Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-03-07
RIVER OF RUIN.
The Flood Hangs Like a Heavy Pail
on the Fertile Valleys Of
the Ohio.
SuferIngs Of the Homeless and Destitute
at Portsmouth,, Pomeroy and Other
POints-Generous Aid For
the Victims.
sryENrY FEEr Fo1rB rNc11Es.

CINCINNATI. Feb. 14.-Rain by fits and
starts last night, rain by spells all day,
many clouds overhanging, and over seventy
feet four inches of water in a river where
fifty marks the danger line, show something
of the condition of things. General Hazen
promised a heavy fall i'll the tempera-
ture to-day, but it has not come
yet. The river rose seventeen inches
in the last %twenty-four hours.
That means more destruction than yester-
day, more people homeless, more demands
for charity. a longer period of darkness and
without water. with little coal to be had,
few mails, little travelling, no freight NOV
ing to and from a great trade center,
no business, higher prices in provi-
sions, not much of anything but wet
ness and a great deal too much
of that, with a great waste of yellow, rush
ing waters e%nvironing the city, and the con-
sciousness that besides our w thousands
Of houseless people and ON own discom-
forts and suffering, it will be within a few
hours repeated MANIFOLD on scores Of
smaller towns below lis.
Cincinnati is big and rich and generous.
She will care for her own people, and do it
well, but even her big hands will be full
with homework. The calls for aid and
their generous responses all over the
country are not too many. There
is enough and for all the charity
and good will Of the whole people to
as vet little or nothing is known of the sit
uation the cries of thousands for help will
reach only the ear of Infinite Mercy before
itdoes that of the American people. They
may prepare now for what is sure to come.
The water now is on Pearl street, the
heaviest retail street in the city-running
like a mill-lace along this mart of trade
four squares back from the Suspension
Bridge.
The Signal Service flag denoting coming
cold weather floats to-day for the third
time since the flood began. Hitherto its
presence was welcomed, now it brings the
worst apprehensions. Cold weather now
could have no substantial effect on the wa
ter disaster. That has about done its worst,
but with cold weather the suffer-
ig of imprisoned people in all
towns and cities along the Ohio will
be terrible for lack of fuel. Few realize
the difficulty of getting supplies delivered.
There are no landings for steamers, and the
damage done to buildings by the waves
caused by passing steamers has been so
great as to cause the occupants of flooded
houses to fire OF steamers bringing
them relief. Relief steamers to be of
real service has to be equippedwith life-say-
ing crews and boats. it can readily be seen
how slow would be the work of carrying
any considerable quantity of fuel in such
places as Lawrenceburg, Ind, New Rich
mond, O.. that are entirely submerged and
surrounded with water. No relief
boat yet sent out from here. General Beck
with, of st. Louis, is expected here this
evening to take charge of the work of relief
under the direction of the Secretary of War.
He will charter relief boats, and four
United States officers have been ordered
here from Columbus to take charge of diff
ferent steamers. Nothing has been done on
Change except receive subscriptions.
FLED TO THE HILL
PoMERoY, O., Feb. 13.-Pomeroy looks
indeed fearful, with the water eleven feet
deep on Second Street. The people living
on Front Street all had to move. Those liv-
ing in low two-story houses on Second
Street, also along Monkey Run, consisting
OF small dwellings are all flooded with
water. Thousands have fled to the hill tops.
The water is nine feet eleven inches higher
than last year. OF the salt works, of
which we have thirteen, rolling mills and
other factories, only the chimneys are to be
seen. One-half OF our merchants have lost
about everything they had.
Two old residents, Conrad Steif and Mic
Reuter-, lost their stores and dwellings and
only saved what they were wearing at the
time Of the sweep. The current is very
strong, therefore no exact number of
houses tloated away can be given, but
think it will number twenty-five.
Many thanks to our n%eighbor-
ing city, Gallipolis, where we obtained three
steamboats, loaded with provisions. Where
ever a bakeoven is found bread is baked
for the poor. Without any floods our
city has some two hundred poor, and
now the condition is pitiful. We have had
four floods in five years, but never APP
pealed to the outside world for assistance,
but we are compelled to do it now. There
has been no mail nor telegraph commune
cations since Wednesday last. Our relief
committee supplies the needy ones in our
bend, a distance of ten miles.
At Ravenswood, w. Va, thirty-four
houses are said to have floated away. No
lives have been lost at Pomcroy yet. The
river commenced falling to-day, and fell
about two feet. Hundreds of skitfs are at
work bringing furniture back to such houses
as are fit to be occupied. Pomeroy's loss
will be half a million. Our first mail was
received to-day. -.
PORTSMOUTH NEUINs.
! PORTSMOUTH, O., Feb. 14.-The entire
city is under water, three-fourths of it to
the house-tops. All OF the merchants lose
heavily from inundated stock. One-half Of
our citizSns lose all their household
goods. The river commenced fall
ing slowly last night and has dropped
two inches, and our people are
breathing free again. Happily supplies are
coming in from the surrounding country
and abroad, and a famine is being averted.
The relief boat has to-day gone to Slocum's
station, on the branch of the Cincinnati,
Washington & Baltimore Railroad to obtain
several carloads of supplies and camp
equipages sent from Columbus. The court
house, school buildings and many of the
churches that have second stories are shelf
ering one-half the people. The balance are
scattered around in attics and in the upper
part OF tall factories. The horses and cat
tie have all been rescued and are stabbed on
huge deck barges that are moored in the
streets in the centre of the city.
One hundred and twenty dwelling houses
have been carried out into the river. Over
500 more have been swept from their sites
and piled in an indescribable wreck against
distractions. 1t is estimated that there are
provisions enough on hand to last forty-eight
hours. A telegraph wire will be stretched
to-day, which will give us communication
with the outside world. We have had no