The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-02-23


chants and business men on Water
street and exposed points OF the city
were as well prepared for 1t as possible,
but no one anticipated the extent to
which the water rose. Tonight at III
o'clock il is two feet above the highest
mark of the great flood of 1881, and still
rising. Reports from up the river are
most alarming. The gOrgeS near here
began to move ut midnight last night,
but stopped again. This morning at IL
q great field OF ice marched down upon
the city, rising 80 rapidly that the peo-
pie in the exposed positions fled for
their lives. The water rapidly covered
the middle ground, on which is located
the Union depot and the Island house,
and is network of railroad tracks.
The people here had barely time to es-
cape to high ground when this entire
section was covered with from four to
eight feet of water. There is tonight
five feet of water on the Island house
floor. The railroads had everything
ready to move, and when the waters
came all the cars were shifted to higher
ground. The first bridge to suffer was
the Union railroad bridge. Workmen
were engaged putting up a new span,
which stood up and down the river,
lCollllR vi a. NOlh, d OClupOlNl
span having been built on piling to ena-
began to move, the wOrkmen started
and ran across this temporary structure
to the main bridge, and thence to the
shore, all escaping excepting one man,
whose retreat was cut off by the filling
being carried away. The ice came down
the river in great fields, which broke as
soon as they struck the defender and
piled up upon that, tearing away the
trestle- work under the southern end OF
the new span, and letting 1t fall into the
water. A moment later the trestlc
supporting the northern end OF the span
was swept away. carrying with 1T part
of the iron work. The adventure of
this one workman, whose name was
Henry Miller, was most thrilling one.
When the gorge struck the bridge he
jumped upon huge cake Of ice. AS he
floated down past the city the river was
lined with spectators. Seeing his terri
BILE dilemma, men ran to the Cherry
street bridge with n rope, where
they waited to rescue him. AS he
neared the bridge they threw the rope,
which he caught just as the cake which
had borne him down was dashed to
pieces, and was saved. His brother was
among the crowd who rescued him.
Miller is a bridge-builder and lives at
Detroit. An hour later one span of the
Cherry street bridge, connecting the
East side, was carried away. Then two
spans of the Pennsylvania railroad
bridge went. About 800 feet of the
treStle work of the new and magnificent
Wheeling and Lake Erie bridge was
swept away from the east side and two
hundred feet from the west side. Trains
are now transferring passengers on the
ice, which has gOrged below the city
and frozen. On the flats in the Fourth
ward about three hundred families are
drowned out. Both the electric light
companies were obliged to suspend, and
the gas company has given warning
that the city will be in darkness to-
morrow night. The newspapers Jared
badly. The new Scott press of the Blade
is in three feet Of water. The Bee was
stopped by the water this afternoon be-
fore their edition was off. The Telegram
is the only paper not yet flooded out,
and from that office two other Sunday
papers besides their own will be printed
in the morning. The office of the Sun
day Democrat is being reached tonight
in q row-boat. The damage to bridges
is put at 100000. The loss to the city
can not now BIC ascertained, but will be
very heavy.
Advice from Cincinnati, OH Monday,
report that the river is slowly subsid-
ing. and as fast as the water recedes it
has been followed up by gangs Of men
cleaning the streets and houses while
still containing few inches Of water,
as it is more easily done then than when
none remains. OF course, the deposit
of mud is not so great in the places now
free, as the depth was not so great in
them, but was quite enough to take
much work, and where the depth was
greatest it will be very bad. The bust
ness houses present the appearance Of
a general wreck. Doors were forced
from their fastenings, glass broken,
and all furniture ruined. Where there
had been current the streets we're left
cleaner than usual. Business men are
preparing to resume and will have
great rush for filling delayed orders.
There will be work for everybody in a
few days. Manufacturers orders have
accumulated also, and the same will be
true Of them.
The situation at Louisville, Jeffer-
sonville and New Albany on Monday
was no better. Many disasters to build
ingS occurred In consequence of the
high winds which dashed the river into
great waves that beat against the build
ings with destructive force. Many
were overturned and wrecked, and
more so badly damaged inside as to be
little better than wrecks. Sunday after
noon at o'clock snow-stOrm from
the northwest set in, and the weather
is cold and windy, and the air full of
snow. This change in the temperature
of more than thirty degrees in twelve
hours is adding to the sufferings of the
many hundreds of families who are
housed in uncomfortable quarters with
insufficient clothing and bed covering.
1t will add to the sickness-pneumonia
typhoid, and malarial fevers-now SO
prevalent. Many delicate women and
little children, unused to the rigors
which the calamity is forcing to under
90, are falling ill. All are being cared
for to the best ability Of those who are
more fortunate.
A staff correspondent Of the Indian
apolis Journal, who has spent week in
the flooded district in the southern part
of the state, has made an estimate Of
the damage done from New Albany to
LawrenceburV, on the Indiana side. II