Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1886-05-20
A LITTLE BROOK BECOMES A
MIGHTY, RAGING RIVER,
Sweeping Every Thing Movable
Before 1t.
Hundreds OF Houses wrecked snd whole
Families Drowncd-ThriIiinE Incid.nt.
aud Many Marrow E.cape--rhc
Miami valley Visited 10y (.
Wind storm. Doing Great
Damage.

xESrs. ONO, May n The bright Nay .un
OF this morning shono on doaolato aud
stricken Ncnia. After night OF dark.
ness and terror ~ is grateful to have
light and sun, but what an awful
sceno they reveal Homes laid waste
Qua prvpcriy swept away. and worse
than all. the wholesale destruction of life
About eight o'clock last night mighty rsin.
wind aud electric storm came up. which con.
tinucd With undated fury FOR fully three
hours. The wind came in a continual gale
with y continual gust which would down trcoa
loosen shutters aud 10 other damage. Tho
rain fell In sheets, while tho sky was fivid
with wave after wave OF electricity, and the
mutt"rings ofthc thunder were hoarso and
continuous. Most families were buddled 10.
gcthcr IN fright for no one know NJ what
moment the storm might provo 10 be- ~.
oion" Hut few persons dreamed that Hood
was coming which would sweep away part OF
the town and drown many souls
About ten o'clock the nrc-bcila rang out
thoir Wild alarm. but no great number OF peo.
pic responded to the call, as thry thought n
wss only n nro. and that IL could not do much
harm la such n rain and storm. HUT directly
the second alarm came. and brought out the
whole town. The streets were dark and the
rain was coming down tn torronis but ~ was
soon learned what tho trouble was-thht
Shawnee creek. heretofore harmless liitle
etrcnm had become mad. and was out of ia
banks aud sweeping every thing before u
Men rushed in tho darkness to the scene.
anxious TO do what thoy could Tho
waters had completely submerged the
district along the shawnee from tho
place above where II entors the cast end Of
town 20 ~ ohit For n distance Of from one
hundred 20 two hundred yards on each side
Of Nntor street, clear down 10 Detroit street,
was coinplNt"ly uudor. Standing the
banks Of ihis mighty stream In the rain ana
dnrhness y was an appalling situation. There
was no light, nnd above tho roar 81 the angry
and In many instances drowning people
Men rushed frnutcnllY from tho shore
into tho the wsiors; others ran ia other Al
rcctlons for ropes, ladders. lights and boats
70 rnssist With. The situation was al once
houifying and frlghtfui in the extreme. Tho
little stream that runs through the town
called Shawnee creek. never known 90 do
auy harm before, which follows bed laid out
for II between stone walls SIX feet high and
ten feet wide bad become 81 voritabie river
swcepinF along ~ many places two squares
vide aud from iireon 90 thirty feet deep The
Fns works had been submerged aud every.
where was darkness. while the screams Of
people In the whier we're most pitoaus and
heart rendinR. The first thing 20 DO was 10
set lights, and this was partially accomplish
ed by building great bonnTes IN the streets
adjacent 20 the food. Thon with
ropes. boats, ladders and such other
things could bo obtained. the work
of saving lives began. and The number of
people rescued in this way would probably
reach one hundred. From one house which
had torn loose aud fiontod down two squsres
four or hvc young men rescued Tho family of
Aaron Ferguson, nire people IN All. They
had no more than got safely out untu tbs
house went % pieces. 80 other points along
the line ~ the Hood. more than n mile ln dis-
tnnce. Ike scenes were enacted
Hut while tho good work 81 reaculnR was
EOing on insny poor souls wore going down
beneath the angry wnteTs-how many God
only knew. IN Barrs bOttom-a u low. narrOs
tract ~ land along the creek--tho scene xas
property wns greatest. Of more than foyeufv
houses only Tour or hNe withstood the flood.
the rest being swcp- down ana wrecked
against the cinoinuet pike bridge. n massive
structure AZ this point lator on seversi
bodies we're recovered from the debris AZ
tho helnstrcet bridEe-tw0 squares further
The terrible tide had fairly piled the debris Of
ruined houses in an awful mass. amOug
which several dead bodies were found this
morning. Orrin Morris, wife and seven
children lived in little frame house On
second street n was raised from hs moor
Cries came from H. and . man vas seen M a
window With Light. when 10 struck and
ma, mashsg ,,, partly sinking the usht vent out
had met fhcir awful fate FrOn the shore
thefe vas no way 20 reach them. and there
was no ray Tor them 20 escapo AfierwHrd
two Of bic little girls were rsacucd aiige
ehuging - debris down the creek. but thp
iethor and mother and ave children we're
The sccne ~ tho mayor once this morn.
inF is beT0nd Ell description for here we're
tnHFcYcd fuc bodies - the dead some were
in fhoir night ciofhes nn M had sv'dsnfit 1900
caught in their beds. and most Of them hore
sfi9cnce q having been injured - crashing
tinhers hnuy were lu their csOfhes and
probably died struggling 20 save fhernaeigcs
Nncn your reporter looked lu uroH the as ful
sirht twenty victims nv ln thaf solemn 81
iencc We call death. on che door me srJcr.
takers and other kind bands we're ougavrF
~ dressing The dead and 1rrauRlng them in
bal found r. simultaneous death
The family ~ Orrin Horrs. fsfher. mother
snl nse W, enl.1f, 7. "srt dressed and lald aide
hrm1n eye rfer witnessed 4lne uerf au.
pHmutiy eomposcG and pcaccfui Oh frafb
while others wore q distorted look as fh0ugb
thcy had died sfrlRulnE. ThsF rnngfd In 49,
from The fV0-y ycnr Old child ~ upward 20 airfv
ycsrs in agc ana were ~ 10Th rr.Ir~a I'll r.r. .
ocnfh After the bodies were al arranrsf
tne lfusf tur0uE ~ people Who had safnrrrf
thruugh ard take n look rt the harroasirg
spectacle Ilie afternoon. also. large num-
btrf nf people we're aI0wcd 90 visit ne
The greatest csusc ~ me destrert,or of pfs
eui property ln &onis pas email ruferrf
s1.i.s,i s .'.,. ., .., as,oa unier 2 h'sl
end 81 Louis u.iruaf Dol the ease rgf III
town. Ihr culFort would rof a'ioa fhr sasf
through. and De- gFfhrrad In tatf iaEf
eqNnH fHc euUaut nfrrf. Hhifh sufafrfF
We ~ ~ Iancne. runnfnG iu waves frn ana
ben found. sud o. total - 30 l.fs riII not
Thc railfoads inall directions ass so washed
on ilaf frnfcI VIII noe hr rreuu.flI f1r srr
aal anl fAe toHn u ful 81 travellers
While George Ihompson ras trying fr a.f
~ mother and grandm1fhrr Mrs uf rrTr.
WoF came uasr UrIuu swept away a. fl.r -..r
feaL tlonrFn, While holding up af- Crrrr.
ie.'. .ut .e.n rccoFersd himself end men,
,6corse Wlfmcr BAD miraculous nsoare
" ~. lItm 30 % cross the FrrI1rf6Ii
hfiage wncn fhc nanf gave way undaf hlro
fug De- was buried down into fhr rr,,.r., 80