The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1888-07-19
DESTRUCTIVE FLOOD
IN THE MoNoNGAHELA RIVER.
Unparalleled Destruction of Prop
crty-The West Inundated.

Valley Sunday evening and continued un-
I'll Tuesday morning, resulting in destructive
floods. From Pittsburgh TO the mountain
fastnessss Of Randolph county, West Virginia,
towns have been ravaged, manufactures have
been inundated, boats have been sunk, houses
and lumber have been floatei Off, fields with
their wheat in shock and growing crops have
cen devastated, faIpHfies driven to the Hills
forsh'ltSr, ,lnsI IN many instances the nccu-
uilaSion Of years Of toll aud self denial
have been lost in an hour.
The los es entailed by the food will not fall
short of s3,000,O00. large proportion of
which falls with crushing effect upon the
people of the thriving counties of Mouonga-
lia, Marion, Taylor, Harrison. Lewis, Bar
bour, Up,har aad Randolph, in West Vir-
gina,
In Pennsylvania the losses nre in the coun-
ties Of Allegheny, Washington W,s'more-
land, Fayette and Greene, the he,viest being
in Allegheny, Washington and Fayette.
These losses fall most heavily upon the own
ers OF coal property, rairoa companies and
farmers. notwithstanding the suddanness
of the coming Of the water ald the arei Of
distribution, the losses Of fats, barges and
smaller river craft have been comp ratvely
small, and nearly all bat owners are cons
graduating themselves on their good for
| tune.
In Pittsburgh proper much of the loss has
! fallen upon the owners of shantybcats and
lighthouses. but these are for the most part
insignificant The owners of mill property
will lose largely, and have TO undergo no end
| pftp apta ,Nft
of their mills by the water, putting out tho
fires, and rusting AMI almost running the val
uaSle machinery. Little lumber or other
movable property has beei carried away
from the city, but from points alb )ve millions
of feet of valuable timber and lumber have
come down and been cirried of into the Onio,
total loss to late owners.
The latest news is TO the effect that the food
in both the Valley and West Fork branches
of the Monongahela river is such as was never
before known.
At Fairmont, West Va, tho Monongahela
was fully two feet, some say three feet, higher
than it vas in 1852, when it was higher than at
any other time within the memory of the oldest
lnhabitant. The destruction TO property is
beyond present computation, but enough is
known to warrant the declar alton that near
ly every house and most OF The fencing on
low lands between Fairmont and Clarks-
burg Oh the West Fork and as far. az le,st, as
Grafton on the Vail y river has been swept
away. From early dawn until 4 p. N, the
Monong ,hela continued to rise, and during
that time the channel was constantly filed
with houses, fencing, steam timber, saw logs,
| she cks of what pnrts NJ hridops md otbar
debris, denoting the havoc Of the rushing
waters.
Some ten or twelve houses wcrs swept
from the town of Washington. one large,
frame that had Just been completed 1t Is
reported also that the public bridge that
spans the river at that point on the Farmont
and Shinns.on turnpike was taken out, to-
gether with Touring mill
The CASTOR mines, just above Fairmount,
were flooded, while the company's track was
submerged and its locomotive was for time
half under water. The large county bridge
near CASTOR and the expensive railroad
bridge erected n short time since by Mr..
Henry Y. Attril for the New England, Fair
mount and Western Coal Company, were
both destroyed. One>half the houses in
Johnstowu. one mile ab,ve Fdrmount, and
many in Rivesville, four miles below, were
submerged.
The Jackson mill. one of Fairmount's
Oldest landmarks, that wthstood the fl ,od of
'52, was carried out ab)ut IL O'Clock and
foated down to the Fairmount, Morgantown
& Pittsburgh Railroad bridge, one mile be-
low, where it went to pieces, with ABOUT ono
thousand bushels Of wheat in its upper
stories
The Barnesvile Manufacturing Comp,ny's
new buildings and costly machinery were
damaged by the overflow from B;:ffa!o creek.
Joseph NJ. Flemng's sawml at Johnstown
suffered great damage from overflow; also
six or seven Touring mills, Ice tied at differ
ent points, were washed away. The factory
and storehouse of the Pslatine Quernsware
Pottery were under water, and of course:suf-
fsrtd, heavily.
The West Fairmont shaft mines were flood
ed by backwater from the river, notwith-
stand ng every exertion to close the opening.
These mines have heavy contracts, and 100
men are thrown out Of employment till the
mires can be freed from water. The loss
will probably reach 1900 Oo0, possibly siOO, 900,
u VIII ioi IufBely WneIe IL cin 10 least
easily borne.
Alteration, the Valley river boom, In which
thousands Of logs had lodged, gave way, car
rying destruction in its path. The planning
mill OF Morgan & Magill was swept away, as
was the Fetterman bridge, about two miles
below town. Att o'clock the river h ID risen
fully twenty feet and was twenty mine feet
in tie chaheL 1t was momentarily feared
thai the aro,d bridge would b, swept away
d which would have resulted had the water
risen foot higher.
Several buildings, including sawmils, &c,
were washed down the river and We're crush
ed to atoms whea they struck the strong iron
railroad bridge. A large number of dwelling
! houses in South Grafton and West Grafton
; w,rs flooded TO depth of 10 or 10 f,o and
the losses are severe
Sichael Barrett lost a kiln Of brick valued
s2.5O0. G. w. Curtin & Co. lost in logs,
&c, about $40, 900 to $4,000. d atchcy &
, | Co pump faotory about $l2 900 to $l5 900.