The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-02-23
THE OHIO RIyER FLOOD.

THE OHIO RIVER FLOOD.
Description. OF Bird.s-Eye View Of the
Flooded Region Around Cineinnati-Sev-
erai Persona KILLED by ansExpiosaon Of
Fire-Dsnip.S ~
Cincinnati special of the l5s: to tAe Chi
cago Inter Ocean says:
Since noon to-day<ne weather for the first
time sim the Hood ~ fne overhead.- The
sun shone OUT bright, and a. all factories
Using steam are closed, to save water, there
were multitudes with leisure to come out
The streets were soon thronged, and both
bridge spanning the Ohio were filed with
sight-seers. Along the waters edge. and from
houses, photographers were
busy everywhere taking views, as II photo
or 1000 of them could convey the faintest
conception Of this appalling reality. Tho view
from Mt Adams and from tire Shelter House
Hill in Eden Park was grand beyond all pow
ers of description. From the point OF
Shelter House Hill glimpse can be
had OF Columbia, the southeastern por'
ton OF Cincinnati. It can be seen
peeriny across the point Of Kentucky hill
aroundwhich The Ohio River sweeps from the
south and ourves nearly due vest. Pendleton
and on the Kentucky shore are successfully
Dayton, Bellevue, Taylor's Creek. and the
eastern portion Of Newport. All along the
Ohio shore in Pendleton are great houses, the
water up to their very caves, and barges of
coal and RATS oflumber far inland from them.
In ordinary stages Of water these buildings
stand high on the bank, hundreds Of feet from
the shore, and out of view to an observer
standing on the deck of steamer in the river.
For Il stretch of four miles down the Ohio
River, from Crawfish Creek to the water
works, this scene is repeated. The houses that
line the Ohio shore stand thickest, and
there. are many clusters of little cot
tages with only the gsbles above the
water. Hundreds upon hundreds of hand
some frame buildings, neatly and beautifully
painted, are surrounded with water to the
tops of the doors and windows of the first
story. On the Kentucky side. the village of
Bellevue lies between the foot of lofty hill
and the Ohio River, where the view of the
Ohio River looking up stream from Eden
Park is lost behind the hill Bellevue from
this view looks as If situated on little cape.
The hill rising behind it is even now green
with Kentucky blue grass. The waters on the
point of this cape are dotted with the roofs of
many little home. and the statelier houses of
the village by scores are submerged to the
door-tops of the first story. Next below on
the river, in Kentucky, and adjacent is the
village of Dayton. 1t Is larger and more ex-
posed. From the hill-tops it looks as if one
fourth the town nearest the river was
utterly submerged and all the houses
rendered untenantable. Certainly one
half of the remainder of the village
is under water to the depth of a few
inches to several feet on the ground floor.
Below Dayton is what is known as Taylor
Creek Bottom. Tie Ohio overHows this more
or less at a stag, of from forty-five to fftyfive
feet. 1t is not built up as a village by any
means, but is pretty thickly studd I'd
with houses in the higher grounds, where
people have lived for years without
disturbance by high waters. To-day these
houses show only their no IFS above the foods.
and they LOOK like little black islands on the
shining waters. Taylor's Creek would b,
easily mistaken by a stranger for the Ohio
River winding to the north out OF tie Ken
lucky hills but for the forest trees peering
Above the surface of the waters from shore
to shore. This phenomenon of trees far
from the shore is q striking scene all along the
four miles of the distance down the Ohio, from
Pendleton to the Cincinnati Water-works
pumping house. Just across the Ohio, oppo-
site the waterworks pumping house. is what
was ones Wolff's Rolling Mill, situated on a
high bank just below the mouth of Taylor's
Creek, Ky. 1t is large strong building of
brick, with lofty chnneys. AMI has not Teen
usld for several years. Only from the caves
up is this great building visible. From the
| wer edge of Columbia down to Taylor Creek
the river makes a great sweeping curve. and,
while ordinarily it averages about 400 yards in
4 I,,- st
than a mile from shore to shore 81. % ....i
From the top of Mount Adams magnificent
view of the Licking River, winding up from
the south, opens up to the view. One sees it
floating in the sun for miles and miles back.
1t winds. through the hills and disappears ut
intervals yhis gives it the ,appearance of
series of terraces. Its banks are lined with
foresttrees, and at its present stage it looks
like mighty river with great trees scattered
across it from shore to shore. At ordinary
stages IFS hanks are steep and high, and its
channel narrow and deep.
Turning wn the Ohio, the great suspen-
sion bridge looks dwarfed by the magnitude
of the waters beneath it. Its arc seems to
rise from the river on the Ohio shore, and to
touch it again on the Kentucky side. Even
the large steamers, that nestle In as closely as
they can get to the shore, look insign ficant on
the top of these waters. -... ........r.r 80.
AN EXPLOSION.
...f.t..-.- ... CINCINNATI, February Is.
At one O'Clock this morning the people in
the vicinity of No. 80 Wlstach street, on the
border of the inundated district in the western
part of the city. were startled by loud ex-
plosion, which broke the glass in windows in
tn neighborhOod. A three-story brick build
ing, occupied by four families numbering
seventeen persons, was found in ruins. The
explosion was from fire-damp or sewer-gas in
the cellar, and all of the seventeen people were
buried in the debris. A scene of terror followed.
A fire alarm was turned in, and the Fire De
partment responded, promptly. Finding nc
fire, the men began the work of rescuinR the
unfortunate victims. This was slow work.
The house was owned by Jacob Brown. who
with his wife, and two sons, and two daughters,
occupied the first floor. Officer Macke, a
special policeman at Fourth and Vine streets,
and known as liking William occupied the
front room on the second floor, with his wife.
The back part of the same story was occupied
by W ifliam Miller, wife and two children. The
third fioor was occupied by William Harmon,
wife and two twin daughters two years old.
By FIVE o'clock all the occupants hid been
taken cut.