Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-02-17
HER LOSSES.
How WslIsburs Looked Alter the
Waters
We're Gone and TIE Mighty Oeiuge Of 1894
Was a Thing Of the PASTA List
Of Those Who Lost
Heavily.
Social 10 he ReqiS!eT.

gszed upon the head line, the SUNDAY hEG-
Isrxs special from Wellsburg. a dreadful
calamity has befallen rs, and your scribe,
in the lot common to all who reside on the
low lands, was compelled to share his Por-
ton Of the raging torrent under the most
adverse circumstances. When cub OF a
boy we witnessed the food Of 50. We
padded through the street OF our town on
= raft ard got several good duckings; We
heard our grandfatheIs, grandmothers,
uncles and aunts speak Of the great Hood
of SO, which surpassed that OF 50 6y about
II inches; We have seen most Of the hoods
OF this valley since 1852, aud, with 3 ma
jority of our citizens,
Came TO the Conclusion
that the Ohio river had became 50 much
larger that IL vas almost an lmp0ssloltlty
for the food of 80 10 be equaled or eE-
called, but when the REGISrER came on
Tuesday, February 9Th, and stated that -
feet was expected at Wheeling and IL still
raining, it fairly made the hair stand on
the heads of tie old veterans OF - anu
81 AS the waters continued to rise and
the reports from Pittsburgh said inches
per hour aud still rising, il caused consid-
cradle alarm, ont not enough 10 cause our
merchants and citizens generally to put
their goods out OF the reach Of the water.
All day Wednesday the water ccaTied upon
the jewellers along the river shore and those
subjected TO the back water from tue
back water at the north and south eni' /
town. Citizens along Water str5-t were
busily engsgsd IN removing gods iron
their cellars 20, rs they thought pisc-
Of safety. Sill the waters Crept up like a
thief in the right. Dark came aud with II
a telegram from Pittsburgh R!YsF rising
rspidly" Then the people began 10 I-el
alarmed. At this time over thrse-f0urths
Of the town vas under water. The greatest
excitement prevailed. Prospect street,
running at right angles with the river and
being sthe highest street in the townr
presented q lively scene. The Hood from
the north and south meets at this street.
During the night, as long as vehicle
of spy kind conld cross the low portion OF
the above FAMED street, there came fam
lilies, furniture, cows, horses snd
Men wading Waist Deep
to get on dry land. 10 give the reader an
idea of our situation, the following de,
scripIion of The location of our town is
given The great bulk OF the town lies on
what Is known as river bottom" Com
mencing at the river the first street Is
Water, parallel with the river; the next
Is Charles, next Commerce, next High,
with a slight fail from Water to YANKEES,
also from Commerce 70 Yankee, the locS-
tion making the highest points at the june
items of Water and Prospect at right eu-
giles with water aud Commerce and Pros
pect. High street and q small portion OF
Commerce were above the high water.
Only Che house on Yankee street es
capped inundstion, that Of Mr.. Joseph
Hurp, recently built, and he only escaped
by one inch. On Commerce street, which
is close to the foothills, the only dry
ground was from below FRANKS tann-ry,
thence 10 the public school builiing.
thsnce for a square and q half was high
ground, ali the rest OF this street being un'
der water. As before, stated, Prospect
street was the main outlet for the people
to the hills. The scenes presented TO the
view of your reporter, who resides on the
street named-snd unfortunately and un
der adverse circumstances had to pack his
traps and leave-were Of the most exciting
nature. Along comes a wagon full o:
household effects, another with the women
and the babies, God bless them then the
horses and COWS, then some fellows up TO
their nscks in water,
All Heading for Dry Land.
All night long Prospect street was equal to
YOUR Main street OF Wheeling the Fifth
Avenue Of Pittsburgh, or the Broadway OF
New York on holiday. Never did this
street witness such scenes before. The
morning Of the 7th Of February daEned
upon the town of Wellsburg under water.
Such Q scene was never witnessed by living
man. The memory of the oldest citizen
aud he 6re,ids stories OF our ancestors
who have been here since the formation o
the town, have been eclipsed. The over
pious said il was 8 visitation OF God upon
US. Others attributed it to nstural causes,
and so it went. 1t required
nerve for one to be himself and
stand up and be a man under such trying
circumstances. Well, when the waters
had reached their greatest height our
town was in most pitiabls condition.
over nineteen-twentieths OF il being under
water. Our merchants had placed their
goods above the mark OF 1852, and felt safe;
but the morning Of Thursday showed them
that they had reckoned without their host
and our PEOPLE found that their source of
supplies had been cut of. Then came a
most distressing feature OF the crisis
What shall We 90 for food? Have You any
provisions 10 spare? was the question heard
from all quarters; but thanks TO
Great Big Hearted Men.
arrangements were made for provisions for
all. Ouce in our brief experiences have We
seen those Of means brought to the same
level a. those without Bread could not
be bought, but il could be had for nothing,
thus all were upon the same footing.
Wellsburg has suffered greatly. The lower
portion of the town is low, the suffering
there is the greatest; many houses are
gone. many are Off their foundations,
others with their chimneys down. The
wreck is such that it will be felt for some
time to come. We have made q canvass Of
tie town and aScsrtsined as far as possible
the loss sustained by our merchants and
manufactures which is as follows.
Panhandle window glass works. .... ..... $4,000
49,