Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-07-21
BELMONT COUNTY.
A REVIEW.

BELMONT COUNTY.
A REVIEW.
The General Mischief Caused Between the
River and st. Clairsyille.
No man can form any adequate idea OF
the appearance of the valleys, small rayinss
and hcllows over in Belmont county un-
less he sees them. They are simply indes-
cribable. Where two days ago there was
a healthy field of corn in the finest black
loan soil, without stone or stick to mar
its appearance, there is now not vestige
of green remaining, and instead Of the
pleasant verdure, huge piles Of bculders,
logs, trees, and every imaginable kind OF
rubbish is seen. In substantial valleys
where there was substantial railways there
is not any more material to commence the
construction of one of those modern avenuss
Of trade than when the Indian hunter
crept through the low-hanging bows and
over the green sward. Down in Nc
Mahon's creek valley, where the Bellsire
and st. Clairsville locomotives sped their
way, the only sign Of railroad is here and
there STRAY crosstie or bent and bursted
rail. All the rest is gone; some parts
buried under banks of gravel and earth,
and some, perhaps, now floating in the
Ohio or sunk to the muddy bottom Of the
swollen stream.
REGIsTER man drove from this city
! to st. Evansville and from there down the
valleys through which the two railways;
the '.St. Evansville and Northern" and
the "Bellaire and ST. Clairsville" pass, or
rather passed about forty eight hours ago.
The first object of interest was an alley
in West Bridgeport, where the torrent came
down from Milton McConnsughey's coal
bank. Here, a huge stone had be-
come clogged, and the water poured ont
over the street, filling the lower story oil
large brick tenement house with gravel
and mud. The next was at Worley's
place. half mile further out, where a
small run had completely flooded garden
of Jacob Hess, running it entirely. Brock
unier's place and the pike for hundred
wards was covered with mud foot deep,
the tough yellow clay being mingled
with logs, sticks and stones,
till it becomes conglomerated
mass of the most disgusting rubbish,
which will require long time TO remove.
The reporter then arrived across the
creek to the small town of tenement houses
which has grown up about the Wheeling
creek mines The houses are all alike, all
built on one plan with the same number
of rooms, and the same in every particular,
even to the chimney pots Of terra Gotta.
Each house has the same allotment OF
ground apportioned in exactness by ci7ll
engineers measurement. Through this
little town of red houses from the hills
above swept, till the water was just eight
inches deep on every floor. The flood
broke through the railway tracks and let
three cars down into the rsvine that it had
washed. The tipple was damaged consid-
erably, and several sidings are rendered
useless by the undermining OF the water.
The entire village is q lake of shiny yell
low and black mud, from foot to eight
inches deep, and the inhabitants are wad-
ing about bare footed and bare legged and
bedabbled and spattered.
At Scott's NJ. f. church, q culvert be
came inadequate to the extra demand made
upon it, and the low lands in the vicinity
are Uttered with stones, logs and rubbish.
The church floor has about two inches OF
mud, and what was corn field nearby, is
now rocky desert. At John and Billy Pat
tsrson's places, similar state Of affairs exist,
and these two men will loose 81 coo on
growing crops, fences and out buildings.
Near Jerry Clemens Road House, several
fields of corn were submerged, and the crops
are entirely ruined. Thomas Williams, a
colored cobbler of shoes, who lives in that
vicinity, saw 8 calf come floating down
Wheeling creek with its fore feet on tim
Der and all its hinder parts in the water.
Ii came along Just rs Wheeling creek wss
at its highest, ard was sweeping the valley
from bank to bank, and pouring over the
low lands, and was filled with logs, sticks,
stones, hay and wheat stacks, etc. The
timber on which it floated came close to
the c., l.. 4 W. embsnkment, and the
young bovine aquatic wanderer let 90 aud
struck the shore. 1t clambered up the
hank in safety and stood on the track
whence williams rescued it. Yesterday 1t
WAS learned that 1t came from three miles
above, and was taken home by its owner.
At Pasco Station the crops suffered
some, but the creek kept in pretty decent
bounds. From there to Barton's Station
the c., L. L W. l. L tracks are badly
loosened by the dirt and slack ballast
I hottr he nm 10
is so we'll bolstered that there is no dan
ger. From Pasco to St Clairsyille along
the pike, the pike stones are in many
places washed almost entirely away, and
the road, usually very solid, is foil fgut-
tiers and piles Of pike stones. The solidity
of the pike only saved it from serious
damage, and as il is. it will cost the county
several thousand dollars to repair the
damage.
At ct. Evansville, member Of the firm
&c Trolls Sons" who own the road bed
and tracks of the Bellaire and ST. Clsirs-
vile railway, was met by the REGISTER
man. Mr.. Troll had Just returned from a
pedestrian tour over the entire length OF
his line, and gave very hurried account
of the work OF the storm.
His story is as follows; THE train
started from st. ClsirsSille Junction on
time, and was making good time. When
shout mile and half from the junction,
it met volume of water, filling the entire
valley to depth of from six to eight feet.
The locomotive fires were put out, and in a
minute, the entire train was
covered and completely surrounded
with logs, tree tops, wheat, corn, stones,
and every imaginable thing which is found
in the valley Of AcMahon's creek. The
railroad iron and ties from farther up
struck and bumped it, and scared the
fourteen passengers the train carried al
most to death. The drift lodged against
the front of the train formed q dam or
breskvater, which the weight Of the train,
imbedded in the stanes and logs, with
stood, and the wafer vac thrown ont
around the passenger coach so that it did
not enter the interior, but the logs and
stones humping up against the floor of the
car spread CONSERVATION among the pas
sengers till the conductor could hardly
restrain them from going out into the
food. To-day the scene is indescribsble.
There are no signs Of railway, and the
only piece OF track ont OF the entire
seven miles which remains in place is that
, ~oo,n;a3 nv the train The mad hsa IL