Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-02-05
The West Visited by a Severe Balm
and Snow Storm.
Railroad and Telegraph Communication
Suspended.
Great Loss of Life and Property by Over
flowed Rivers.

The storm which began early yesterday
continued with great severity all night. Ii
extended over the greater portion of Wiscon-
sin, illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Its effect Is
most disastrous to railroads, and telegraph
lines are Frustrated in all directions, COM
munication with many surru0nding cities be-
ing entirely suspended. Railroads espe-
cially in Illinois are blOckaded, and but few
trains are run.
From s o'clock last night until 6 this
morning most of the suburban trains were
abandoned or were hours behind and re-
quired two or three engines to haul them.
The storm has now ceased and the condition
of affairs is slowly improving. At O'Clock
this afternoon all telegraph communication
east and south was cut off. About midnight
last night freezing sleet of snow extending
southwest to an unknown distance and east
ward to Buffalo, which, became encrusted
and weighted with ice and began going down
bv one, till at daylight the city was practi-
cally cut Off At l40 p. NJ. only one wire
was working between Chicago and New York
and even that with frequent interruptions.
Broken wires have fallen across those not
broken, causing inextricable confusion. To
add to the difficulties of the situation east
ward trains are blockaded. The snow is not
very deep, but it is composed of little round
pdTtlClts VI slcCt' tHiouSu ulSH " uCSiiuS 40
like wheeling through sand, so that engines
with men to repair broken lines cannot be
sent out. All messages received are subject
to DELAY. Dispatches to the Associated
Press from Washington, New York, Cincn-
natl. st. Louis and all tributory points are
entirely cut off. The grain market of role
do is the only message through up to about
o'clock. The telegraph furnish no encour-
agement to materially improve the service
before tomorrow.
Advices from Cleveland, o., says: 1t has
been raining here continuously more than "a
hours. The Cuyahaga river and its tribu
taries have overlooked their banks and are
still rising. Houses, barns and factories in
the valley are inundated and the damage in
the aggregate will be large. No loss of life
has not yet been reported
An Akron. o., dispatch ssys: 1t has rained
steadily here since last night, and this entire
region is flooded The Little Cayahuga river
rose three feet in short time in the 9th
ward in Middlebury, making.five times Its
usual volume. Almost all the factories in
that section of the city are submerged. The
Akron Manufacturing Co.'S new dam has
been washed away flooding the tracks of the
New York & Pennsylvania road and the Val
ley railroads and disabling the latter badly.
The bridge Of the Pittsburg, Cleveland &
Toledo railroad is threatened. Mary Strapp
was drowned and the house of Harrison w.
Greer flooded and he and his children
were rescued with difficulty. Great damage
has been done to property. Trains have
been suspended on the Valley road. The
Cleveland, Akron & Columbus r. X. has not
been affected The waters this evening are
still higher. Rain continues and threatens
further destruction. Damage by the flood
in this city aggregates $4,000 of which the
Ohio Canal Co. lose $4,000. Factories
along the canal all suffered. The water en-
tered burning kiln at Alexanders Fire
Brick Works, generating steam that ex-
ploded it, causing considerable loss. Locks
10 and 20 of the Ohio Canal were washed
away entirely, others were badly injured,
in the 9th ward at o'clock this morning.
Further advices from Cleveland, O., says
Early this morning the water of the Kings
bury Run rose and spread over hundreds of
acres of low land surrounding leaky petro-
leum still of the Standard Oil Works. The
escaping oil and refuse were swept down the
stream and carried under the boilers of the
Great Western Oil Works, which wore near
ly submerged. The oil became ignited and
foated around a tank containing 5000 barrels
of crude petroleum which took fire and ex-
plOded, spreading the blazing oil in all direc-
tons, some being carried to Merriam & Nor
gan's paraffine works below, which were also
destroyed. Continuing down the stream the
flaming flood next attacked the tanks of
the Standard Oil Works in the valley. one
after another of which took fire. Twelve
one thousand barrel tanks, two five thousand
barrel tanks, four stills, 500 feet of railway
trestle and various small works were de-
stroyed. Not less than 80, 900 barrels of oil
consumed Total lass h,G ra ;s
mated at from Sl50.000 to 100000 The
fire is still burning.
A dispatch from Bradford, Pa. saws This
place was visited Saturday night by disas-
trous flood which inundated several of its
streets. The lower part of the city sub
merged in some cases to the depth of ten
feet. The flood was caused by the rains of
Friday and Saturday and melting of snow
in the mountains. Five bridges were swept
away and several houses along the banks of
the creek were badly damaged or totally de-
stroyed. Eighty-ive families on the flats
between here and Tar Pot living in one-story
houses, had to flee for their lives when the
ice gorge broke, leaving all their effects, and
many of the houses were swept away. The
waters are now subsiding and all fears of
further damage are over.
A dispatch from Nashville, Tenn, says:
(,
Robinson & Co.'S works broke suddenly and
three families with difficulty were rescued.
The stream struck two mills ST the Akron
Sewer Pipe Co, injuring both considerably.
All the families in the Cuyahaga Valley and
the northern part Of the city fed from their
houses last night. The rain fell in torrents.
The great food reached its height this noon
and is now receding. The lumber yards.
elevators, iron works, machine shops, -four
mills, packing houses, factories of various
sorts and railway freight houses were more
OF less submerged. 1t is estimated that %
600 900 feet of lumber and from 10 to 10
million of shingles have been washed away
from the lumber yards. The Valley railroad
is under water for miles and its bridge near
Weighock has been swept away. The
New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio railroad is
submerged four feet under water. Thecompa.
ny refuses freight for the present. Two mills
of the Cleveland Paper Co. are in water
nearly to the top of the first story. Less
damage has been done to shipping than was
feared. Damage can scarcely be less than
81, ZOO, 900.
Advices from Pttsburg, Pa, state that the
lower portions of Allegheny City and the
south side are threatened with inun1alion and
the residents are moving to safer quarters
The river has risen 90 feet and is still rising.
The lower portion of the town of Freeport is
submerged, as is also the town of Kittaning