Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-05-19
A Death Dealing Storm.
ENGULFED IN A FIERCE FLOOD.
Terrible Disaster at Xenia, Ohio.

Terrible Disaster at Xenia, Ohio.
MAN HOUSES SWEPT AWAY AND LIVES
LOST BY THE SUDDEN RISING OF A
sTREAM-GREAT DAMAGE AT VARIOUS
OTHER POINTS.
COLUMBUS, O., May ia special from
Xenia, Ohio, to the State Journal says:
About z o'clock last evening terrible clouds
were seen gathering and terrific lightning
followed by peals of thunder. This lasted
| till 9 o'clock, when an extraordinary clap
of thunder seemed to open the gates and
the rain fell in torrents. The people living
| in houses on Water street escaped by
every way possible. The spout seemed to
vent its fury on that portion of the city.
For stretch of $50 yards the little Miami
Railroad 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 with
| in 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 bridge,
where they were afterward rescued. The
next damage was at the coal yard of Sam
uel Clark, in which was located a tenement
house. occupied by family named Powell,
nine in number. Up to P. M. none of
them had been heard from. The next point
of destruction was in what is known as the
bottoms. A dozen houses, occupied most
ly by colored people, were here swept
| away.
One family, by the name of Morris, were
swept away. The last seen of them was at
the Miami street bridge, when a man was
seen at the window by the terror-stricken
crowd waving a lighted lamp. The next
instant the house disappeared and they
were gone. Only one, a boy Is years of
age, has been found.
The work of finding the bodies still con-
tinues tonight. The mayors Office has
been turned into morgue, and there are
now % bodies there. The scenes are heart
rending. Whole families lie disfgured on
| cots.
The folio wing is list of the killed: Mrs.
Lindsey, colored; Mrs. Casey, colored; Mrs.
Anderson. colored; child named Amber
| son; Mrs. Cercoran, white; a crippled idiot
named Corcoran; Mr.. and Mrs. Louis An
derson; Stephen Dundon; Orrin Morris,
| wife and five children, white; VIM. Past,
colored, VITA and five children; VIM. Adams
and wife.
| The loss Of property is great-whole lum-
| Der yards and all bridges gone completely.
| The scenes in the devastated district are
| indescrib able. Forces of men are busly
engaged Gle lring away and hundreds of peo-
pie surround the places. The rink has
been turned into refuge for the homeless,
who are III any.
Among losses are Mcdowell & Terrence,
lumber SIC. 600; Miami Powder Company,
| $25 900; Little Miami Railroad, $l25, 200;
private individuals, $4,000. The city en-
gineer places city loss at 5000. The
Little Miami Road has about 16 miles swept
away.
| In addti IN to the above the bodies of two
children were found this evening. The
complete number of bodies found is %, with
| II persons still missing.
Another account says: There was ter
rible wind and rain-storm at 10 o'clock last
night, with wonderful electrical display.
| Water backed up at the east end of town to
a lake against the Pan Handle Railroad.
The bank gave way suddenly and the flood
came daslling through the town along
Shawnee creek in waves Is or 20 feet high,
and swept go OF 30 houses away, and did
$1,000 damage.
Twenty bodies were recovered and there
is still number missing. Whole families
persisted in the flooded districts. The fol-
lowing are among the dead: Mrs. Nellie
Anderson and sister, Mrs. Casey, Mrs. Sam
uel Cochran and two sons, Matt Evans,
wife and c',ld, Orrin Morris, wife and five
! children, Stephen Dalton, VIM: Powell,
wife and SIX or seven children, Lewis An
derson and wife, Mrs. Ed. Lindsay.
Nov ctor,, IF 10 OF
night which did such fearful work at Xenia,
Ohio, Was far reaching. 1t is heard of in
Illinois, through Indiana and Ohio, and at
Winchester, Va. Here there has been an
unusual electrical disturbance for the past
three nights. On Monday night there was
almost uninterrupted lightning from II P.
M. until \. M. Tuesday night similar
condition existed, accompanied by heavy
rains and II Ill. Last night there was an
other eIec'i; cai storm, with wind, heavy
rain and hail. The Xenia storm, however,
was muci, more furious. The counties of
Montgomery, Clarke, Butler, Warren and
Green lie adjacent in Ohio. and form an
elevated plateau with but shallow valleys
and low hills. In these counties are the
towns of Dayton, Springfield, Hamilton,
Lebanon AID Henia. In the eastern coun-
ty of Indiana, adjoining this district, is
ConnorsvilIe. At all these places the rain
of last night was of the heaviest volume
ever known. Dayton measured Al inches
in about three hours.
Xenia WIS situated so as to meet the
worst results. Shawnee run traverses the |
portion of the city adjacent to the Little
Miami Railroad, which lies lower than the |
main portioi of the city. The railroad en-
bankment rises above the general level, and
the stream flows through it in large cul- |
vert. Last nights rainfall was entirely too
much for thu capacity of the culvert. The |
water rose, and at last swept away the en-
bankment, and with accumu' ated force
rushed upon the small cottages located on
the low banks and bore them from their |
foundations.
DAYTON, ONO, May IA storm of
wind, rain aud hail struck Dayton and vi
cinity at 8 o'clock last night. Small |
streams be ;ame rushing torrents, and Mi
ami river mighty flood, rising 9 feet in
three hours, inundating fifty acres Of houses
in the fourth ward, drowning horses and
COWS. Merchandise in cellars was ruined,
bridges in all directions swept away, farm
buildings and dwellings demolished.
All XII DIS of crops are totally ruined.
Zionville Brick Reform Church, four miles
south of Dayton, was destroyed. Fair
Beavertown, where prayer-meeting was in
progress, was demolished, but none of the
panic stricken worshipers were seriously
hurt. At Shaker Village, three miles east,
many buildings were unroofed, barns blown
down and cattle injured.
A special train with superintendent
Tucker was wrecked near Osborn. Tucker
and six others were injured. A north
bound freight train on the Cincinnati.
Hamilton and Day ton dashed into wash
out at Possum Run, five miles south of
Dayton. At daylight farmer, mile
across the waters, noticing signals of dis
tress, rescued the freight crew from the
tree tops, Engineer Joha McCutcheon and
his fireman being seriously injured.
HAMILTON, O., May lathe storm
which passed over Butler..county Wednes-
day night carried away two railroad
bridges on The Cincinnati, Richmond and
Chicago, and two on the Cincinnati, Ham
ilton and Dayton. The loss on grain,
trees, houses, &C., in Butler county, is
very heavy.