The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-12
A MILLION WASHEDAWAY
TERRIBLE DEVASTATION IN THE
WAKE OF THE FLOOD.

The Products OF the Farms in Twelve
Counties IN West Virginia Carried
otf-A Gas Main Broken and an Ex-
plosion Follows, Which Fatally In
jures "A Watchman.
PARKERsBURG, w. VA, July II The
storm on Monday night was the most disas
trous of tho many which have visited this
region during tho past week, and the loss of
property in range of twelve counties here
about is estimated at $3.50 600.
A bridge worth $4,000 was swept from
its moorings here yesterday.
All day immense quantities Of wheat and
timber hhoat passed In tangled mass.
Almost every farm in the valley of coun-
ties adjoining this has been swept clean OF
its products.
The Middle Island tic company lost Is, 900
ties last night, valued at Sl3, 800
a number Of trestleS and bridges on the
Columbus and Northern road. running into
the harbor on the Ohio side, are washed
away, and travel is indefinitely suspended.
The Zanesyillo and Ohio river road, which
had been just put into operation, is badly
washed out, and it will be several days be
fore travel can be resumed.
No train has como from the east on the
Baltimore and Ohio road since Monday
morning.
The town Of Salem is entirely under
water and the people have left their homes.
OVER 100000 IN LOSSES.
PITTsBUaG, PA, July 1.-The latest esti-
mates of the damage put the total loss at
over 81 900, 600.
Wheeling reports the damage in the
vip Of ~
than $250,000 and about Fairmount as much
more.
The loss at Brownsville is reported to be
over $3.50 and at Rowlesburg $l25, 900.
In this neighborhood it will exceed
100000, and it is not oxaggeratng to say
that with the above as fair estimate the
total will exceed 81 200, 900, as the flooded
district covers an area of fully $50 miles
At Mckeesport all the mills are closed
and hundreds are homeless and destitute.
The CHARTERS natural gas main, crossing the
river at that point, was broken during the
night and an immense pressure Of gas forced
into the air.
AN EXPLOSION
The watchman of the Pittsburg, McKees-
port and Youghiogheny railway crossed the
trestle at Salisbury short time after, and
his lantern ignited the gas, causing a tremen-
dous explosion. The watchman was fatally
flames we're extinguished before it was de-
stroyed.
Traffic has been almost suspended on the
Pittsburg, Virginia and Charleston road,
no trains running south of Peters Greek,
nineteen miles from here.
A Wheeling dispatch says the freshet was
the greatest ever known.
BEYOND COMPUTATION.
The destruction to property is beyond
computation, but enough is known to
warrant the declaration that most every
house and most of the fencing on all low
lands between at point and Clarksburg
on the west and as far at least as Grafton
on Valley river, have been swept away.
From early dawn until dark the Monon-
gahela continued to rise and during that
time the channel was full of houses, fences,
timber, saw logs, shocks of wheat. parts Of
bridges and other debris, denoting the
havoc Of the rushing water.
The water is now falling at the head
waters and the worst is over
Since midnight at Brownsville it had re-
ceded feet.
In this city there was % feet of water at
2 o'clock this afternoon and the water was
still rising.
THE WATER FAILING
PITTsBURG, July II, l0P. M.--At 6 o'clock
this evening the water was falling at oil
points and head waters Of the Monongahela
and no more damage from the fre5het is
apprehended. The highest point reached
here was twenty-three feet, and at o'clock
IL had fallen TO twenty-five feet.
At Jonesville, California and other towns
on the upper Monongahela there was three
feet more water than ever before
The current is still running at the rate Of
nine miles an hour, but the river is com
paratively free from debris. everything
having run out. In Grafton and that vicin-
ity the loss viii not fall far short of
$3.50 900 In addition to the washing away
of the little Kanawha bridge at Parkers-
burg, the food has done other severe havoc.
TRAINS STOPPED.
All Baltimore and Ohio trains are stopped
from the east. Two tunnels between
Parkersburg and Grafton are caved in.
The new GAINESVILLE and Ohio road is re-
ported to be badly damaged. The Ohio
River road was damaged to some extent
below Parkersburg. There is great loss of
crossties and timber destroyed. The de-
struction to property all along the Little
Kanawha river is greater than in 1884,