The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1888-07-20

Great Damage Dome BY an Alms'<t uopr~-
cesscnted Rise In the Nonongahets River
scenes of Excltemens Aiong the Uanl>
~ che Wrecknxe Goes Down Dwellings.
Wharfbsats. bargc< aud Other Craft
swept Away by the Mad Current
PirrsnrR0n. Pa. July 1.-THE freshct
In the Monongahcla river Il almost I'M
precedentcd, and great damage has been
dome 10 river craft and other property all
along the stream from the headwatcrs 20
this city. The sudieuncss OF the rise
took the river men entirely unawarcs, and
they were not prepared when the great
volume Of water burst upon them. MILF
ions OF feet Of lumber. scores ~ coal craft,
fences. outhonses and coal tipples have
been floating down the swift current for
the last eighteen hours. The river al this
point Is still running, with twenty-one
feet nine inches on the marks ~ nine
O'Clock. but II IL reported as stationary.
with forty five feet at Greensboro, hum
dred miles above this city. AT every
point between Greensboro and Pittsburgh
the lowlands are under water, and tho
residents have been compelled to live In
the upper stories OF their houses, and In
some cases 20 seek the hills for safety.
Many had not time "a remove their goods,
hour, and at Greensboro thirty-two feet
OF rise was recorded In less than
thirty-four hours. The damage 10
property can not be estimated at present,
but II will reach away up into the thou
sands. A solitary barge which broke
away yesterday caused over five thcusard
dollars damage, and this is but one little
item. So far but one life has been re-
ported lost, that Of man named George
Gefter, who was struck by parted cable
and instantly killed
The scene along the river front tlAs
morning was one Of great excitement.
The banks were lined with people watch
ing the debris as il was swept down the
swift current The river and coal men
were on the alert, fearing that their craft
would be torn from their moorings, and
as fast as one cable would snap in twain
II would be replaced by another. Occa-
sionally a floating boat, barge or tipple
would strike one OF the piers Of the
Smithfield Street bridge and with a loud,
grating sound sink from view; again the
helpless craft would pass the bridge In
safety and continue on its journey 20
Cincinnati. The greatest damage to river
craft occurred between half-p one
O'Clock this morning and daylight
shortly before two o'clock large
number OF barges belonging &c
jenkins & Co. came down the
I river from the second pool and
4 struck the Smithfield Street bridge, the
4 huge barges turning end over end and
I breasting the towboat Barnard In against
the steamer Jacobs. Every whistle OF
\ the river sounded the alarm, aud as the
4 livid rays OF the electric lights swept from
! side TO side across the turbulent Hood, Il
( presented q wild sight. Logs, barges
\ and fuel boats were dashed against the
\ piers OF the bridge and snapped like
I twigs by the overwhelming force OF tho
I current. Half Of one OF jenkins boat.
/ lodged against the bottom just below the
/ Smithfeld Street bridge, and the watel
I dashed over il, throwing spray high into
1 the air, while the driftwood crushed and
cracked over the wreck. with grind
| ing noise which addsto the horrors Of th'
food. About fifteen minutes after tn.
broken barges came down. . number o
pieces Of wreckage hoated past, in tn
middle OF which a shanty boat was swep
along with the light on board The rive
men shouted and the whistles screamed
20 get an answer from any person who
might be on the boat but no reply came
and II the owners were on board an
asleep, as some Of the river men thought
they were swept down 20 inevitable de
struction.
Later the steamer George Wood brok
her mornings above the Tenth stree
bridge, and came drifting down the riveI
but was finally caught and towed 20 SAT
harbor. The ropes that held the nail
sunken Cincinnati whnrfboat which "a
owners had been struggling for twelv
hours 70 save, parted about this time. an
the cumbersome craft was quickly sven
away. few minutes later lot q
O'Neils barges aud tweniy-six pieces 5e
longing 10 Joseph Walton Co. wer
forced from their moorings and carrie
down stream.
.sPolishtown". located aleng the ban
81 the Monohgaheia river, between "a
foot Of South Twenty second and Sout
Twenty-.ourth streets, was IN sorr
night to-day. There are nearly seventy
five shaniy boats AZ that point, occupie
w over one hundved and nifty familie
aggregating a population OF more ina
i've hundred people. All OF these. W.T.
the exception u about dozen familie
campcd last night. Early yesterda
! mos0 ing the trouble began All day mel
, women and children were busy pumpin
} water out OF the boats aud removin
their goods 10 places OF safety. ny mig
ten boat-houses had been sunk Or cal
sized. and several carried down the rive
The families who moved out piled the
. goods M along the Lake Erie railroa
{ and then the men did the best they cou
TO secure the ehanties, while the woms
) watched their possessions by the light
, --~.s g.. ;xtto children craWled ri