's store, and eight small boats
that were tied up in the rear of 0iNeill's.
The little Canadian schooner, st. Andrews,
lay by the dock below the yellow ware
house, having entered the harbor during
thestorm of the night previous. She was
run into by one of the mad seows as it was
floating by and hole broken in her hull
below her water line, her jib boom was
broken of, and other damage done. She
filed with water and viii probably sink.
Tn schooner ]. O. Thayer, of Chicago,
which was anchored outside Wednesday
night was taken inside Thursday morning
and during. the high water lay in safe
place along side the dock at the coal shutes.
The heighth of the water must have been
at least ten feet above the usual high wa
ter mark. Suffice to say, it reached up TO
to the window sills in 0'Neill's store, and
in the road to the beach on the east side
was up to mans arm pits, and flowing
down the roadway into the lake.
The house occupied by Joseph Louth at |
the foot of the Harmon hill was washed |
away during the morning with its contents. |
A large barn, situated in the middle of the |
same lot, and owned by MIR. Albert Rsr-
mon, was washed by the current to the |
road, where it now stands apparently in
good order. .-.
The covered bridge at the foot of the |
n I