Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-02-18
MEMoRY's MIRROR
Held Up BY Old Citizsns on Past
Floods. aa.sa-
Veterans Across the River Give their Ex'
perienee and RecoIIections Of
the DeIuges Of Bygone
DAYS.

While making his rounds on Saturday
the REeIsrER representative interviewed
several Bellaire citizens with reference t
the floods of 80 and '52, with the follow
ing result:
GAIT. wM. FINK,
aged IS years, said: 81 remember the HOOD
of '32 well. At that time was living IN
the two-story house on the river bank just
above the National glass works, and along
the Bellaire, Evansville and Cincinnati
road, which is occupied by Alfred Ward
and Chris. Moran, two of Rodefer Bros
men. The water came up in the frss floor
four and one.half feet, and removed my
family to the house of Mr.. Heatherington.
fstber of Jake and John Heatnerington. !
remained in the house over night, and
y hen got up in the morning the river
was white with flour and thick with houses
grain stacks, barns, with chickens AND
hogs in them, cattle and many othef
things. At that time there were onl y four
bouses in Bellaire besides mine. One
was Jake Davis, on the sale Of the Etna
Glass Works; Ruben Harris, on Rose Hill
John Longs, at the mouth OF the raVlne
near the site OF the Goblet Works, AUD
Heatherington's, in what is now the FIRST
ward, and near the hill. / was engaged IN
mining coal, which l foated to New Or.
leans Harris was then ferryman here and
came home and wanted me to come out,
telling me was in danger, but 1 refused,
saying l would go down the river with the
house if it went was a good swimmer
and was not afraid. We then
used fat to cross the creek.
CAPT. JAMES NICHOLS
at the time of '32 food ran distillery up
Wegee creek and lived near the old Hour
mill. He stated that they came down 20
the river at Wegee he got in skiff with
Mr.. Shriyer and rowed over the bottoms
and all around. They looked in the old
mill and saw the water was half up to the
first story. He reports destruction OF prop
erty and the scenes terrible. They saw
buildings of every description, hay stacks,
and ali sorts of things floating by. The
Captain is now Sc years old, and related
many incidents, appearing to have re-
markable memory.
JUDGE W. c. GRAFTON,
at the time of the 80 food, resided at
Smiths Ferry. He was small, but repem-
Lers il we'll. He said the whole toTn was
flooded. 1--WE were compelled 10 Sacate
cur houses and 60 into the school house,
where over thirty families had sought
refuge They put stoves In the little
building and the pipes through the win.
dows. Here they cooked, slept and did
every thing else. The loss was great"
JAMES A. ARCHER, ESQ,
in speaking of the. 80 flood. stated "At that
time was engaged in the cooper bust oess,
with q shop below the B. L. & O. warehouse
with my house near by. There was a
ing between my house and the river bank.
The water came up eight feet In my house,
and my warehouse was carried away. No
homes were carried away like now, but a
number were overturned. There were not
over 200 houses in Bsllaire then. 1t was
so similar to the last flood that il is diff.
cult to disconnect it. I noticed more lum-
Der passing than now and the destruction
of property was very heavy. A relief boat,
the steamer "Arrowline" came up tie
main street of old Bellaire and also went
up behind a then heavy timber in Ben
wood, back of where the mill stands"
MR. S c GARIARD
at the time of the so food resided In Pitts,
burg with his father. They had a store in
nicsucuJ. Ou ..-1I Al
up in their store and they rem0,e their
goods to the second story. On Monday u
was up to the second story and they pro.
cured a fiat and removed them to the hill
then known as the Allegheny Com.
mons" Their house was also flooded.
DANIEL wEsTLAKE.
81 was twenty-five years old and had just
been married when the '52 flood took
place. Then We lived at Bellaire, on the
site of the .Etna Glass Works. We had
Just moved from Moundsvile and my wife
was almost frightened to death. The water
was within eighteen inches Of the ceiling,
clear up to the clock pendulum. The
house trembled. This l remember very
distinctly. At that time only three or four
houses stood below the creek. One Of these
was Captain Fink's, on the point. Father
built the fourth house in what is no v the
Second ward, and the water was up to the
mapte in it. This is now owned by the
Croziers. We moved into the old NJ. &.
Church, back Of Shannefelt's, together with
several other families, which is now occu-
pied by adwelling house. Before the flood
hoed corn and harvested in the main part
of Bellaire."