Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1886-05-22
STORM AND FLOOD.
Loss OF LIFE AND PROPERTY.
Widespread Devastation Wrought by
the Fury of Cyclones.

There was a terrible wind and rain storm
at Xenia, O., with wonderful electrical dis
play. Water backed up at the east end of
the town to lake against the Panhandle
railroad. The bank gave away suddenly and
the flood came dashing through town along
Shawnee creek in waves fifteen or twenty
feet high and swept twenty or thirty houses
away and did S1OO, 600 worth of damage.
The principal stream flowing through Xe-
mia is Archer creek, which is generally a
small stream with no destructive powers
This creek flows through culvert under the
Panhandle railway depot. The stream be<
came so greatly swollen on account of heavy
rains until the culvert was taxed to give the
water passageway. When driftw God COM
menced coming down the swollen stream it
was caught at the culvert until perfect dam
was formed. Citizens, perceiving the dam
ger, worked hard to dis,odge the timbers and
driftwood, which kept increasing, but the
force of the current wedged them in SO tightly
that their efforts we're futile. The water
backed up and overAowed its banks, and ere
long formed an extensive reservoir. People
all over the city began to grow alarmed, but
before any def lite action was taken the
water broke the embankment and rushed
through the town, tearing down trees and
washing away huu:es. Many residences
were swept down the current with their in
mates. One Of these, that of Aaron Fergu-
son, contained nine persons of his own fami-
lily and three of John Burcn's who had fled
there for safety.
The complete number or deaths whose
bodies have teen found is twenty-five, with
eleven still missing. The work of finding
the bodies still continues. The Mayors Office
has been turned into morgue. The scenes
are beartrending. Whole families lie dis.
figured on cots.
The storm which did such feaeful work at
Xenia, O., was reaching 1t is herd of in
Illinois, through Indiana and Ohio and at
Winchester, Va.
News OF damage by the storm of Wednes-
day night continues to come. Madison
county, o., suffered to the xtenG of more
than 100000 The streams in that county
are generally low banked and the unpreced-
ented flood caused nearly all the road bridges
to be carried off. In Fayette county the
water spout was so pronounced that fl lol
of eight feet came tearing down Paint creek
yesterday afternoon into Washington Court
House, and increased until in four hours it
risen Is feet, the highest ever known. All
the lower Iart of the city was inundated and
many people driven from their homes.
Dozens of bridge were washed away. In
Clinton county the chief damage was by
wind. Five balns are reported destroyed
and the timber Frustrated over a large area
The cyclone of Wednesday night at Wiki
inson, Ind, lasted only sbout five minutes,
but totally destroyed nine houses.
The east-bound passenger train on the In.
diana, Bloomington and Western Railroad
ran into washed. out culvert near New Cas-
tie, Henry county, Ind, Wednesday night
J. V. Trenary. engineer, and James Hudson
fireman, and an unknown passenger were in-
stantly killed. TIE baggage master and the
conductor were probably fatally wounded.