Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-02-21
a General Description
Of the Terrible Flood at Gin
cinnati.
THE UNCONTROLLED CURRENT
RECOGNIZES NO LIMIT.
The Most Desolating Expanse of
Water that Ever
Stretched Its Great Arms About the
Queen of Cities.

OF w eunesudy gives Iuo lOilo"lhe
general description of the terrible
Aood at Cincinnati which will be read
with interest:
There are several points about the
city from which the great waste OF
waters can be viewed with majestic
effect. The surrounding hilltops that
afford such delightful resorts in sum-
mer when clothed with the rich YER
dure Of that season, afford at this time
points of sufficient elevation to take in
q birds eye view of scene that,
while majestic and grand enough, is
awful for its desolation as it sweeps
in an uncontrolled current, inunda-
ting and destroying. recognizing no
limit but its own resources, and stay
ing its progress on either hand at
nothing but the towering hills, against
whose slopes it laps its gentilest waves
with familiar fellowship.
There can be no better time than
the immediate present to view the
food of the Ohio Valley. Although
it is still rising, and will continue to
do so for a day, or perhaps longer,
whatever addition will be made either
in height or breadth can not notice
ably change the general view that now
can be had over the most desolating
expanse of water that ever stretched
its giant arms about the Queen OF
Cities and its retinue of suberbs.
Now is the time for Cincinnatians who
wish to carry into their future a vivid
impression of the flood of 1884, than
which there will perhaps be no greater.
Let any such follow the representative
of the Commercials Gazette IN his yes
terday's tour TO see the flood.
First to the Bellevue House reached
by the incline at the head OF Elm
street From the balcony there a
view can be had that takes in not
alone the murky city at the foot of the
hill, but embraces in its extent the
inundated West End, Mill Creek from
the Ohio almost to the Workhouse,
with the hills on the other side of the
valley for the westward horizon.
There lies the submerged valley.
When in its normal conditlon, it is di-
versified by fills and mammoth manu-
featuring establishments with the steel
roads of traffic sweeping It's entire
length, and winding through 1t the
modest little stream from which it
takes it's name Viewed then from
this height, Mil Greek is not dserni-
BILE, except here and there where a
speck of Its surface is revealed through
the swarming throng of traffic. Now
it is as indiscernible as then, for the
food has obllterated it, and the whole
valley from the base of the western
hills eastward to and far into the city
presents only a gently undulating sur
face of muddy water, the remnant of
that mighty torrent that has rushed
down the Ohio, and failing to find
sufficient exit between the hills border
ing the rivers banks below, has swept
back and back until it has become the
setting of picture that once seen will
be indelible in its majestic awfulness.
A hack ground or muddy water ex-
tends from the Ohio river lorthward
along the course of the valley further
than the eye can reach. tapping the
base of the western hills on one side
and Freeman avenue on the other.
There stand in bolder. more striking
relief than canvass ever bore the like
theA~ mammoth factories and ware
houses, the isolated dwellings, the
sweep of telegraph lines, the trains of
laden freight cars, not one of which
can be reached except by floating craft
Looking across the valley there is not
a point of ground elevated above the
surface of the water, that stands in
varying depths from feathers edge
to fifty feet or more. Across the sur
face family seen from this distant
point of view, are gliding innumera-
BILE water craft, the occupants of which
are discernable only as a slight ex-
cressence in the outline of the vessel.
Each has destination of its own and
adapted to the necessity of its occu:
pant. One glides away to the farth-
est Western shore, another stops at
some building not wholly submerged,
with yet story, or perhaps two
above the waves; 1t may be a factory,
it may be an isolated dwelling not yet
vacated Away to the south is seen
the marking of Eighth street, the
highest fill in the valley, now sub,
merged and covered with two feet of
water The telegraph poles set along
this fill look not unlike the slender
stunted trunks of trees thai one often
sees in marshes. The connecting
wires are unseen in the distance. and
the iron posts bearing the gas lamps
are like misty things-now seen and
now not. Still beyond is the main
current of the Ohio, rushing along on
its destructive mission, its surges all
merged into smooth surface and lost
in the distance. And beyond rise the
Kentucky hills, that limit the vision.
Such is the general view of the inun-
dated valley from the designated point
Of view.
And now across to Price Hill Not
by the Eighth street Line of cars, nor
yet afoot along the plank walk SO Of
ton tra uarsod The former is shut off