The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-02-22
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AWFUL FLOOD.
Slxty-fOnr Feet Four Inches Of Water In
the Ohio AT sCincinnati--(reat Destruction


sixty -four Feet Four Inches OF Water In /
the Ohio at Cincinnati Destruction 1
Of Property.
Cincinnati Fcb l2l Telegram to Chicago T
Times.l
The Indian may have witnessed such
volume Of watcr In the Ohio, but his white /
never before saw such flood /
II has not come upon us with a rush, or this
rich, beautiful valley would become wilder
ness with its subsidence, but has slowly |
swelled from a fair river, a useful servant,
to silent yellow sea that has sent its waves |
into the marts Of the city, and with their /
quiet tapping put a stop to business, to
to traffic, sent thousands on /
thousands adrift without shelter and with /
out food, and in the aggregate inflicted
damages that may directly and indi-
a space of twenty five miles tributary to the
city, Thousands Of people are houseless,
when siey were born, at least for the
time II they stay In their houses, they are
isolated, and must depend on chance for
will despoil the deserted dwellings The
Ohio river flows west between Cincinnati on
the Ohio side and Newport and Covington
opposite; In Kentucky the latter
cities divided by the Licking river.
A mile and a half below the Licking
the Ohio side. The Licking has been swollen
by its tributaries to a raging torrent Mar
row and deep and swift ordinarily, it is now
out of its banks for miles. covering points OF
ground never before reached by the floods
Along its banks ss are many factories
furnaces All these are flooded,
their fires out and their workmen
idle Mill creek forces its way to the river
In the western part Of the city, flowing
through wide valley, along which for five
miles are not only dwellings, but pork pack
ing houses, slaughter houses, divers manu-
featuring establishments and hundreds Of
market gardens, together with several rail-
road tracks All these are under water,
and, while the gardens are ruined,
great damage is also done the factories,
packing houses and contents, but to what
innate. The front Of Cincinnati for several
streets Is low. Here is done the heavy
wholesale business of the city, and there are
located many large factories of all sorts,
machine shops, coal-yards. etc All this is
under water from few inches to several
feet while cellars for two or three streets
farther back are flooded In some Of these
streets steamboat could make It's way
without a particle Of trouble. On Second
street the current runs like mill
race Where there Is but little water, If the
business is of kind to warrant it. clerks
and porters wade about in rubber hip boots,
but most of them are simply in charge of
watchmen Most of them had removed
their goods to upper stories or higher ground.
In streets back and higher, hundreds Of
hogsheads Of tobacco, sugar, etc, are piled
on the sidewalks from the flooded districts.
In the upper portion OF the city, along the
river bank, live many poor people
and most Of the lawless class Of the
city. They are drowned out, and per-
force invaded the central portion of the
town and the fashionable streets so that the
the crowds were more diversified than ever
before. The gas-works supply both Of this
city and Newport has been shut Oft, and
their fires were put out Yesterday afternoon
with only slim nights supply on hand. To-
day the lamp stores drove such trade rs
never before, and candles We're as common
as 100 years ago in the central city of the
Union. Three hundred Thousand people
are cut off from their regular supply
of gas tonight The streets are in darkness
save for an occasional electric light Thea
ters and other halls had to supply them
selves with electric lights oil lamps or cam
dies. and the audiences blinked their eyes
under the unwonted light, and were hiiari-
Gus and jolly, as they could not have been
otherwise. The water-works have about
five days supply in the reservoirs Under
the most favorable circumstances the
WOIhS SAHIlol ACSuIAc III NkAlIC W lllOIc luuIl
keep consumers scantily supplied. and,
should q great fire occur. the result
Is disheartenng to contemplate Should
1t occur in the overfiowed business district,
the department would be simply powerless,
and the flames would run unchecked Only
one railroad the Cincinnati, Hamilton and
Dayton, is above water. There are ten feet
of water over the track leading into the
new Union Depot and on the lower ground
the water runs over the tops of some freight
cars that were left on the track.
The stage OF water at Frankfort and Louis
vile. Ky, and at New Albany and Law
rcncebury Ind is unprecedented Thous-
ands are without employment, many are
Ehelterless, and much suffering prevails
Dispatches from Cincinnati, under date Of
Feb. l3, report great suffering on account Of
the flood The frame depot Of the Southern
road became undermined and toppled over
with many spectators but it Is not known
that any lives We're lost One correspondent
telegraphs: 1T would require the publica-
ton of the greater portion of the directory
/ to name the business men. particularly those
in the tobacco, produce, grain, commission.
and whisky business, and in all kinds OF
manufacturing interests, whose busl-
nesses have been wholly suspended
| Many OF these also lose their
l goods. The manufacturers all lose
/ heavily III the damage to machinery aud
! stock aside from the loss of time. More
than a thousand business firms and manu-
/ factories are thus prostrated. Yet business
men are not disheartened selfish These
same men, for two days, have poured III
contributions to the fund for the relief
of the suffering among that much greater
class-the poor--who are driven from
home and are deprived OF work II is
estimated that from thirty to forty thou
sand workmen are out OF employment by
the closing of the manufactures. To them
the loss of time and the injury to household
effects will prove the smallest loss The
dampness i'm their houses after the flood sub
sides must bring sickness and suffering. The
Common Councils action IN asking authority
to issue loan was promptly met by the
Legislature both houses having passed bill
to authorize relief loan OF SlW,OU Thus
the city has arranged to provide for itself
Telegrams have been received from New
York, Chicago and elsewhere, Offering as
sistance"
The Deluge at Louisville.
THE DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY WITHOUT PAR
AIIEI. IN THE ANNALS OF THAT CITY.
The waters in the Ohio river at Louisville
reached a height not witnessed before fol
years About forty squares in the north
eastern section Of the city were inun
dated, and 1000 persons driven from thei
homes The cutoff dam, overcome by th'
terrific weight OF water from above, gay'
way suddenly. with loud roar, says II
eyewitness, ~the Hood rushed over. Th'
waters covered the ground with Irresistible