The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-04-02
SWOLLEN WATERS
n TuE MouNEAIas oE SEE sEAgR
And PsnnlylvAaiA, Reinforcing the Big
River hsrs-A Thlrty-slEhs Foot stAEsOf
Water here Feasible, and T~hirtg.hJS
Can be Rallied o~R-ElSsEhsrs.

Had it not been for the sudden change
in the weather Wednesday evening, when
1t suddenly turned cold, thereby checking
the rapidly rising Ohio, M~onongahsla and
Allegheny 'rivsrs, there would have been
at least forty feet Of water in the river at
this point by oOn to-day. The rains Of
the early part Of the week were more gen.
eral than at first known, and reports from
all along both head rivers report swollen
mountain streams and runs, ~inluring an
unusually high stage in the Ohio.
While II Ia not probable that the forty
foot mark will be reached by the watsrs
at this point, although there were several
rivermen last evening who thought there
was a possibility OF there being over
~thirty-elght feet, there 10 no doubt thAt
there will be, as predicted in yesterdays
tissue, at least thirty-6ye feet here. This
stage Of water will back up into the celllrs
OF two or three Main street business
houses, and cause considerable .incon-
yenienGe 10 people living on low places
on the Island, It will food a portion Of
the fair grounds and contiguous lots and
lands above the Suspension bridge on the
east side OF the Island and at the head.
Any water above thirty.fve feet will
cause q general clearing out Of cellars
along Main street and serious trouble
to people living in StonetoWny
The river at this point rose steadily
all day yesterday, Up to 8 O'Clock in the
afternoon the rise was at the rate Of four
inches an hour, and after that time It
commenced coming up much more rapid
". At . O'Clock last evening the depth
was tWenty.seven feet and the rise was at
the rate Of eight inches per hour. at
midnight there was a depth Of thirty feet.
From that time up to 10 or 2 O'clock to-
daythe full effect OF all the water from the
head.riyers will be felt,
The reports from above last evening
were as follows; Pittsburgh, 81 feet and
rising; Greensboro, 90 feet and falling;
Lock No. 4, Is feet 6inches and station.
airy; MorgantoWn, is feet and falling;
RiCe's Landing, 28 feet and rising slowly;
Brownsville, IS feet 8 inches and station.
airy; OIL City, s feet 7 inches and riSing;
Parker, 10 feet . inches and rising, At
nearly all Of these places IL was cloudy;
the Thermometer ranged from 360 to 660.
At least twenty-five feet Is looked for
at Pittsburgh. This will, Of course, put a
stop to coal shipments until the waters
commence to subside. Reports from out
along the Cheat river show that cratic
stream TO be IN q high. It's banks in
many places are overhoWed, booms have
been broken and houses washed away,
entRiling a loss OF several Thousand dol.
lars. The Youghiogheny Is also
swollen. If big water from these rivers
gets into the Monongahela before the
waters In that river have subgided, more
than twenty-five feet may be expected Of
Pittsburgh. The rise in the Allegheny, 1t
will be noticed, Is Of no small conse-
quence. The marks at Oil City mean Q
big rise in the Ohio. River men say that
after 1t becomes stationary at that point
the river here may bs expected to con-
tlnue Tising for tw~enty-iour hours.
In June, 1883, there were % feet at.
Pittsburgh and ~ feet here. In June, 1881,
20 feet q inches there produced 40.ieet @
inches here. In February, 1881, 23 feet 4
inches was the highest mark reached by
the rise at Pittsburgh; here 1t was IS feet
5 inches. In December, 1878, "a feet 0
inches at Pittsburgh was the turning
point, and here II was only S4ieet. Other
high waters left the following records:
January, 1874, Pittsburgh 20 feet 4 inches,
Wheeling IS feet 8 inches; December,
1873, Plttsburgh % feet Q inches; Wheel.
30 feet s inches.
1t is safe to say that inside Of twenty.
four hours ths river will reach a higher
stage than at any time since the big aOod
Of February, 1884.