St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-02-24
THE OHIO FLOODS.

The Worst Inundation Ever Known at Cin-s-
cinnati and Suburbs-Thousands of Per-
sons Driven from Their Homes and Com
fronted by Starvation-Pitiable Scenes.
CINCINNATI, February IL.
The Ohio at eleven O'Clock tonight had
reached depth at the water-works in this.
city of sixty-four feet and three and a half
inches. This is half an inch higher than the
memorable mark of February Is, 1882, the high
est point tho river has ever before reached.
since the city was founded. During the last.
hour the rise has been three-quarrers of an
inch. Those who are acquainted with the city
will re lie the enormous extent of the food
when it i stated that coal-barge was easily
foated to-day along Second street, across Man,.
Walnut, Vine and Race streets. This is in the
very heart of the wholesale business of the
city. Nearly all the warehouses, the produce
business, the large manufactures, the tobacco
houses, the gas-works and railroad depots are
on lower ground than Second street at the
points mentioned. The losses cannot be esti-
mated. They are much the most serious the
city has ever suffered from any cause what
ever.
Business is completely Frustrated in every
department.. Thousands of families are lv-
ing in the second stories of their houses, and
the police stations and other public buildings
are crowded with people who have been
driven from their homes, and are in condi-- .
ton of t e most utter destitution. Those
who have remained in their houses are for
the most part without either food or fuel.
They are being supplied to very limited ex-
tent by the benevolent organizations of the
city, which have sent men through the mum
date portion of the city in skiffs loaded with
provisions
A herd Of 800 cattle were drowned in Mill
| Creek to-day.
But one railroad on the north side of the
| Ohio can be used, and water is over the tracks
| of that one in some places. No steamboats,
| either leave or arrive
| The streets of the city are lighted only by
| the moon. Lamps and candles are used in the
| hotels, newspaper and telegraph offices, and
| in private houses, SO far as they could be pro-
! cured There is not oil enough to supply the
! demand for more than one day, but barge
| load can probably be got down from Parkers-
burg tomorrow.
The extent to which general business has.
| suffered is shown by the business at the rev
| enue Office. The sales Of stamps to-day
| amounted to between ST and IS, Usually the
! sales amount to $4,000 and $4,000 day.
CUMMINsvILLE.
/ Cumminsvile, popular suburb lying north
l OF the city, is one vast lake. The water has
| reached Knowtons Corner, at the intersection
/ of Spring Grove avenue and Ham lion pike,
| and all the residences and busness-tsaces be-
| tween that point and Mill Creek are sub
| merged. Husbands may be seen carrying
| wives and children on their backs to places Of
safety. The district bounded on the south
| and east by the Marietta Railroad, and on the
north and west by Hoffner street and the Gin
| cinnat, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad, is ALI
| under water. and all Of the families who haver
not moved out are now in the second stories.
| West Fork is backed up to Hamilton, all the
| gardens in the valley being submerged. There
i is a foot of water on the avenue bridge
There are 500 families in Cumminsville in dis
i tress.
NEWPORT.
| The city of Newport, on the east bank of the
| Licking River opposite Cincinnati, contains
10000 inhabitants. A great number of working
! people I've there. IT is estimated that there
| are ], 900 dwelling houses which the water has
l invaded to sufficient extent to drive the in
| mates from the first floor. Numbers of houses
are submerged to the caves Several cottages
1 have f1oated away.
At the Newport bridge-steps the water to-
day was fourteen feet, and at the street-car
track leading on to the bridge the water was
seven feet in depth. The only waySof reach
ing Cincinnati is by the Short-Lne Railroad
| bridge trestlework. Business of course, iss
/ entirely suspended. Merchants and others
who have escaped the flood have turned out
| en- raasse to assist those in distress.
/ The scenes at the various landing-places to-
! day were Undesirable. The sick in many
instances who had been removed to the Sec
4 ond stories had to be taken out to-day and
lowered into boats. st. Pauls Episcopat
Church is crowded with homeless peo-
| ple This afternoon a sick Child was
taken there. The story was started that.
it was suffering from the smallpox. and a.
stampede ensued. A physician examined the
child and reported that it recently had ther
] | smallpox but he thou hit the case too far
advanced to be contagious. The people, in the,
absence Of other shelter, then slowly returned
to the church.
BELLEVUE.
: In Bellevue, a town OF 1900 inhabitants, a.
mile above Newport, the situation Is not quite
| SO bad All the houses on Front street are
completely submerged, the water being up in
some of them higher than the windows. The
residents of the lower side of Rhensford street.
have all moved except two or three.
1 DAYTON.
Y Dayton, KY, is situated two miles above
Bellevue. All day yesterday tho expresses
i and grocery-wagons, as well as coalcarts and
| wheelbarrows, were brought into requisitton.
to convey furniture from the inundated dis
tricts. 1t is estimated that in this town or
: $500 inhabitants over one hundred families
4 have been forced to fee from their homes to-
a places of safety. On account of the Dayton
. bakeries being all located in the submerged
!, i district the bakers were unable to furnish the
, citizens with bread. and before nine o'clock
: Saturday night all the groceries in town had
> sold out the stock of breadstuffs, and the
people in some instances were compelled TO go
hungry. All day to-day people could be
9 seen carrying baskets of provisions TO the
y watery captiyes in skiffs. Those driven from
:, their homes are al quartered in the Baptist
Church and the different public halls The
citizens nobly opened their doors to their I'M
fortunate neighbors. and every ayailable