The bee., 1884-02-16
The FLOODS.
Great Havoc Along the Towns of the
Ohio River.
loss of Life and Immense Osms7e TO
frope, fl.

The havoc wrought last year by heavy
rains and rising waters has been repeated this
year In the Chic valley. A number OF lives
have ben lost and millions Of dollars worth
of property has besn destroyed A Wheeling
(W. Val dispatch says:
One-half Of the city is submerged. from
5000 70 7,0J1 people are homeless, and the
loss In money viii reach from $4,000 Co
Sl.000,0G1. When daylight this morning
revealed a thirty-six-foot stage il was evi.
dent 10 ali taas a feed o. unprecedented
proportions was al hand. the
thousands who were exposed 10 inun-
dation az Cnce commenced active
PREPARATIONS to pace merchandisa and
Eousehold effects in piaca of safety. The
water was rising a the rate Of a foot Ter
Eo1r, AMI as the hours went By and the
b1ling muddy torrent increased steadily aud
persistenrlv, the excitement OF the early
morning gave way ID q panic. increasing as
noon was reached.
Thousands have been driven from home
AMI are crowded indiscrimina.eiy tcSe.her
in private residences, hotels and market
houses, or are walking the streets without
any shelter wha ever. Wheeling Island.
comprising ab1Ut SO acres and containing a
popa aticn Of 400, Is entirely under water,
and The loss there alone Is S4nQ0. Hundrs sds
OF warehouses in the business part Of the
Lg-NI EeaAIeI. anu llS
PORTION are piled high with barrels of sugar,
salt. oil and halls, bales of prints and dry
goods, ard al The miscellaneous nlerchan-
disc OF ctr OF 81, ,ou0 Inhabitants. Citizens
c. all C ass aud pursuits are On tle verge
of despair. Rain las allen continuously for
sixty hours. and from fire ID seven fee: ElOra
water : l50hei fer. This VIII raise the stage
70 Il. ~ tEzo feet. and viii drive additional
thousands from their houses and cause
further loss OF millions OF dollars. Sew
eTal lives have already beal LOST here and in
the surrounding towns. From Reliaire
Bridgeport. West Wheeling and Ma tn :
Ferry. Ohio. and Fulton, Wsl.sblry, Ben
wood and Mcundsviiie, HY. Va, heartrend-
ing accounts Of suffering me, Some OF
these towns are entirely submerged. West
VI hse ing, Tor example, moi having a solitary
home Cuc Of III water. Within radius OF
fifteen miles =, ,G3 I5eoTle are homeless, all
the loss VIII reach $4,000
The river at Wheeling. ordinarily but 601
feet wide. Is now swollen TO a mile and s
quarter, and this will give some faint Idea Of
the havoc and ruin wrought. many streets
lined with handsome residences aai tasteful
grounds can be nav -gatei by steamboats,, aud
one filed with ice AMI heavy dTIft-wooi
was whirled along b. a fve-nile cur
lent. No trains have left or arrived
since noon, AMI all the railroad tracks are
far under water. ReportSof narrow escapes
people, especially The poorer classes are con-
stantly coming in. bit several days must
elapse before anything Ike full AID aufhen-
tic information can be gathered. Deaths by
drowning are reported from several out-of
town points.
4 Louisville XVI dispatch says: The
river here up TO ten O'Clock tonight has
risen TO within eight feet Of the highest point
last year and ali the front Cf the river is
submerged The rain has been falling
steadily al day, but The downpour is lighter.
All Of the shipping in port and half of Port
land suburbs are foo ed, and 4O0 families
have bsen com! eled TO move out OF
them. All business was suspended,
and every vehicle that could be
pressed into the service was il demand. The
city Is being searched, and shelter is ac-
cepted wherever 1t can be obtained. Those
who cannot obtain rooms are moving into
sheds and stab,eS The CID exposition build
ing owned by the government for a custom
house site, viii be prepared by the city
authorities as a refuge. 1t viii accommo-
date 5000 people comfortably. Other halls
and buildings have been secured caDabla of
shelter1ng all the sufferers who may need it
i Marietta Ohio dis -atcn says: The city
has been plunged into the depths OF mourning
to-day BY terrible disaster, the result of the
high water. 4 large number OF people We're
standing on the banks OF the nuskingum
river, watching the drifts on the surface,
when tie hank on which they were standing
gave way, and a large part OF the crowd was
thrown into the RIVER. Those who did not
fall in were overcome with panic, and
nla8y children were carried away by
the swift waters before an effcr6 could
be made to save them. 1t is thought at least
fifteen persons were drowned. The town IS
almost completely overffowed, and hundreds
of families have abandoned their homes
moving away il some cases with only what
they could CORY. The river has reached
forty five feet, and reports from above con-
firm the baIief entertained that the present
fiood will be without a parallel.
From Cincinnati. Columbus and Pittsburg
and other points along the Ohio, came SINH
lar taes OF disaster by the rising waters, re-
sulting IN immense damage TO property OF
every description and untold suffering to
the inundated people, thousands of whom
have lost their all.