The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-02-16
VERY LATEST.
HEAVY FLOODA.

has continued up to the present time.
Thus far the amount of rain that has
fallen here is one inch. This rain has
been general up the Monongahela val
hey to the mountain ranges and up the
Allegheny as far as Parker's. When
the storm commenced, the rivers were
still high from the food of Wednesday
night. The result was the checking Of
the fall, and already both streams are
manifesting indications of another
boom. At the head waters of the Mo-
nongahela the swell is very rapid, New
Geneva reporting rise of over ten feet
In the last twenty-four hours. at
Greensboro, the depth is seventeen
feet and rising at the rate of twenty
inches an hour. The Allegheny is
twelve feet six inches and swelling.
Steamboat men here predict that the
boom will be within two feet of as big
rs the food of last week, and probably
fully as high. They say 1t will be much
swifter and probably will be more de-
structive of property. Dispatches from
various points on the Ohio river indi-
cate that the present flood is ahead of
anything in that line during the present
generation. At Cincinnati the water
Monday morning was 81 feet 81 inches
above low water mark. The aggregate
damage will be immense and can not be
arrived at, because it is so widely dis
tributed. No isolated case of great loss
is reported, but hundreds of cellars and
houses are flooded. Manufactures are
stopped and thousands of men are
thrown out of work. A generation since
it would have been q calamity, but
everybody was prepared though none of
them anticipated the full extent to
which the flood has reached. Boats can
not run because they can not find land
mgs. The railways are more or less i'm
peded, the Ohio and Mississippi having
abandoned all trains between here and
North Bend, sixteen miles. The Plum
street depot is full of water and aband-
Oned. and all trains heretofore run from
there use the tracks not yet interfered
with.
On Monday at p. m. the water had
attained q hight at Cincinnati of GA feet
l inch-two inches below 1882. Narrow
and deep and swift ordinarily the river
is now out of it's banks for miles, COW
ering points of ground never before
reached by the foods. Along its banks
are many factories. large and small,
rolling mills, and furnaces All these
are flooded, their fires out, and their
workmen idle. Mill creek forces it's
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-packing houses,
Slaughter-houses, divers manufacturing
gardens, together with several railroad
tracks. All these are under water, and,
while the gardens are ruined, great
damage is also done the factories, pack
lighthouses and contents, but to what
extent is simply impossible to even APP
proximate. 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 factO-
xies of all sorts. machine-shOpS, coal
yards, etc All this is under water from
a few inches to several feet, while Gel
lars for two or three streets farther
back are flooded. In some Of these
streets steamboat could make its way
without a particle OF trouble. On
Second street the current runs like
a mill-race. Where there is but little
water, if the business is of kind to
warrant it, clerks and porteys 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. To-day the weather was
beautiful, and the streets were crowded
with thousands who either came to
view the floods or were idle by its work.
In the upper portion of the city along
the river bank live many poor people
- thA lox Ill rf ha
city. They are drowned out, and per-
force invaded the central portion of the
town and the fashionable streets, so
that the crowds were more diversified
than ever before. The gas-works sup
ply both of this city and Newport has
been shut off. and their fires were put
out yesterday afternoon with only
slim nights supply ahead. To-day the
lamp stores drove such trade as never
before, and candles were as common as
a hundred 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. Theaters and other halls
had to supply themselves with electric
lights, Oil lamps, or candies and the
audiences blinked their eyes under the
nnwonted light, and were hilarious and
Jolly as they could not have been other
wise. The water-works have about
five days supply in the reservoirs.
Under the most favorable circum-
stances the works can not resume in
time to more than keep consumers
scantiiy supplied. and should great
fire occur the result is disheartening to
Should it occur in the
business district, the de-
partment would be simply powerless.
and the flames would run unchecked.
Only one railroad, the Cincinnati,
Hamilton and Dayton, Is above water,
though only three are entirely sus-
Dayton and Michigan,
Indianapolis, st. Louis and
Chicago, and the Whitewater road
and all are uncertain. There are ten
feet of water over the track leading in
TO the new Union depot, and on the
lower grounds the water runs over the
tops OF some freight-cars that were left
ON the track. What will be the out
come no one can tell. 1t is expected
shat the water will surely reach its Mt
most height by morning. but week
longer will be needed for the river TO
.AY a. l. Ill II