The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-02-14
THE FLOOD.
The Ohio River Bids Fair to Guido All
Previous Records.
Cclexraph, Rail and Postal Facilities
Badly Crippled-serious Losses and
fnconveniences to Residents
Along Its Banks-The
Situation at Other
Points.

moved to Joints above the high water mark |
of the floods of last year. The floods will |
extend to the Mississippi, between Mem |
phis and Cairo. HAzEN.
CINCINNATI, February THE worse fears
advanced relative to the pending high
water are to be realized. The sufferings
and distress of last year will be more than
doubled unless prompt and effective action
be taken. The deluge of 1888 bids fair to
be eclipsed by the present torrent. Various,
almost innumerable estimates have been
made by experienced men as to the extent
of the rise, and the sentiment is nearly
unanimous on one point, and that is, that
sc feet inches will be exceeded, with the
probability of 70 feet being reached. Re-
lief Committees have been appointed, and
everything is being done to relieve the i'm
mediate wants of the f1ood-sufferers. A
called meeting of the Common Council was
held yesterday and resolution was
passed that the Legislature be requested
to authorize the City Comptroller to bor
row a sum not exceeding 100000 to be
placed at the disposal of Relief Commit
tee of the council.
Columbia this morning is literally float
ing village. More than three-fourths of the
houses are at the mercy of the raging Ohio.
Viewing the scene from the western limits
of the town, looking toward the mouth of
the Miami River, the whole Miami bottom
Is covered with water nearly as far as the
eye can reach, nothing but the angry flood,
with here and there the chimney and roof
of a house, or the tops of few trees, being
left to mark the Sos of rich farms and
once comfortable dwellings. Boats are
used in the streets instead of vehicles, and
desolation is widespread. The greatest
loss in Columbia falls upon families who
have been driven from their homes and
compelled to sacrifice all their goods
except what could be taken away in small
boats and skiffs. The water was three feet
deep in the Kentucky Central Depot, and
was all around the Louisville and Nashville
Freight Depot, but it did not come up to the
Little Miami Passenger Depot, although
parts of its tracks were under water. Front
street is flooded from a square east
of the Newport bridge westward the entire
length of the street, and the water extended
up beside the bridge to within about one
hundred feet from the the foot of the bridge,
or one hundred and fifty feeJ'north of Front
street. The tracks in the old Plum Street
Depot were covered with about two feet of
| water, and the west half of the track
| room of the Grand Central Passenger
Depot was flooded, the water getting deeper
| and deeper going westward, until und er
| the Smith Street Bridge and one square
| west of the depot the water over the tracks
was five feet deep. Although the water
| here and all through the bed of the old
| Whitewater Canal (now the c.. l., St. L. &
| G. Railroad tracks, was so deep, Second
| street. which is between the tracks and the
| river was still out of water as far west as
| q point about one hundred and fifty feet
| west of Smith street. From that point
westward it too became river, together
with all the district south of Third street and
west of Smith street.
| The water in the Gas-works was nearly
| up to the furnace doors, and there were
well justified apprehensions of its soon ex-
| tinguishing the fires.
The view from either the Cincinnati or
Newport bridge presents to the eye desc
! late waste of waters, with many dwellings.
| manufactures, etc., in Covington, partially
| submerged, and people fleeing to higher
| ground for safety from the rising waters.
| The houses along Front street nearly to
the point of Licking have been invaded by
| the flood, and the occupants have stored
| their goods in the upper stories or carried
them out to places of safety. Maloney's
pottery, at this end of the suspension
bridge, is in the water, and the fires are out.
The water is in Walsh g. Kellogg's distil-
| lery and the Champion Ice Works, and the
| glassworks present scene of desolation,
the buildings standing out in the murky
food like barren islands. The loss at the
glassworks will necessarily be heavy, and
a large number of people are thrown out of
| employment. The water-works are sur
| rounded, and crossing by ferry has to be
supplemented with skiff and scrow ferriage
up Main street to Third. Montgomery
stables stand some distance from shore,
and his elevator rears itself above the
eton finging its long arms aloft.
In Newport all of Tuesday night and
during all of yesterday furniture-cars and
vehicles of ali kinds were going hither and
thither, some loaded with household furni
ture and others hurSying after loads. Al
II O'Clock last night all of that portion OF
the city north of Jefferson street
west of Central avenue to the
Licking River, and north from Taylor
street east of Central avenue was com
| w The annr0achnS
the Cincinnati & Newport Railroad Bridge
were covered to depth of three feet. The
bridge company have built a roadway from
the corner of Taylor and Saratoga streets
leading to that part of the structure mo-
under water. All of the man
ufacturing establishments on the
two rivers shut down, witt
the exception of E. L. Harper's rolling
mill. All of the schoolhouses and the
Smalley Building on BELLEVUE street have
been placed at the disposal of the sufferers
Mayor Harton, issued a proclamation yes
terday, warning all owners of skiffs ant
other water crafts from charging more
than ten cents per trip to passengers, ant
the owners of furniture cars and express
wagons from charging exorbitant rates fo
removing household furniture. Th
United States Barracks are entirely unde
water, and it is believed the Government
will abandon this post, after experiencin,
the rayages of three floods.
MARIETTA, O., February AT midnigh
the water crept over Front street, which ha'
before protected a large area of the city
and at daylight this morning the food o
last year is upon us: 1t rained gently al
of three inches an hour. This cit
} is plunged in the depths of mournin
from terrible disaster whic
resulted from the high water last evening
| the banks of the Muskingum River, watcl
ing the drifts on its surface. The bank o
which they were standing suddenly CAV
way, and a large part of the crowd wa
thrown into the river. Those who did nc
panic, and many children were ca
ried away by the swift waters befol
an effort could be made to save them. Th
widest excitement prevails. No estimat
s has yet been made of the extent of til
+ calimity, as nobody knows wh
:. composed the crowd. 1t is though
that at least fifteen persons were drowned
: The town is almost completely overf1oweC
}, Hundreds of families have .abandone
Il their homes.
AURORA, IND, February THE ragir
= floods are now higher than those of lSS
u u and the business of the city is completed
:! paralyZed. The people i'll the inundate
= districts have been removed to places
~ safety, but all the manufacturers a
drowned out. 1t is still raining. II
|, whole town will probably be submerged L
this afternoon at furtherest.
LOUISVILLE, KY, February 6.-Shippin
port and Portland are flooded alread
Over eight hundred people are driven OF
O of their homes. The government buildiI
% is the only house not submerged i'll Shi
:, pingport. Four more feet of water wi
J bring the flood over the cutoff above Il
X city, and the "Point" will be flooded, wi
s great loss of property and perhaps live
+: It has been raining steadily nearly all da
II The Kentucky River is still rising rapid
% at Frankfort. There is considerable e
e citement prevailing, and the river Ian
is are thronged with people. The pc
pie living on the "Point" are g
pecting the water over the cutoff by NOR
'. ing, and are moving out to escape the
T. undation that caught them sleeping on Il
"a night of February II, 1888, and whi
caused SO much damage. Frank Rudema
er was drowned by oyerturning of ski