Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-02-17
aterritory equal in extent 10 the stsss OF
Pennsylvapia.
The MouonRaheIa DraiwN1e,

Ihe M0AOnEoheia DfalwNBe,
The Monongahela river finds It's ortgin
in the high ground of Randolph county
in this State, and drains its entire centre,
The head waters Of the Tygarfs Valley
branch tTickle down the north side Of Rich
mountain, in Randolph county, while on
the south side are the springs which sup
ply the Elk, running in a different direc'
to meet the Ohio at Point Pleasant. The
general course of the Monongahela is due
north, though the 'Tygart's Valley, aided
by the Buckhapnon, comes in at Fairmont
and more than doubles the original bulk
of the water. The Youghiogheny, known
as the mad Yough," from the terror with
which its waters frequently surge to their
mouth, comes in at McKeesport: By this
river, the Monongahela drains the country
from Maryland, across the Laurel ridge
and a spur of the Allegheny mountains
and makes up total of nearly a thousand
miles in length and q territory nearly as
large as the State Of Ohio. This will give
q tolerabIy clear idea Of the great shed
drsined by the Ohio river before 1t reaches
Wheeling and will help to account for the
immense volume Of water precipitated
upon US.
The Coming OF the RaiP.
On the Goth of January, Tuesday, the
rainfall began. The telegraph announced
it was very general over the southern half
of the watershed described above, but had
missed the Allegheny drainage. "For
when tn s snow shall mclt there vii! come a
food" the REGIsrsR predicted, on the
next morning, and as if in confirmation Of
the prophecy, the waters began to swell.
The Monongahela, especially, rose rapidly
and with the energy peculiar to it poured
its waters into the Ohio at Pittsburgh. At
Fairmont, Grafton and Morgantown the
water was unusually high, and the warn
ing came down from Pittsburgh, Prepare
for a Hood" But it was too soon. The
icy chains. wroul ht by the cold snap, still
held the Allegheny and Ioughiogheny in
bondage and the Monongahela poured
portion of its waters i'll vain. AT this
point the water had swollen to depth OF
81 feet on Saturday, February 2 and then
receded. The telegraph told us the snow
had scarcely been disturbed and the worst
vet remained behind. The rain kept
steadily on, however, though the Ohio at
this point slowly receded until it had
reached only its average boating stage.
The warm weather kept up and the terri
tory under the rainfall was continually ex-
tending itself until nearly the whole
country was being deluged by torrents OF
water. Then the real alarm began to dawn.
Telegrams flashed between here and above
snd then, for the first time, astute watchers
saw the Ohio Valley was on the eve OF a
flood, the like OF which it had probably
never known. In the country, far back be.
yond the danger Of any high water
The Small Streams Began
to run out, swollen beyoud all proportion.
Down the mountain side, once smooth but
now farrowed into a thousand water.
courses, the torrents foamed, as the rain
and snow went rapidly off together.
Brooks became roaring creeks, and creeks
spread out like rivers, all running in one
mad career toward the larger streams. The
snow that fell on the summit OF Rich
Mountain, in Randolph County, this State,
ran off TO meet the fakes that had fallen
on the high hills OF Salamanca, in New
York, and together they skurried down
the river. Down from the tops of Mount
ain Lake Park came the torrents Of water
10 sweep down the Youghiogheny and
swell the flood. Every water-course, from
the smallest rill to the breadest creek.
brimming from bank to ban k, Joined the
torrent, and in mountain fastnesses and
sloping meadow the fountains Of the great
deep seemed broken up, and the one grand
mass swept forward With resistless mo-
tion on It's wild errand OF destruction down
the valley. ,
Not until Tuesday, February 4th, did the
gigantic ice gorgeS at West Newton, on the
Youghiogheny and above Oil City, on the
Allegheny, give way to the pressure, and
then the great mass Of water pent up be.
hind them rushed on to the destruction
marked out for it below. Public bureau
and private office together heralded the
warning on Wednesday that great flood
wss inevitable, while at Pittsburgh the
tide rose higher and higher.
The Flood Begins.
From its more mountainous sources, the
Monongahela usually discharges its waters
more quickly than the Allegheny and the
result below depends upon the celerity
with which the Allegheny meets:t. Never
in history has any great flood visited
Wheeling unless the two rivers join their
strength, and, when both come 'together'
brimming full, a food is inevitable below.
BY a series of calculations based on former
nigh waters riyermen here can usually
calculate the depth here by that at
Pittsburgh. When the water at the latter
pl, ce reaches 30 feet. or lower, the
resumption here is that 10 feet more will
be obtained Ire. When over 50 feet is
resched, at Pittsburgh, the difference mere
is greater. increasing dOubly with the
cepth above. This experience led The
REGISTER 10 predict, on the morning OF the
6,h of February, that Wheeling would get
at least IS feet uf water, which prediction
was based on the belief that - would be
the maximum depth-above. But the con-
ditions we're diff, rent from any previously
encountered. II is the customary thing to
hsve the Monongahels come down with a
Ipsh and completely exhaust itself, at least
several days elapsing before II could re-
cuperats Tor another assault. But on this
occasion, the unparalleled rainfall contin.
ned for seven DAYS without moments in
termission and higher and higher rose the
head dwaterS, even after the boom had lett
them.
DOWN upon uoNOhSN 'oA4SJ Va Wv
Ohio swept the mad waters and Thursday
morning dawned upon the darkest days in
Wheeling's history. on that day, not
only had the anticipated depth of 10 feet
been reached, put the water above was still
swelling with the impetuosity OF a new
rise and still the rain poured in a solid
mass. The flood gates Of the heavens had
been removed and with the snow and water
below and the rain above, the ruin seemed
complete.
A Glance at the cut above will show that
now having left the first great water shed,
inpelled onward by its terrific accumula-
tions, the food had entered upon the sec
opd and was careering down valley which
drains the entire country for miles back.
Between Wheeling and Pittsburgh there
no especially broad streams, but as the
crest of the food bore along, streams
poured in where once had mono been seen.
Beaver creek had swollen to q grand water
course nearly half mile wide and every
rill and riyulet emulated it. Down the
sides of the steep hills that guard the river
for miles back, the water poured in sheet
food and the whole country side was son
yerted into