The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1888-07-20
THE DESTRUCTION BEYOND COMPUTATION

OAAs hSSSA SA LINN " iiiato
meeting.
THE DESTRUCTION BEYOND COMPUTATION
Il Rise in q Pennsylvania RiUer PrOUei
Very Disastrous.
PITTsBU~ July 1.-THE freshet in the
Monongahel.r river is almost unprecedented,
and great damage has been done to tn.
river craft and property all along the river
from the head waters to this city. Millions
of feet of lumber, scores of coal craft
fences, outhouses and coal tipples have
been floating Town the swift current for thu
last eighteen hours. At every point be
tween Greensboro and Pittsburg, the low
lands are under water and the resident,
have been compelled to live in the upper
stories of their houses, and in some casei
seek the hills for safety. Many had moi
time to remove their goods, as the water
rose at the rate of a foot an hour, and al
Greensboro, thirty-two feet of rise
was recorded in less than twenty.
four hours. The damage to property will
reach up into thousands. So faI
but one life has been reported lost, that of
a man who was struck by a parted cable.
The scene along the river front this morn
ing was one of great excitement. The
banks were lined with people watching the
debris as it was swept down the swift cur
rent. The greatest damage to river craft
occurred shortly before 2 o'clock this morn
idg, when a large number OF barges came
lnun tho rivAr and strnpE tho Sn,ithHalH
street bridge, the huge barges turning over
end and breasting the tow boat Barnard in
against the steamer Jacobs. Every whistle
on the river sounded the alarm, and as the
rays of the electric lights swept from side
to side across the turbulent flood, it pre-
sented a wild sight. Logs, barges and fuel
boats were dashed against the piers
of the bridge and snapped like
of the current. Half of one
of the boats lodged just below the bridge,
and the water dashed over it, throwing
the spray high into the air, while driftwood
crushed and cracked over the wreck with
a grinding noise which added to the hor-
rors of the flood.
About fifteen minutes after the broken
barges came down a number of pieces of
"lSShsh hooSSti l0oS III AK SAu IA q
shsnty boat which was smashed along with
a light on board. River men shouted and
whistles screamed to get an answer, but no
reply came, and if the owners were on
board and asleep, as some Of the river men
thought, they were swept down to %inevita-
bic destruction. Shortly after a lot of
O'NeilI's barges and twenty-six pieces be-
longing to Joseph WALTON & Co., were cut
fron, tho n,porinn on6 porrioH HoUn tho
river.
Polishtown, located along the bank Of
the Monongahela river, was in a sorry
plight to-day. There are nearly seventy
i've shanty boats, occupied by over one
ten had already been sunk or capsized and
several carried down stream. Most Of
them were compelled to move their goods
hest 10 save their shantles. Women, with
their children, watched their possessions
by the light of wood fires.
At 1880 this morning word was received
that Lock No. 4, located a short distance
away by the strong current. The loss
from this will be very hes W.
Reports from other towns along the
llStI SlON khO S6uNC Stat VI audllSt lAO
water in some places being over the first
floor of houses. Great difficulty is also e1-
perienced in running trains, IS the tracks
in many places are under water. The sud-
den rise is believed to have been caused by
a cloud-burst, which covered q large sec
ton of southern Pennsylvania and western
Virginia.
The latest estimate of damage puts the
-. - -,.u ,1fo- I1I1a-r NEl,1--
reports the damage in the vicinity of Graf
toe, w. Va, at not less than $3.50, 000,
and about Paramount at about as much
more. tt loss at Brownsville, Pa, is re-
ported to be over $l25, 900; at Rowlesburg,
w. Va, $685. 00. In this neighborhood it
will exceed 800, 600, and it is not exag-
g%erating to say that with the above as a
fair estimate the total will exceed amillion
as the flooded district covers an
area of fully $50 miles. At McKeesport all
the mills are closed down and hundreds are
homeless and destitute. The Charlie nat
uraI gas main, crossing the river at the
point was broken during the night, and
immense pressure of gas forced
into the air. Mr.. Knight, watch
man of the Pittsburg, McKeesport &
Y~ouwghney railroad crossed the trestle
at Salisbury a short time after and his lam
tern ignited the gas, causing a tremendous
explosion. Knight WAS fatally burned and
the bridge caught Gre but the flames were
before it was destroyed.
has been almost suspended on the
Pittsburg, Virginia & Charleston road, no
trains running south OF Peters Creek, nine
teen miles from here. A Wheeling dis
patch says the freshet was the greatest ever
The destruction of property is beyond
computation, but enough is ascertained to
the declaration that nearly every
house and most of the fencing on all the
between that point and Clarks-
burg on tho west, and as far at least as
on the Valley river has boon swept
away. The water is now falling at the
and the worst is perhaps over.
Wants Pay for the Wedding Dinner.
CoRYDoN, Ind, July l5.-A novel suit
lss been instituted at Leavennortb, in
which Peter Grant is plaintiff and Harve
is defendant. Goodson was en-
aged to be married to Grants daughter,
nd at Goodson's request Grant had
"big" dinner prepared and In
TIED the whole neighborhood
o the marriage feast. The guests assem-
lied at the appointed time, but Goodson
allied to make his appearance. He had
led the country, but left behind q yoke of
ken which had been levied upon by
rant to recompense him for the expense of
he dinner, which is placed at $40. The
Caps have rendered Mr.. Grant
heir services, and will give Goodson .
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