The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-02-21
TERRIBLE FLOODS.
DISASTER AND OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
AEDs or PEOPLE HOMELESS.

AEDs OF PEOPLE HOMELESS.
The Ohio river last week reached.
sixty-four feet above low water, high
er than was ever known Great de-
struction to property and many lives
lost have resulted from the flood. At
Cincinnati, on the 18th, an immense
crowd Of people were at the South
ern railroad depot looking at the
raging waters, when Ryan's restau-
rant, small building near by, sunk.
The crowd rushed over on the plat
form to see what was the matter,
when suddenly the whole depot
sank into the water The track was
at the same time depressed and cars
standing close ran into the depress-
ion and covered the people whe had
gone down with the falling struc-
ture. The bystanders could give
no intelligent account of how many
escaped. The work of recovering
the drowned will be exceedingly diff
ficult, as the place is dangerous. The
common council voted an appropri-
alton of SIS, 900 10 assist the suffer
ers. AT ii a. m, the river had
reached 81 feet IL inches, and was
rising slowly.
At New Albany, Ind, en- the same
night, all the houses and factories
along the river banks were aband-
oned. The water put out the fires
of the glass works, and their loss is
put down at 100000. 5000 per-
sons are thrown out of employment.
From 800 to 500 families had to re.
move. The railroad track between
New Albany and Jacksonville is
abandoned.
At Louisville the distress is as bad
if not worse. The waters are high
err than the flood of 1882. The
houses along the river front are va
Gated, and drift is damaging them
seriously. Fourth street, dispatches
of the 18th say, is closed from Main
to the river. Every building in
Shippingport has from 3 to 8 feet Of
water on the floor. Nine squares in
Portland are at the mercy of the
water, and business is at an end. 1t
is estimated that at Shippingport
and Portland 1900 persons are
homeless. In the city proper heavy
damage has been done by the stop
page of work in the factories, and
1000 men have been thrown out of
employment. 5000 to 5000 people
are driven from their homes. About
midnight the dam protecting the
lowlands in the eastern part of the
city broke, letting sixty feet of wa
ter upon twenty blocks OF dwellings.
The scene which followed is indie
scribable. Thirty lives are report
ed lost. Huge fires were built at
every convenient point, and around
these the poor, shivering, homeless
people gathered in groups and be-
moaned the loss of their property.
Little children, crying bitterly, chung
to their mothers skirts; old men,
who had resided on the Point for a
half century, spoke of the affair as
terrible, and the like was never seen
before. Young girls cried over the
loss of all their best wearing appa-
rel, and old ladies thought that the
city should be held responsible for the
damage. The water is rising slowly
and the great tide from the Ken
lucky river is to be added.
At Frankfort, on the 18th, hotels,
mills, business houses and residences
were submerged. That portion of
the city north of the State House
was covered entirely, and the water
even rushed through the gates of
the penitentiary. All the lifetime
prisoners who occupied cells on the
lower floor had to be removed to
upper ones. The court house, en-
CINE houses and market house were
thrown open to the public for shell
ter Much damage was done to the
bridges.