Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-07-21
DISASTER.
IOOatiaued from First Pass.J

leaving here last night is standing about a
hundred yards from the station. The
people stayed in the cars all night, with
the water mp to the wheels. The railroad
bridges are all gone, from Elm Grove up
IS TAR As know. The turnpike bridges
are all gone, IS far as MeGraw's run. At
my house the escape from Q washout was
rather narrow, Half an inch more and al
the rooms on the lower floor would have
been covered. IL jGst came up even with
door-sill, and the wash Of the waves threw
the water across the hall to the back door.
As illustrating how fast the water rose, 1
will tell you how / got my family ont Of
the house. Mrs. Jones kept saying the
water was coming into the house. and at
last / went out and took q look at it
saw that il was much higher than had
ever known il before, and was still coming
up, and going back TO my wife said,
Hildreth's, with the water about halt way
up the calf Of my leg. When / went back
for my wife it was several inches higher.
/ then made trip with the nurse, with
the water over my knees, and lastly, when
/ took the cook over, the water was well
MP on my thighs. made two more trips
after that, one for the COW and the other
for my horse, and the last time the water
was up to my waist That will illustrate
pretty forcibly how fast the current came
up. But it went down equally fast. My
family was afraid TO 20 back to the house,
but l went over and slept there all night
No one can give an adequate description Of
the general wreck and ruin. Every body
lost something, and good many about al
they possessed"
NIR- ]. W. ROBINSON,
who resides near ROney's Point postofiee
says: In the upper end Of Trisdelphis
district, where live, lost all my wheai
in stack, amounting TO 265 dozen, one
mile and q half of paling and board
fencing, and i think that $500 will not
cover my losses.
Three neighboring families named Nc
Connall, lost nearly all their corn and al
their fencing in the valley OF Middle
Wheeling creek. The losses of the thre'
families will aggregate 81, 600.
"My father is now over seventy year,
old, and neither he nor any of the old resi-
dents of the locality ever witnessed such q
calamity. The creek was much highel
than ever known before. And whilst
have given only statements of the Losses
Of my immediate neighbors, which thinl
are not oyerestimated, feel satisfied tha
the balance Of the residents of that valley
have suffered as greatly in los Of property
as those ! have named. There is not 1
bridge left from Kimmins' mill TO the head
Of the creek. Near West Alexander ont
bridge on Robinson's farm, 81 feet sboy,
the water, was carried away, abutment
and all. The public roads are in terri6l,
condition from loss Of bridges and WISH
outs, and cannot be repaired for trave
short of six weeks. There are four bridge
washed away, two open bridges and ~,
covered bridges, and 10 replace them ant
repair the roads on Middle Wheeling ereel
viii, 1 think, cost 5000 or perhap
more.
AT Valley Grove, on Little Wheeling
creek, Mr.. Chesser lost his house, content
and everything he had, his family barely
escaping with their lives.
Mr. Fsrrow lost his stable and Its con
tents, the value of which do not know.