Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-04-16
RAGING RIVERS.

e.
A Number of Lives Lost and Property I'M
terests Badly Damaged by Floods in h
Humiliation Unprecedented
In Some Localities Many Cities and
Towns Submerged.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala, April 3.-festerday's
dispatches from the State, while Indicating
that many OF the smaller rivers are falling,
and that theworst Of the flood is probably
over, report much loss OF life and serious
damage to property. Altogether twenty
five persons are reported to have been
drowned throughout the State, the greater
number OF them being colored.
MONTGOMERY. Ala, April Especial dis
patches received here state that the War
rior. the Coosa and the Tallapoosa rivers
are falling. Thousands OF horses, mules,
cattle and hogs have been swept away.
Corn, cotton-seed and provisions in readh
OF the flood were destroyed, and planters
in the overlooked region will have diai-
Guilty in starting their work. The re-
lief boat brought to this city a large
number Of people who had been in.
peril and without food for three days. On
a farm employing State convicts, the wh-
ter flooded the quarters. The president bf
the Board OF Inspectors made way with
boats to the impcriled place and got then
off i'll safety.
A special from Opelika says that Joha-
son Bridges, engineer OF the construction
train which vent down on the %Tallapoosa
river, died after his leg was a1nputated.
Six hands on the same train have already
<J:.l -. l~z.., .e.,-a S,f.,,, las .~.
nection with the outside world by rail.
The flood throughout the State is unprece-
denied, reaching here six feet above the
highest mark ever known. In this
city the ice factory, water works,
soap works and gas works, electric-light
works, fertilizer works, iron foundries, oil
mills, railroad shops and freight depot of
the Western and Central railroad, stock
yards and brick yards, all have several
feet OF water in them. In most of them the
damage will be confined to machinery.
The only illumination in the city is by can
dies and oil. Viewed off the dome of the
Capitol, the highest point in the city, is IL
lake OF water to the north and west fully
ten miles square.
Boats have been distributing food all
day throughout the inundated parts of
this city. Several hundred persons, most
ly negroes, have been water-bound for two
days without food. Reports from different
points near here show that five negroes
have been drowned. The steam ferryboat
has left here to pick up all persons iii Ian
ger and to supply food to the suffering.
Specials from Rome, Ga, place the loss
there at 81, 500 900. Selma is entirely in
darkness. A steamboat reached there yes
terday with $50 rescued negroes. Nine
norrOoo xyarn Irouynaj ~, N,n ,,lur%,+.o,
The Warrior river falls slowly. Great
damage is reported all along it's banks, es-
pecially in horses and mules and corn.
Distress is reported from all the OVERLOOKED
sections around Selma.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, April 3.-The flood
situation here is very serious. The river is
fifty-two feet and rising, and IL great por-
ton OF the city is under water. The gas
works are inundated, and the city is with
out light. The water works are also under
water and the supply in the reservoir will
be exhausted within twelve hours. Business
is entirely suspended, and merchants are
busy organizing relief committees to aid the
needy. Thedamageto the railroads is great,
and no trains are running. Telegraph
communication is cut off in many direc-
tions. More than five thousand people
are o temporarily homeless. From
Lookout mountain to the city the only
mode of communication is by barges, the
water being at least ten feet higher than
the line OF the railroad tracks. One col.
ored man and one hitcchild were drowned
yesterday.
CHARLESTON, W. Va. April 3.-The ag-
gregate damage by the floods OF this week
inside the limits of this State will amount
to fully half o million dollars. In
this city and Immediate neighbor-
rood it is thought that 500, 600 OF
loss has been inflicted, while along the en-
tire kanawha, Putnam and Mason, and in
the interior mountain counties, where the
principal tributaries OF the kanawha have
their rise, the large lumber interest, which
had hardly recovered from the great flood
OF two years ago, has again suffered meal
culablc harm. Millions OF feet of Choice
lumber have been swept away. Along the
Elk and Gauley rivers thestory is the same,
while in every valley the f~arnfers have sui
Tered severely. In this city the damage is
very great. The suffering has been, and
still is, keen among all classes IN the in
vaded districts, and especially among the
sick, OF whom there are several hundred
suffering from an epidemic OF d%iphtheria
and other diseases.
Reports from the northern portion OF the
State, along the Cheat river valley and
east to Cumberland, but duplicate the sit
uation here. The Cheat river is higher
than ever before known, and many houses
and valuable property have been washed
away. At Point Pleasant on the Ohio the
river is up to the mark OF two Years ago,
and as the lood from the Upper Ohio has
not reached there the situation is serious.