Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-07-28
A WATER SPOUT.
SEVERE RAIN STORM IN WESTERN
PENNSYLVANIA.
Over Half Million Dollars Worth Of Prop
erty Runed-Great Flood and 0es-
truction in the Oil Regions
and Elsewhere.

I anu angry NlpuNlS ApSoCt anu biNhIbANN
in the clamorous heavens, surging TO
and fro as if engaged in mortal combat,
and seemingly giving vent to their anger
in mighty torrents ofwater.
Bear Creek seemed to he miniature
ocean. The waters being restrained,
the valley was completely inundated,
sweeping houses, dcrricks, fences, de
Stroying gardens, and playing sad havoc
with everything in its pathway, devasta-
ting property in Harms City to the
amount OF 5000 and endangering many
! lives.
II rushed on its course OF destruction
| 10 PetrOlia. Bear Creek runs immcdl-
| ately under the business portion of the
| town. The north side of Main street
consists of large buildings. When the
| rushing water struck the piles on which
they were constructed, they rapidly
| tloated across the street and carrying
along all the buildings from the railroad
ND To the Central Hotel. The buildings
on the east side Of the railroad street,
commencing at the Sink House, were
| all swept away. The oil Change was
| considerably damaged, the PoSt-otlice
| was thoroughly drenched, receiving no
particular damage. The loss is cSti-
mated at 100000 The following mer-
chants arr the principal losers:
About twenty-five business houses
| on Railroad street were completely
| DESTROYED, while on Main street the
| contents of the Central Hotel, Tobias
/ billiard room, Pcttigrew'S drug store,
Marks dry goods store, were badly
| damaged.
Below the Central Hotel, Foot's drug
store, Bartl dds clothing store, Lcvine's
/ cigar store, Bpttncr'S jewclry and cigar
store were completely destroyed, the
owners not being able to save heir
stocks.
The poS,otIicc building and the news
room were slightly damaged.
I.ittlc'S jcwclry store, IImOttc Dcwy's
boot and shoe shore, Bcncdict'S dry
goods store, Oil Exchange, Standard OH
Companv's office, Taylor x Co. : Offices
| and all the offices in the rear Of the
oil Exchahgc were badly damaged.
Irelaud's large machine shops were
| badly damaged.
The large Coliseum was completely
DESTROYED. \ walking match was going
on at the time of the flood, and the con-
teStantS and spectators barely escaped.
Mothers with babies in their arms
and hali.grown children clinging to their
skirts were seen on the porch tops, their
plle and haggard faces plainly telling
their dcathly agDuicS. Men We're seen
combating braVelv for life IN the muddy
torrents.
The Parkcrand Karns City and Butler
railroads suffered a loss Ot $1,000 all
their trrS'lrS being damaged and the
track torn up iOr miles. They expect 10
have trains running in two or three days
at iartheSt 4 great many are destitute
of homes Men, woman and children
are rushing Though the the street, fill
, ing the air with their mOurnlul and
piteous walls. The majority OF them
| have lost all of this worlds goods. lni-
mediate steps will be taken To relieve
the sufferers. Our once brilliant town
is pitiiul object to look upon. Main
street presents a muddy chaos OF Sedl-
ment and debris.
Our once happy and prosperous mer-
! chants look upon the ruins OF their
thrift and enterprise with detected and
melancholy gaze Deeds OF valor too
numerous to mention, were enacted by
men i'm their n0blectiOrts to save life. The
excitement is subsidng and by tO-mOr-
row correct report Of the losses can be
ascertained.
PrrTsBUR RGH, July GA severe rain
storm passed over this section to-day,
causing considerable damage 10 property
in the surrounding country. vt Irwin 5
Station, on the Pennsylvania railroad,
the flood was the highest ever known III
that vicinity; houses were Hooded,
fences and Out-buildings washed down,
and on the Sewickly Branch road, the
damage To the track was very heavy.
At Petrolia, the greatest loss occurred,
| % or 80 stores and dwellings being
washed away. The Harms City and
/ Parker railroad was damaged 10 the eN-
tent Of $4,000, and the telegraph lines
are down i'm all directions. The total
loss is probably 100000. On the b. X
| O. railroad, at Gutfy Station, the culvcrt
was washed out and the track 50 dam
aged that trains cannot pass. Reports
! of the same nature were received from
the Monongahela Valley. No damage
was done in the city.
| Another Account.
PlrTBURGH, July 27.--The storm OF
YESTERDAY though not 50 severe IN the
| city or immediate vicinity was fearful
| in its effect in the surrounding villages
| and country. The principal damage
\ here was in the washing out ot streets
| and sidewalks The oil towns OF Petroha
| and Harms City suffered terribly,
| TWENTY-FIVE houses in the former place
| being swept away and destroyed and the
! line of railroad between Parker and
| Harms CITY submerged, bridges washed
away, Culveris destroyed, and the
/ road bed ruined in many places. Inc
| people OF that scCtiOn in many IN
| stances barely escaped with their lives.
The rain fall up the Monongahela VAL
lev and along the line of the Baltimore
! and Ohio Railroad which skirts the
| Youghiogheny, was the heaviest known
for wears. houses, fences, out-buildings,
lumber and other property were swept
away and many Of the coal mines Hood
ed. The miners in somr OF them mar
rowly escaped drowning. At Schraler' ;
mine. near Elizabeth, the men waded
| out through water up To their chlns.
! Nearly all the railroads center
inc here, with the exception
al the Pennsylvania Central report more
or less damage and consequent delay OF
traffic. The only loss OF life 50 lar re-
ported is that OF Mrs. Daley, who was
drowned in attempting to cross 4 creek
near Shaner's Station the Baltimore anu
Ohio road The damage to the growing
crnns has been very great, but any APP
Proclamation of the sum is beyond com
pute. ,,u;.r,-
At Irwin's Station the rain iail Is re-
ported to have reached seven inches,
and the Youghiogheny branch railroau
was damaged in several places the ioryc ,
Of the water being so great As to oreaN
the steel rails. The railroad folks are
hard at work in all directions, ana VIII
have the damage repaired in the short
est possible time.
Murderer Hung.
NICKsBURG, July 27.-Henry Miller,
colored, was hanged yesterday at John
sonville, Sunflower county, for the mur'
der of Henry Murphy, colored.