The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-05-20
A LITTLE BROOK BECOMES
MIGHTY, RAGING RIVER,
Sweeping Every Thing Movable
Before It
Hundreds of Houses Wrecked and Whole
Families Drowned-ThriIling Incidents
and Many Narrow Escapes-The
Tiami Valley Visited by
Wind Storm, Doing Great
Damage.

XENIA, ONO, May 13.-The bright May sun
OF this morning shone on a desolate and
stricken Xenia- After a night of dark
ness and terror it is grateful to have
scene they reveal! Homes laid waste
and property swept away, and, worse
than all, the wholesale destruction of life.
About eight o'clock last night mighty rain,
wind and electric storm came up, which con-
tinued with unabated fury for fully three
hours. The wind came in a continual gale,
with a continual gust which would down trees,
loosen shutters and do other damage. The
rain fell in sheets, while the sky was Hvid
with wave after wave of electricity, and the
mutterings of the thunder were hoarse and
continuous. Most families were huddled to-
gether in fright, for no one knew at what
moment the storm might prove to be a cy-
clone. But few persons dreamed that flood
was coming which would sweep away part of
the town and drown many souls.
About ten o'clock the f1re-bells rang out
their wild alarm, but no great % number OF PEG
was only fire, and that it could not do much
harm in such rain and storm. But directly
the secono alaT % a1u are Sarn snd the
rain was coming down in torrents, but it was
soon learned what the trouble was-that
stream, had become mad, and was out of its
banks and sweeping every thing before it.
Men rushed in the darkness to the scene,
anxious to do what they could. The
waters had completely submerged the
district along the Shawnee from the
place above where it enters the e east & end @ OF
hundred to two hundred yards on each side
Of Water street, clear down to Detroit street.
banks of this mighty stream in the rain and
darkness it was an appalling situation. There
was no light, and above the roar of the angry
waters came the cry for help from frighten.ed
Men rushed franticaly from the shore
into the the waters; others ran in other di-
to assist with. The situation was at once
horrifying and frightful in the extreme. The
little stream that runs through the town,
any harm before, which follows a bed laid out
for it between stone walls six feet high and
ten feet wide, had become a veritable river,
VIDE and from cen to thirty feet deep. The
gas works had been submerged and every.
where was darkness, while the screams of
people in the water were most piteous and
heart-rending. The first thing to do was to
get lights, and this was partially accomplish
ed by building great bonfires in tho streets
ropes, ropes boats, ladders and such other
things as could be 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 and hoated down two squares,
four or FIVE young men TT scued the family OF
Aaron Ferguson, nire people in all. They
had no more than got safely out until the
house went to pieces. At other points along
the line of the Hood, more than mile in dis
ia ce, like scenes were enacted.
But while the good work of rescuing was
going on many poor souls were going down
beneath the angry waters-how mar many God
tract of land along the creek-the scene was
terrible and here the destruction to life and
houses only four or FIVE wi,hstood the flood,
the rest being swep down and wrecked
against the Cincinnati pike bridge, massive
structure. At this point later on several
bodies were recovered from the debris. At
the Man.street bridge-twO squares further
the terrible tide had fairly piled the debris of
which several dead bodies were found this
Emorning. Orrin Morris, wife and seven
children lived in little frame house on
ings and fioated toward the bridge.
Cries came from it, and a man was seen at a
window with a light. When it struck and
mashed. partly sinking, the light went out
and all was still. Mr.. Morris and his family
bad met their awful fate. From the shore
nU n9 M
two of his little girls were rescued alive,
clinging to debris down the creek, but the
father and mother and five children were
lost.
From ten O'Clock until daylight such scenes
as here described were witnessed, and when
morning came 0iSnL DOuItS hdu Uccu TcCOf-
cred. BY this time the waters had subsidized,
| and the work of taking out the bodies of the
dead began in earnest. In the course of two
hours twenty-one had been recovered, and at
this hour we hear of four more being found
some miles down the stream, where it joins
the Little Miami river, and there are Still
some eight or ten missing.
The scene at the mayors Office this mora
ing is beyond all description, for bere were
ndf
caught in their neds, and most of them bore
evidence of having been injured by crashing
timbers. Many were in their clothes, and
probably died struggling to save themselves:
When your reporter looked in upon the awful
sight twenty victims lav in that solemn 81.
takers and other kind hands were engaged
in dressing the dead and arranging them in
families, for here were whole families who
had found a simultaneous death.
The family of Orrin Morris, father, mother
and five children, were dressed and laid side
by side. one of the most touching sights the
human eye ever witnessed. Some were ap
parently composed and peaceful in death
while others wore a d storted look as though
had They n
years in age and were of both colors all on q
common level in the dread silent halls OF
death. After the bodies were all arranged
at the City Building were allowed to pass
through and take a look at the narrowing
spectacle. This afternoon, also, large mum
bers of people were allowed to visit the
Three bridges between here and Spring
Valley, on the Little Mani. are out, and as
much as five miles of track gone. The f1rsi
section of the late train from Cincinnati
reached this place. The next section go
caught between bridges and there it lies. A
large amount of track below the valley IL
OUT, and the loss will be $4,000 or more. The
D. & ]. railroad between here and Trebein's
is washed out badly, and the Little Miam
track is in the same condition all the way Il
Dayton. 1t is impossible to gather the full
extent of the damage. but it will take day
and probably weeks to repair.
The excitement in the second section of thu
train from Cincinnati was terrific. Tht
women huddled together and the mer
paced the cars with banched faces, as tht
water rose higher and higher on the track
the conductor soon reported that the fire
were out, and it looked rs though the trair
would surely be swept away, as there wa:
nothing to be seen bun n vast sea. Health Of
fcer Rowland of Cincinnati. who was on the
train, asked the engineer why he had stopped
the train with such Il sudden jerk. The en-
gineer replied: II saw ahead of me a raging
rushing body of water, that roared as loudl!
as heavy peal of thunder. If had gone
hundred feet further we would all hav,
been killed" 1t was a big break in the tract
he saw
Mr.. Rowland was perfectly satisfied will
the explanation. The water, it can now b'
seen. twisted the railroad tracks into all sort
OF snap s, just as a man could twist small
wire.
The surrounding country is also greatly de
vas:ated. Bridges are out in every direction
aid Il large number of farm houses nea
Goes Station were destroyed, though with
out lUss of life The Miami Powder Mills a
Goes suffered several thousand dollars los
nom the hurricane that swept over that re
ginn.
The greatest cause of the destruction of lif
and property in Xcnia was a small culvert
whcre the little stream passed under mig