The Portland daily press., 1886-05-14
Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars
Worth of Property Destroyed.
Fatal Disasters Caused by Washouts
on Railroads.
Heartrending Scenes WITNESSED at
xenia, ohio.
Twenty-Five Persons Killed and
Eleven Missing There.
Every Building but One In Greenfield,
Ind, Blown Down..

GENEyIEvE, No., May 13.--A tremendous
storm of wind and rain swept over this town
Yesterday afternoon 1t lasted for one houl
but fortunately no lives were lost. The
sheet iron roofing of the bone mills was
rolled up like scroll and blown into the
street The roof of Charles Burgers smithy
was also torn off. Fruit trees were stripped,
fences were demolished, and the creeks lin
the vicinity overfowed their banks. The
tempest was the most severe for years. The
Mississippi river is rising rapidly.
CINCINNATI, May 13.-Still there is no tel
egraphic communication with Xenia or Day
ton Twenty persons are reported to be
killed and a large number at Aenla injured.
Only the merest outlines Of the great dis
aster are yet obtainable. From these it ap-
pears that the rainfull last night was the
worst ever known in that part Of the State.
1t was heightened cloud-burst beginning
at o'clock and continuing until after 10.
The Shawnee Run, which runs through a
portion of the town, with cottages built on
its banks, rose to an unprecedented height
Exactly how the great volume of water
acted. whether being damned and then
breaking or by its direct course is not yet
known. but from so to 100 buildings were
swept from their foundations and the in
mates suddenly found themselves helpless in
the angry flood. How many lives were lost
is not yet known but atl12. 80 o'clock "a bod
les had been secured. 1t was estimated that
more :would be found. The storm is
described as the most disastrous ever known.
On the Little Miami Railroad the nearest
approach any train could make to the city
was three miles. Bridges were all washed
away, trees were blown down, fences de-
stroyed and crops ruined. 1t will require
days to repair the railroad, but meanwhile
the Eastern travel will be conducted via the
Muskinquin Valley Railroad.
CINCINNATI, May 13.-The storm of last
night, which did such fearful work at Xenia,
o. was far-Ieachlng 1t is 9 heard 9 q j IN WIN 5iI
chester, Va. Here there have been unusual
electrical disturbances for the past three
nights Monday night there was almost un-
interrupted lightning from Il p m. until a.
m. Tuesday night a similar condition ex-
listed, accompanied by heavy rains and hail,
the latter, however, of very narrow range.
Last night there was another electrical
storm, with wind, heavy rain and hail.
The Xenia storm, however, was much
more furious. The counties of Montgomery,
Clark, Butler. Warren and Greene lie ada
cent in Ohio and form an elevated platform
with but shallow valley. In these counties
are the towns Dayton, Springfield, Hamilton,
Lebanon and Xenia. In the eastern county
of Indiana adjoining this district is Connors-
vile. At all of these places the rain of last
night was of the heaviest volume ever
known Dayton measured A inches in three
hours Last night the rain fall was entirely
too much for the capacity of large culyert
in the town and the water rose and at last
swept away the embankment and with accu-
mulated force rushed upon small cottages To-
Gated on the low banks and without warning
bore them from their foundations. At
Springfield the flood was of nearly equal
volume but the drainage was better. In the
eastern and southern portions q tne CITY
e., driven from their homes
by the encroaching floods. Dozens OF
bridges over streams were washed away.
The losses cannot be estimated but will be
exceedingly heavy. Nearly every railroad
across the State was crippled and some will
require several days for repairs.
