Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-02-10
A Paper to Piessrys and 10 Send
to Your Distant Friends.
Descriptive Account OF the Great
Flood of 1884,
With the Principal Scenes and Incl
dents Collected.

lie Gays o. miracles are over. Inc Odl-
nipotent no longer interpOses, through this
wasting away called life, except by the
laws He has established for its government
In the days when the world was young,
when all man kind floated in an ark on the
surface OF our rival flood, rainbow was set
in the heavens and accepted as token OF
the promise that never again would the
world be destroyed by water. We have
had no rainbow here yet. Old Noah was
given warning and prepared an ark, in
which he saved his family and mensgerie,
but We had no Divine warning, other than
in the signs and by the means furnished
through The intelligence with which
Heaven has endowed man. Oar flood came
ard in proportions unknown to the Ohio
valley since that wandering nomad, man,
struck this planet. The first blow has
been fully experienced, but the shock will
have its effects for years to come and iu
after time, when the pen Of the historian
Wilt write on the leaves Of the book of his
tory, An Account OF the Deluge Of the
Ohio Valley, in February lS5i," he will
trace back to it, canses which made their
resultant effects after tie patriarchs OF the
Hood had passed away.
The First Warning.
Through experience and by careful
comparison of the relative depths at Wheel
ing and Pittsburgh at different times and
by aid Of the teI;grsph, the REsIsTEE was
able, on Tuesday morning, to foretell a
Hood of unusual depth and to warn all
people within reach OF It's influence to pre-.
pare for an overflow beyond anything they
ever knew. A prophet has no honor in his
ov n country, and the warning was secuted
in many quarters; it Was readily believed
that high river could come, but that it
would surpass the Hood Of So no, never.
The river was then falling, the snow had
been carried of, and such shing was i'm
possible. Bot with daylight Wednesday
morning the sppslling prospect was made
too apparent. There never was case OF
,mergency withoQt its wise and its foolish
virgins, aud so it was now, Late Tuesday
night prudent merchants had removed their
goods from their cellars a9d cleared their
upper tories for q case of extremity. Wise
Islsnders hauled over taelr vslusbles aud
put them in places OF security and other
wise prepared themselves az unst the day
OF trouble. But too many neg scted the
warning and allowed tiMe to pass without
the necessary precautionary measures.
With
The Dawn oJ Wednesday
morning, the water had reached depth of
SO feet and vas still rising rapidly. All OF
the low land OF the city and vicinity was
then oyerhowei and people we're fleeing for
safety to high ground. leaving their homes
and household goods to the mercy Of the
waters. The rain, which began on Mon
day, was still falling in torrents, and added
10 the misery which had Just begun to
dawn. At the same time, the telegraph
brought information that all headwaters
were still rising and a. Pittsburg the flood
had not reached it's height, while the rain
storm ragged with uDabstsd fury. Business
suspended at once, in the city, and the in
habitsnts thronged in dense crowds to
the waters edge. Then it was known
that at least forty five feet would be
here and sll living below that line OF dan
ger, and merchants with their stocks en-
dapgered worked for the preservation of
their property. The water crept up With
wonderful and terrible energy, and a.
neon on Wednesday it had reached forty
one feet, a higher stage than had been
known since the great food Of 1850 Then
wonder and curiosity gave way to terror,
and in many quarters panic set in.
That depth carried the water to the edge
OF Twelfth street, on Water; closed the
thorougbfars on Main street bridge; and
in centre Wheeling inundated everything
I'D to Main street. On the Island scarce a
spot of ground was left and the Eighth
and lower Sixth Wards were almost entire
" inundated. By midnight the scene Of
desolsiion was at its height, and on Thurs
day At nosG the flood was at its greatest.
AN AWFUL MIGHT,
But what few can ftly describe the terrors
OF that awful night rhe once beautiful
Garden Spot was now lost in the centre OF
a gigantic volume Of water, and over 1t
swept a current that wrought havoc. Many
persons deluded by the experience OF
former wears, concluded to pass the night
in their upper stores. Many others
caught in their homes by the treacherous
and swiftly rising floods, were unable to
get out and others, psralyzsd by the terror
of their situation. were unable to lift
hand TO save themselves. Houses swsyed
ard tottsred on their foundations ss they
were struck by the huge logs and ice cakes
borne on the breast Of the current and out
of the darkness Of the night came shrieks
and cries for aid, that smots upon the ears
Of peopls everywhere and sent shudders
Of horror wherever heard. To add 70 the
terror tie gas mains filed with water ana
the Island was plunged into ssysian DARK