Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-02-14

of affairs, the immense loss of property.
the homeless and starving condition OF
The people was brought to light. Hun
dreds on both sides of the river had
taken to the hills, and hundreds more
were shivering and hungering in the
churches, school houses, halls, and Other
large buildings that were out of the
water. During this entire day the wa
ter rising to the unprecedented height
of 81 feet, did not vary foot, bat went
on with its resistless current, carrying
away property, which the people had nc
time to save. as they were mostly en-
gagged in rescuing those who were not
vet in safe places. Over the Island
went the flood. carrying huge cakes OF
Yuughiogheny ice and large logs, which
tore down and mashed up many of the
houses. The once beautiful Island was
cut, torn and disfgured in manner and
to an extent that it will take months tC
repair. If it ever can be done.
On Friday the river began gradually
to recede. when the real amount of dam
age and destruction first became appa
rent, and by Sunday was within Its
banks, and large numbers of visitors
from every direction were in Wheeling
Bridgeport, BenwOOd, Bellaire, Martin s
Ferry, and on the Island, viewing the
wreck left by the great flood, and com
menting and guessing at the possible ex'
tent of the damage.
Sunday Scenes at Different Points.
BELLAIRE.
South Bellaire was still full of water
but enough had gone away to allow d
full view of the destruction. Many
houses were entirely gone, and dozens
were lying on their sides, upside down
crushed against each other, and in all
other shapes, those that were left stand
ing being filled with soft. Shiny, dirty,
muddy mud, which the former inhab-
itants were endeavoring to sweep and
shovel out, to make their houses in q
measure again inhabitable. The rail-
road tracks were undermined, washed
away and otherwise damaged. The tel
egraph lines were down in places, sub
merged in others, and twisted in all
manner of shapes. All the front part
of town was more or less damaged, and
the work of the destructive waters was
felt very heavily by all the manufacto-
Ties-both iron and glass. During the
flood the current of the river rushed
through the new steel plant and the
nail mill, carrying off everything that
was loose, sheds, &c. All the founda-
tions were more or less damaged, and it
is almost impossible to give any idea of
he losses, some of the principal ones
are estimated as follows: The Pitts
burgh coal works lose between $4,000
= 10 Wall mt
Company, $500; Bellaire window glass
works, $4,000: Roadefer Bros flint
glass Works, $4,000: 1Etna glass works,
S1,250; Enterprise glass works, $1,000;
goblet works, $1,000; Belmont coal
works, run by Heatnerington Bros, be
tween $4,000 and $4,000; Bellaire naii
mill, $4,000; coming on up the c. u 2.
toward Bridgeport, the scenes of desola-
tion and ruin were visible on all sides.
Houses we've lying wherever the re
ceding waters had left them, and one
brick house. owned by market garden
er, We Noticed had some Two or three
light frames crushed up against II,
where they had lodged. and banged
themselves and the brick to pieces.
WEST WHEELING.
Arriving at West Wheeling the shift
ing scenes of the panorama of desOla-
tiOn seemed to have reached Tile climax.
Hardly house in the little hamlet es
capped the flood. Some sixteen are re-
ported to have floated entirely away,
and what were left were piled up in
utter confusion, in some places three
and four being piled together, the roof
OF one lying across the railroad track.
Ex-senator David Wagener's house
partly fell down, the remainder being
ruined. The paper mills were almost
entirely washed away, and what was
left is possibly worthless. Mr.. Wageners 8
loss is estimated at $4,000. Here is
where the most suffering seemed to ex-
ist, the majority of the inhabitants hay-
ing lost not only their homes, but every
thing else with them, including most of
their clothes. Relief boats with prCvis-
ions were sent from Wheeling and Bel
laire, and a supply taken from Bridge
port, as soon as the condition of affairs
became known.
The LaBelle glass works were not inju-
red so much as was at first feared, although
the water went right through them. 1t
is thought 81 900 will cover their loss.
BRIDGEPORT.
At Bridgeport the loss was very great,
being placed in round numbers at $780,
900, Almost the entire town was inun-
dated-some buildings having been at the
height of the flood some 80 feet under
the water. Almost the entire business
portion of the town was flooded, and
across the creek, some of the houses were
overturned, and several were washed up
against the county bridge over the creek,
where they still were ON Sunday, the
roofs of some being all that was visible
Every business man suffered to some eX-
tent, the losses before the fire, being
placed as follows: Medill, dry goods,
$4,000; McConnaughey, druggist. So, 800 !;
Duncan, grocer, 81 900; Branum & Sons,
grocers, $1,000; Woodcock, hardware,
heimer clothing, $1,S00; Clayland, hard
ware. $500; Bowie & Deems, drugs, So
500; Wells & Dent, drugs, 5000; Smith s.
Sons, millers, lost about 1900 bushels of
wheat; Ohio Valley glass works, about
5000; Koehnlein, ice house and carts,
$4,000; NJ. E. church, 5000; John Hill,
81. 900; ChaS. Mullen, about 1900, &C.,
sc. On Saturday, the alarming news
was telegraphed here that from Wheel
ing it looked as if Bridgeport was all in
flames. The fire originated in the drug
store of Wells & Dent, in the new brick
Heinlein block, from an explosion of
benzine, caused by lighting fire to dry
out the rooms on the second floor. Mr.
Dent and Doll COSs were in the room, and
after the explosion, jumped from the
window into the creek, narrowly escaping
with their lives. With great eXertions
the fire was confined to this block, which
was occupied by the drug store mention
ed, and also by George Giffin's grocery.
which were entirely consumed. The
buildings were the finest in the town, and
valued at 100000, with an Insurance of
1900. Wells & Dent place their loss at
$4,000, with $1,000 insurance George
Gfin'S loss is $4,000, with $4,000 insu-
rance. The work of repair and removal
was already going on, and if no greater