Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-05-21
TERRIBLE DISASTER At XEgIA, OHIO.
Great Damage at Various other Points.

the storm might terminate in cy-
clone.
But few persons dreamed that a
flood was coming which would
sweep part of the town and drown
many souls. In the midst Of the
storm, about 10 o'clock, the fire
bells rang ont an alarm and il was
soon learned that Shawnee creek,
heretofore a harmless little stream,
WAS out of its banks ami sweeping
everything before it. There was
no light, and above the roar Of the
waters and the flashing lightning
and thunder came the cry for help
from frightened and in many i'll
stances drowning people.
At the corner of Detroit and
Water streets a bonfire Of store
boxes kept up with coal oil was
built, which gave light to work by.
Here Morris Tarbox and Byers did
heroic work in rescuing nine per
sons from the Ferguen House, and
also some people from the old
Heaton House. Further down, at
what is known as Bars Bottom, a
strip OF low land right along the
creek, a scene Of terrible destruc-
ton was witnessed.
OF the fifteen or twenty houses
that occupied the fiat only two or
three could be seen, the rest hav-
ing been swept away. Orrin Nor
ris, wife and seven children, lived
in a little frame house on Second
street. 1t was raised from its fOun-
dations and hoated toward Main
street Bridge. Cries canes from it,
and a man was seen at the window
with light when it struck and
was smashed, partly sinking. The
light went out, and all was still.
Afterward two OF his little bows
were rescued alive clinging to the
debris down the creek.
COLUMBUS, o., May ia spe.
cial from Xenia, Ohio, to the State
journal says About Z o'clock last
evening terrible clouds were seen
gathering and terrific lightning fol.
lowed by peals of thunder. This
lasted till q o'clock, when au ex-
traOrdinarY clap of thunder seem
cd to open the gates and the rain
tell in torrents. The people living
i'll houses on Water street escaped
by every way possible. The sp out
seemed to vent its fury on that
portion OF the city. For a stretch
OF 100 yards the little Miami Rail.
road is swept away. The spout
struck the houses on Water street
and tore them to pieces as if they
were shells.
A resident of the street states
that within two minutes after the
clap of thunder he stood in water
to his waist, he being about twenty
five yards from the creek. When
the waters reached the residence Of
Aaron Ferguson it was swept away
with nine inmates and lodged
against a bridge, where they were
afterward rescued. The next damage
was at the coal yard Of Samuel
Clark, in which was located a tene.
ment-hOuse, occupied by family
named Powell, nine in number. Up
to . =. VI. none of them had been
heard from. The next point Of de-
struction was IN what is known as
the bottoms. A dozen houses, Oc.
cupied mostly by colored people,
were here swept away.
The loss OF property is great
whole lumber yards and all brides
gone completely. The scenes in
the devastated district are indie.
scribabls. Forces of the men are
busily engaged clearing away and
hundreds of people surround the
places. The rink has been turned
into a refuge for the homeless,
who are many.
Among losses are Mcdowell X
Terrence, lumber, $4,000; Miami
Powder Company, S25, 900; Little
Miami Railroad, $4,000 private
individuals, $50, 900. The city en-
gineer places city loss at $75,OOO.
The Little Miami Road has about
l6 miles swept away.
In addition to the above the
bodies of two children were found
this evening. The complete num-
Der of bodies found IS %, with IL
persons still missing.
Another account says: There |
was a terrible wind and rain.storm |
at 10 o'clock last night, with a
wonderful electrical display. Water |
backed up at the east end OF town
to a lake against the Panhandle
Railroad. The bank gave way sud
denly and the flood came dashlng
through the town along Shawnee
creek in waves - or 20 feet high,
and swept 90 or 80 houses away,
and did 100000 damage.
Twenty bodies were recovered
and there is still a number missing.
Whole families persisted in the flood
I'D districts.
DAYTON, OHIO, May ia
storm of wind, rain and hail struck
Dayton and vicinity at So'clock
asst night. Small streams became
'ushing torrents, and Miami river
. mighty food, rising9 feet in three
hours, inundating fifty acres Of
houses in the fourth ward, drown
ng horses and cows. Merchandise
II cellars was ruined, bridges in all
directions swept away, farm build
ngs and dwellings demolished.
All kinds of crops are totally
mined. Zionville Brick Reform
jhurch, four miles south of Day
on, was destroyed. Paramount is
total wreck. The church at Bea-
-ertown, where prayer-meeting was
II progress, was demolished, but
zone of the panic.stricken worship.
rs were seriously hurt. At Shak !
r Village, three miles east, many
were unreofed barns
and cattle injured. q
A special train with Superinten. =
ent Tucker was wrecked near Os. /
orn. Tucker and six others were y
blurred. A north-bound freight o
rain on the Cincinnati, Hamilton
nd Dayton dashed into a washOut
t Postum Run, five miles south of
layton. At daylight farmer, a
lille across the waters, noticing sig
ais of distress, rescued the freight
rev from she tree tops, Engineer