The true northerner., 1884-02-28
THE OHIO FLOOD.
How II Started---Its Progress
Traced from the Be-
ginning.
Terrible Scenes of Destruction Wrought
by the Raging Waters Along
the Ohio Valley.


the Ohio Valley.
Travellers on the mountain roads Of West
ern Pennsylvania halted at the first inn on
Monday evening, Feb. 4, TO avoid exposure to
a misty rainfall. Two days before the tenn
perature had risen to point among the 5Os
A soft wind came from the north and had
brought lowering clouds that hung just above
the taller trees on the mountains Tiny
streams crept out from under the snow and
trickled over the roads, down through the
gulleys, growing larger, and swifter. and
fercer as phey went. The caves OF the old
inns were busted al OF that night carrying
away the rainfall that grew In Its volume until
in the morning the traveller regretted that he
had stopped. The thawing snow-water flowed
across the roads in larger streams, the black
earth was showing beneath the hemlock, and
tho paths were covered with slippery Zoe. 1t
was many hours until the slightest change
| occurred in the situation. Then the wind
| veered to the east and increased the rainfall.
| The temperature rose still higher, and the
snow disappeared from tho ledges TO join the
torrent of mad waters that rolled down every
mountain side into the valleys Of the Ale
| gheny and Monongahcla Rivers.
At Pittsburgh, Wheeling, and all the lesser
| points as far south as Parkersburg, the
hour, and rivermen predicted the greatest
| food that had been known for years. Traffic
| was soon abandoned over the Mckeesport
and Youghiogheny Railroad and the Lake
Erie line reached its Pittsburgh termination
only by passing over flooded tracks. Other
lines were delayed, and the baltimore and
Ohio reported numerous washouts north OF
| Connelsville. The low land on the south
side of Pittsburgh was soon submerged,
and the people, abandoning their homes,
| 9nnUhfl 9halfar m 0h1rNhna
public halls of the city. The ice be-
came gorged at West Newton, In the Allie
gany River, and, after massing for four
days, was broken by the backwater. 1t was
impeed with great force down the stream.
and swept everything before it, leaving In
Its course on the banks a miscellaneous mass
| OF dismanted houses, furniture, logs, hay,
and dead animals. The gorge reformed at
| McKeesport and blocked the flow of water.
The mountain streams grew In turgidity, and
the Monongahela was filling the banks of the
| Ohio when the gorge broke again, and when
Wheeling awoke on the morning of Feb
the water gauges indicated Level Of 36 feet.
| One-half of the city was submerged,
and thousands of people fed from their
homes TO the higher ground. The river
| rose at the rate OF foot an hour until
| o p. m, when the gauges indicated A feet 2
| inches. The rise continued until Feb. z,
! when 81 feet, the highest point, was attained.
| In the meantime, Wheeling Island, with q
population of 4 800, had been surrendered to
the waters, and the people who were rescued
In boats were being fed In churches and pub
| lie halls by the relief committees. Messages
burdened with pitiful stories of disasters to
| property and life came from Bellaire,
Bridgeport, West Wheeling. Martins Ferry,
| Fulton, Wellsburgh, Benwood, Mounds
vile, and many small hamlets, showing
that within radius OF fifteen miles there
were 10000 homeless people. whose losses
| aggregate many millions of dollars. Some of
the places were wholly under water, and
in West Wheeling not house could.be in
habited. The river had swollen from 600 feet
to mile and a quarter and whirled violently
along mass OF debris, among which the ap-
pearance of water was only Incidental In
Wheeling many streets containing the finest
| residences were navigab.e by steamboats,,
and through them coursed q constant flow of
driftwood, at the rate OF five miles an hour.
The suffer ing became greater than the peo-
| pie could alleviate, and at n mass meeting in
Wheeling Congress was asked to give IL relief
fund OF $1,000 600. The people claim TO have
the assurance CT their Congressional delega-
ton that they viii get 100000 Four days
after the disasters TT Pittsburgh and Wheel
ing, the river attained 1fty-four feet, its
highest point, at Parkerburg, bat reccdcd
before much damage had beon done.
In the meantime n constant rainfall was
melting the snow throug hout the Ohio Valley
| and sending torrents OF wafer into the trlbu-
utary streams, so that the rivor at Cincinnati
had risen on Feb. to 81 feet and was still
| coming up dJ INC rdtc Oh 4 1DCOeS HI DOur.
The levee was submerged, and then the water
line began to creep up the hill. Business men
in the lower strcet' carried their goods to the
high stories of their buildings and the peo-
pie who lived between Second street and the
| river piled their household goods on high
ground where the men took turns at stand
ing in the rain to guard them from
piracy. The families found shelter in
the churches and public halls. On Feb. 7
| the rain had coascd and the river was
| through
| part of the city below Second street and at
points reached Eighth street, boing within
600 feet of the Burnct House. The suspen-
sion bridge was reached by boats, the gas
burned dimly in the streets, the people wero
warned to use but little water, relief COM
mittees went to Work. and tho City Comp
troller was authorized by the Legislature to
borrow $50, 900 for the relief OF tho people.
On tho morning OF Feb. 8 tho outlook was
loss hopeful. At Pittsburgh tho river was fall
ing. but IL was coming up from Parkersburg
and below at tho rate OF haf an inch an hour.
The waterworks wero flooded and stopped
with supply OF five days for domestic use;
| Newport and Covington called for aid tho
militia was put on police duty, and relief
boats piled through the flooded parts, visiting
those whdcwere imprisoned in tho upper
stories of their homes. On tho 10th tho flood
| Of 1883 was surpassed, and tho gas went out,
| leaving the city at the mercy OF thieves and
fire. The Signal Service had given two
| warnings OF the approach OF a cold wave,
| which never came. People returned to the
use OF candles, and tho Bee Line Road, one OF
the last to hold out, was forced to stop at the
stock yards, three miles out OF the
city. On the next day the Beo Limo
and Dayton roads wcro abandoned,
and the city was left to depend on tho Cinciny
natl Nor ihern, which being narrow gaure,
could not grant the courtesy of its tracks to
other lines. Tho climax was attained Feb. Is.
when the gauges indicuted upward of ,2 feet
| OF water, Tee river then came up to Pearl
street oxpVino, and was running through the
second story OF all the First street houses.
The loss OF property ut Cincinnati, il inn
mensO. The foundations of many brick
buildings were sapped by the troachcrous
| was"rs causing them 20 tumble TO pieces. In
| one instance a boarding house tumbed down
and ten OF the inmates were crushed
| TO death. dispatch from that
| city says that although the worst
and most annoying features of the food
are almost over, yet the suffering OF the
poor and the distressed will last for weeks.
Tho pcopo who have lost their all will not
| recover from their losses for long timo,
and tho real suffering will not begin until
the wators reccde ana tho refugees return to
| their ruined homes and cheerless hresldes.
Tho damagc I'm MIL Creek bottoms, among