Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-10-06
THE OLDEST INHAnITAST.
His Opinion of the Weather and
the River.


Yesterday afternoon the REGISTER was
interviewed by the Oldest lnhabitant.
He was not the querulous old gentle
man he is sometimes represented, but
was a mild. harmless, even-tempered OLD
fellow, though as opinionated as a hotel
clerk. Therefore, we speak OF him with
all respect.
81 thought you said We were going to
have rain to-day" he began, in rather
aggressive way, "and here the sky Is as
coppery as ever the.ancient Mariner sa"
il.
We humbly remarked that our order
on the weather clerk had probably
missed connections, and yentured the
assertion that such a condition OF affairs
could scarcely be perennial.
at beats any thing | ever saw, he
went on, "and I've lived in the city oil
Wheeling. man and boy, for nigh on to six
tv wears. | knew it was coming, though,
and IN tell YOU why. The sun crossed
the line on the 2lst OF september and
we had no equinOctial storm; and when
that happens long spell OF dry weather
issure TO follow. ] never knew it to fail.
I. y
know this, ii this beats anything you
ever saw"
II mean never saw anything Kept
I'D as long as this. And then it began
some time before the crossing OF the
line. Nou needn't expect storm, now,
until YOU hear of one near large water
somewhere. We will get no rain until
general storm comes along. There
will be no local rains.
"Why SOP
because there isn't any moisture IN
the atmospheric here, and no way to get
anv, and we must wait for storm OF
wind from the lakes. No moisture can
come from the river, for there's no riyeI
for it to come from. Just look at that
stream of water. 1t beats my time all
hollow"
Did YOU ever sec the water so low
before"
Never did and never want TO see il
again. Then look at the creek. 1t looks
like the waste pipe from public bath
Yes. sir, that river and this weather beat
anything in the line Of my experience.
Our friend, however, is slightly mis-
taken. Both river and weather, though
not intimates, are not entire strangers
I'm the fall Of 1872 the river was lower
than at present, and in 1888 consider
ably so. The Cincinnati Enquirer says
All talk about the river being lower
than ever before known is mere bosh,
as while we have not had an "eXperl-
ence OF forty or fifty" years on the river,
We know Of the Ohio having been lower
a number of times than at present. II
is but a few years since the entire reef
opposite the city wharf was out dry, and
a number of enterprislng firms OF the
city used il 10 post the advertisement OF
their business on. The river is low,
that is the most that can be said oft.
This weather, for October, has often
been duplicated. In conversation yes
tcrdav with a gentleman, not an old one
either. we were informed thatin the fall OF
'7Oor II. ne could not recollect which,
the weather was similar to the present
from September TO December and the
river was too low for navigation until
after the first snowfall.
But really the river is exceptionally
low at present. All the ferries are
laid up and in some places the
river bed is visible clear across. The
wharf is the most desOlate looking
place in the city and maritime com
merce has almost entirely suspended.
Mails are sull forwarded, however, three
times a week, by the Ed. Pope, Mon
DAYS, Wednesdays and Saturdays,
down, and up on the other three days.
The Pope runs only to Matamoras, a
skifT being used between there and
Marietta.
At this writing there is no prospect OF
a change of weather. The sky is per-
fectly cloudless and a dead calm pro-
walls.