Morning journal and courier., 1884-02-28
The Flooded Districts.
Extracts From a Private Letter of One
 Wha Hna Waited Them.

Extracts From a Private Letter of One Whe Has Visited Them. Fortunately I met some pleasant people who were going as far as Macon, Ga, and l with them and older acqusintancss made on | the way came through to Lexington Ky, very comfortably. From there on was the 1 exciting part of my journey, as on my arri 1 val at Lexington I first learned of the terri
 ble flood that was delueing the country. We reached Lexington at five o'clock in the
 morning, in pouring rain, and had to drive q mile across the city to the Phoenix Hotel, near the Chesapeake and Ohio depot There in trying to send telegram to friends l learned that the communication was cut of, | and began to fear I should have trouble in getting home, but determined to push on at any rate.
 1 stayed at the hotel until night, passing l most of my time sleeping, trying to make up
 for the three nights had spent on the boat ! and cars, then at o'clock p. m. left for the train. It was raining heavily, as it had all
 day, and there were but few passengers to be seen. At the ticket office they told me that only one car would be leaving, no sleeper,
 and as the railroad was partly under water, we would have to be transferred by boat from Ashland to Huntington.
 It was not 6 cheerful prospect certainly,
 but I was glad to see, on entering the car, that there was one other woman beside my
 self. About half a dozen men made up our number of passengers. We travelled slowly and about midnight arrived at Ashland, O. There we were informed that we should have to pass the rest of the night in the car, as the hotel was under water and had fallen in; indeed three fourths of the town was in the same condition.
 By this time I had made up my mird to speak to my lady companion, and found that she and her husband were their way to New York and that their names were Gene rsi and Mrs -. Most charming and de- lightful persons they proved themselves to be, and most kind, taking me at once under their protection and care.
 In the morning on looking about us we
 found that the chances of our getting away
 from Ashland were very slight The river
 was still rising and all steamboats had been
 employed in carrying relief stores to the suf-
 ferers at the different towns. We managed
 to get a little breakfast at a shop near by,
 but were obliged to remain in the car during
 the day At last just at evening, help came
 in the shape of an invitation from one of the
 gentlemen of the town to pass the night at
 his house. As it turned out, we were taken
 to charming home where there were several
 daughters. We were met with the utmost
 cordiality and at once made to feel at ease,
 had delightful rooms given us, warm and full of comforts after our fatigues and dis comforts of the journey. It was novel ex- perienoe, but everything was done to make us feel as little like intruders as possible.
 In the morning, Tuesday, February 18th, word came that boat was ready to transfer passengers, and we hurried to the shore, found we should be obliged to take ''skif" to reach the tugbost, which was lying out in the stream To make the passage we had to toi against the rushing, tearing currents No one can have any idea of such 8 scene as this who has not witnessed it, and been in the midst of ii ss ws were.
 Through the waters debris of all sorts was floating, and great care had to be taken that we were not swept away by the swirIing of place upon q platform of one of the sub the tugboat which was in waiting to receive the river. We were more than two hours making the five miles, and all that time were steaming between rows of sunken houses, over fences and door yards, and through or chards and gardens where the tops of the trees only showed above the rushing stream. Sometimes we would see people at the win dows of the upper rooms of these dwellings, and we were told that it was only with the greatest difficulty that they could be persua- ded to leave when aid reached them
 At last Catlettsburg was in sight and our stores put of upon 8 raft. Here the whole to4n nearly was under water. only twenty of five hundred houses ramainiug above the food On the hills in sight were eneamped thousand persons it was said, without food or shelter We could them from the deck of our boat as we passed.
 Our next stop was at Huntington, where