[LATER.l
XENIA, O., May 13.-About o'clock last
evening. terrible looking clouds were seen
gathering, and terrific lightning was follow
ed by fearful peals of thunder. This lasted
till O'Clock, when an extraordinary clap Oh
thunder seemed to open the gates, and the
rain fell in torrents. People living in the
houses on Water street escaped by every
fury on that portion of the city. For a
stretch of $50 yards the Little Miami rail-
road is swept away, The spout struck the
houses on Water street, and tore them 70
pieces as if they were shells. A resident OF
the street states that within two minutes al
ter the clap of thunder he stood in water to
his waist, he being about 70 yards from the
creek. The residence of Aaron Ferguson
was swept away with nine inmates, and
lodged against a bridge, where they were al
forwards rescued: tenement MOUSE, occu-
pied by family named Powell, nine In
number, was washed away, and up to pm,
none of them had been heard from. Twelve
houses. occupied mostly by colored people,
were swept away, horses were l0St by tne
dozen, and the railroads leading out OF the
thof fs
bic to hear from outside points. At least
a dozen trains are here and within
few miles of the city Telegraph wires
are also down and business has been sus-
pended. The house of family named MOI
ris was swept away and the last seen OF the
inmates was at the Miami street bridge
when man was seen at window by the
terror-stricken crowd, waving lighted
lamp. The next instant the house collapsed
and they were gone. Only one OF them,, a
boy 13 years of age, has been found, but the
work of finding the bodies, still continues;
Tonight the mayors Office has been turned
into a morgue and there are now % bodies
there. The scenes are heartrending. Whole
families lie disfigured on cots. The Hollow
ing is list of the killed: Mrs. Lindsay, Mrs;
Casey, Mrs. Anderson, all colored; a chlld
named Anderson; Mrs. Corcoran, white; q
Mrs. Louis Anderson, Stephen Dunton,
Orrin Morris, wife and five children. white !;
William Pail, colored wife and five children ;
William Adams and wife,
The loss of property is great. Whole lum-
Der yards and all the bridges are gone. COM
pletely. Scenes in the devastated districts
are indescribable. Forces Of men are busliy
engaged in clearing away and hundreds OF
people surround the place. The city council
has appropriated 1000 for immediate use IN
the burial of the victims, and private SUD
scription has already reached into the thou
sands. The rink has been turned into g
refuge for the homeless, who are many. All
the aid possible is needed from every source.
The loss to property is estimated at $500, 900
Twosmore bodies were found this evening,
being children, and they are not 1dentlted.
The complete number of dead whose bodies
have been identified is %. with II still mis-
sing.
CINCINNATI, O., May 13.-The most Sc
rious damage to railroads by last night S
storm fell on the Little Miami road from Car
win to London, distance of 40 miles. Eight
bridges are gone and the track is a series of
small and great washouts. The Cincinnati,
Hamilton and Dayton road has two bridges
out, one at Carrolton and one at Miamisburg'
COLUMBUS, o., May 13.-A Dayton, O.,
special says the storm last night resulted IN
considerable damage. The rainfall filed the
Miami river bank full, and the drainage OF
the city led the water to the main street,
where business blocks occupy all the ground;
The thoroughfare became river and Hooded
ali the store cellars and destroying goods, es-
pecially in groceries, shoe houses and hard
ware stores Arnold & Son claim a loss OF
$4,000. Wolf Creek levee broke, flooding
the west side, undermining the structures
and turning families out of small tenements
A patrol system carried the women and chill
dren out of danger. The Big Miami rose
nine feet between p. m. and midnight
which indicates great loss to the farmers
and gardeners of the valley. Railway
bridges and culverts were washed out and
telegraphic communication shut off from
DAYTON. Trains were all behind time and
several hundred people were detained in the
city. The washout on the Bee Line, foul
miles south of Dayton, took away 200 feet OF
the embankment and delayed the night eX
press to New York and will delay the NOV
ing of trains for twenty-four hours. Like
washouts are reported on every road out OF
Dayton. This morning no trains had ar
rived since o'clock last night All kinds o.
extravagant rumors are atloat. Senator
Kemp left for Dayton on the news that hi
home had been washed away and famll,
could not be found.
Reports from Springfield announce. grea
destruction by lightning and flood. A por
tion of two trains were derailed but no losi
of life resulted. The foundations OF seVera
buildings washed out, allowing them to tum
ble down, and several houses in the city ant
country were burned from being struck by
| lightning.
IANARK, ILL.,, May 13.-Tnere was heav!
| rain, hail and wind storm here last evening