, 1888-07-12
$4,000 900 DAMAGES.
Heavy Freshet IN the Monon'
gahela River.
Great Destruction to Dwellings
and Other Property.
Hundreds Of People Homeless
and Destitute.
Damaging Floods.

denied, and great damage has been done
to river craft and property all along the
river from the headwaters to this city.
The suddenness of the rise took the river
men entirely unawares, and they were not
prepared when the great volume of water
burst upon them. Millions of feet of
lumber, scores of coal craft, fences, out
houses and coal tipples have been floating
down the swift current for the last eigh-
teen hours. The river at this point is
still rising, with twenty-one feet nine
inches on the marks at 9 o'clock, but it is
reported as stationary with forty five feet
at Greensboro, 100 miles above this city.
At every point between Greensboro and
Pittsburg the lowlands are under water,
and residents have been compelled to live
in the upper stories of their houses, and
in some cases to seek the hills for safety.
Many had not time to remove their goods,
as the water rose at the rate of a foot an
hour, and at Greensboro a thirty-two feet
rise was recorded in less than twenty-four
hours.
The damage to property cannot be es-
timated at present, but 1t will reach away
up into the hundreds of thousands. So
far but one life has been reported lost.
The scene along the river front this morn
ing was one of great excitement. The
banks were lined with people watching
the debris as 1t was swept down the swift
current. 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 it would be
replaced by another. Occasionally a
floating boat, barge or tipple would strike
one of the piers Of the bridge and sink
from view again. The helpless craft
would pass the bridge in safety and con-
tinue on its journey toward Cincinnati.
The greatest damage to river craft oc-
CURED between l:30 o'clock this morning
and daylight. Shortly before 2 O'Clock a
large number of barges anne down the
river and struck the bridge, huge barges
turning end over end and breasting the
tow boat Barnard against the steamer
Jacobs. Every whistle on the river
sounded IN alarm and as the rays of the
electric lights swept from side to side
across the turbulent flood it presented a
wild sight. Logs, barges and fuel boats
we're dashed against the piers ofthe bridge
and snapped like twigs by the overwhelm-
ing force ofthe current. Fifteen minutes
after the broken barges came down, a
number of pieces of wreckage f1oated
past, in the middle of which a shanty
boat was swept along with a light on
board. The river men shouted and whist
les screamed to get an answer from any
persons who might be on board, but no
reply came and if the owners were on
board and asleep as some of the rivermen
thought, they were swept down to newt
able destruction.
The Losses.
The latest estimate of the damage puts
the total loss at over one million dollars.
Wheeling reports damage in the vicinity
of Grafton, w. Va, at not less than
$3.50, 900, and about Paramount at about
as much more. The loss at Brown syille,
Pa, is reported to be over 1925, 900, and
at Powlesburg, w. Va, 1925, 600. In
this n~eighborhood it will exceed 800, 900,
and it is not exaggerating to say that with
the above as a fair estimate the total will
exceed 81, 900, 900, as the flooded district
covers an area of fully $50 miles.
At McKeesport all the mills are closed
down and hundreds are homeless and des
titute. The Charters natural gas main
crossing the river at hat point was broken
during the night and an immense pres
sure OF gas was forced into the air. Mr..
Knight, the Waterman of the Pittsburg,
McKeesport & Yongheighey railway
crossed the trestle at Salisbury street a
sDOIb llulC dlICl duu lie ldhlClh lSHllCu
the gas and caused a tremendous explo-
sion. Knight was fatally burned and the
bridge caught fire, but the flames were
~extinguished before it was destroyed.
Traffic has almost been suspended ON
the Pittsburg. Virginia & Charleston road
and no trains are running south Of
Peters creek, nineteen miles from here.
A Wheeling dispatch says the freshet
was the greatest ever known. The de-
struction to property is beyond computa-
ton, but enough has been 'ascertained to
warrant the declaration that nearly every
house and most of the fencing on all the
low land between this point and Clarks-
burg on the west and as far at least as
Grafton in the valley river has been swept
away. The water is now falling at the
headwaters and the worst, perhaps, is
over.
PoLIsHTowN, July ll.-Located along
the bank of Monongahela river, this
town was in sorry plight to-day. There
are nearly seventy-five shanty boats at
this point, occupied by over $50 families,
aggregating a population of more than
500 people. All of these, with the ex-
ception of about a dozen families, camped
out last night. 1t was early yesterday
morning when the trouble began. All
day, men, women and children were busy
pumping water out OF boats and removing
their goods to places of safety. By night
ten boat houses had sunk or capsized and
several were carried down the river.
Williamsburg, Becks Run, McKeesport,
California, Monongahela City, Believer.
non, Brownsville, Fayette City and other
towns along the river are reported partly
submerged this morning.
At various points along the lines of the
PittsburR, Virginia & Charleston and
Baltimore & Ohio railroads tracks are
under water, and great difficulty is exper-
fenced in running trains.
At 1890 word was received that lock
No. T., located a short distance above
Monongahela City, had been carried
away. The loss from this win be very
heavy.
The sudden rise is belle red to have
been caused by a cloud burst, which COW
cred a large section of Southern Pennsyl-
] yania and West Virginia.