The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-02-21
CRYING FOR HELP.
Sufferers from the Floods Appeal
to Their FellOw.Beings
for Assistance.
Steps Being Taken to Feed tho Hun.
cry and to Clothe the
Naked.
No Exaggeration OF the Situation
Seems Possible Disheart.
ening Prospects.
Terrible Accounts Of the Destruction Of
Property and the Distress
of the People.

VI Iu0 leOples
Especial Telegraphic Correspondence Of Chicago
Timas,l
CINCINNATI AND Upper ONO RIVER TUwks.
The situation In Cincinnati and her suburbs
is ono that calls for commseration. A year
ago this week the whole country was aroused
by scenes of destruction and distress and TO.
night the damage exceeds the widest esti-
mates Of last year. The stories Of the floods
In Hungary and Austria IRE dwarfcd by tho
size Of the mighty flood that at this moment
Is rolling In resisticss volume down the Ohio.
Within cannon shot OF the center oil population
OF the United states s q community Of 3oOO 900
souls, rich and prosperous beyond most cities
OF the country nearly one-fourth OF which
will be, before this food reaches its utmost
height, driven from or imprisoned In their
homes, and dependent OH others for food and
shelter. Not 4 gas Jet Is lit in all the three
cities. The face of the sun has not been seen
for days. The full moons gentle rays thinly
filtered through the clouds, is the only
source of light ut night. Away from the
struggling beams of coal-oil lamps and scat
tering electric lights, the gloom that has
settled as q pail over the people Is In full
keeping with the sadness of natures self.
prominent business man said few minutes
since that never III NIL his life had he felt rs
gloomy and disheartencd Mt the prospects of
the future outlook as to night The direct
loss In Cincinnati alone of over 81 00O, 900 last
year will be multiplied several fold before
Saturday night next.
Again the tributaries are rising, and where
II will end Is matter Of the widest coniect-
ure. Conservative people gave seventy feet
us the least figure ut which the river would
STOP Many believed that 1t would 20 still
higher. but II is all a matter Of guesswork.
The rooms of the relief committee is piled to
the ceiling with provisions and clothing. and
a couple of policemen stand at the door to
keep back the crowd
A special from Maysville, Ky, sixty-ive
miles up the river, says ii has rained steadily
all day and the riv0r is rising one inch an
hour. All business Is shut down end cisizt MS
are assisting the needy. The greatest suffer-
ing IL IN the suburban town OF Chester. where
thousands of people are quartered i'm halls
and school houses. Relief committees are
distributing provisions i'm skitis. In Mays
vile the water Is up to the center Of the town.
Never has there been such suffering. The
Emmett Rifles were ordered out by
the Council to patrol the streets, but
nearly all OF them got drunk. took
possession of the skihs, and did more harm
than good. The Manson Company has given
the city OF Maysville e. 5000 for aid Many
houses pass down the river. At Aberdeen,
Ohio. nearly opposite. the suffering IL intense.
Loud cries are heard from there as houses
tumble down and are carried away.
Above the city, In the upper suburbs. the
situation is worse than ever. At California
u Is terrible beyond description. The entire
town Is completely submerged, and many OF
the houses along Front street are
the verge of complete destruction.
Not solitary light is to be seen
and not voice to be heard. Tuscnlum is at
present under water. Columbia is very badly
submerged, both above and below. One-third
OF the town is under the flood. There WAS no
gas lit last night. Much suffering prevails.
Delta, Tusculum. Columbia. and East Column
bia are deserted and tenantlcss. pcndleton
10 In the same condition as Fulton and Column
bia. A local relief committee has been busy
| Tor the past i've days amel.orating the condi-
ton of the sufferers. The public buildings
are NIL turned into marine hospitals. The
people OF Austnhurg and Sandfordtown
are In deplorable condition. Coving-
ton stands apparently high and dry. but
| gas has been shut OF, and the citizens may
look for cutoff in the water supply. At New
| port the situation Is proving worse hourly.
Many families in the extreme lower portion
OF the flooded district we're forced out OF the
second stories to-day. The situation in East
| Newport is terrible. The houses In that local.
ity are all threatened with destruction. Four
| thousand people were fed ty the committee
| ut noon, and as many more were turned
away dinncrlcss in the rain because all sup
plies had given out. There was moth
I Ing for supper. Adyiccs from POM
| eroy. ai5 miles mp the river, say the
| town and its surroundings are almost en-
| tirely Submerged, and the destruction has
been terrible. The water was eight feet
! higher than ever before. The town has had
| no telegraph or railroad communication for
| four days. Provisions are almost exhausted,
| and appeals we're made tn the country mt large
| Tor aid. The special was sent TO Athens
| thirty miles, by messenger. Point Pleasant
| w. Va, four miles above. tclegiaIhs for
! speedy aid. A Parkersburg dispatch says
that the crisis has passed there. The river
| reached fifty four feet. The town suffered
| severely. the estimated losses being
about $l,0tO,0oo. At Gallipolis, Ohio S 90
people arc campcd on the hills in terrible
want for food and shelter. nnc hundred
| and Atty houses have Gonted away. Nearly
| every business man Is bankrupt. A house
went by Middleport this morning with u
woman sitting on the gable end. Men rowed
| out and appealed to her TO get or but she re.
fused. saying she had four babies below. The
| glass was broken, and the children were seen
| floating dead. New Richmond. Ohio. has
been cut or for six days from the outside
world except by skiH. There Is water in
every building, and hundreds of houses are
| submerged. The water Is twcnty-six inches
higher than year ago. The village of Rural,
n.y., is entirely swept away, only two OF
1 thirty-six houses being left
4 WHEELING, W. VA.
The city of Wheeling suffered greater loss
last week than 1t hats n all It's hundred years
4 OF existence. Nothing like il has ever visited
the city before. To-day was really the first
day of relief since last "Wednesday. and as
soon as the light broke thousands left their
| homes to view the rein the waters had
| wrought. The island was the principal place
| Of resort, for there tho destruction was the
| greatest. No accurate estimate can be made
for many days yet hut 1t IL certain that the
loss in the city Of Wheeling alone viii not fall
short of $f,0OO,0O0. As an idea OF the general
| destruction wrought. the loss IN pianos alone
| will reach S60,001. The relief work gocs
hravely on, and what can be is being done.
Food is now plenty, and no enc suffers for
| something to eat. The city authorities are
I cleaning the stree Is of drift, and people are
I making some effort to restore their homes.
4 NEW ALBANY, IND.
The river is rising one and a half inches IN
| hour. and Is now sixty eight feet eight inches
| I'm the ahannal. npAinRf sixfy-nina feet In