Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-07-26

Conductor Carroll, while the flood was a
its height, said to some CT them that HI
thought the danger was past, and, point
ing out the rear of the car, called their at
tention to the fact that the track was be
! ginning to appear-and it did, but it was
| floating, and when the water was gone
there was no track there.
Had this wonderful flood, which in a
very few moments converted very small
creek into a mighty river, rushing down
ward at terrific speed, occurred at night,
not soul would have escaped from the
dwellings that were swept off and crum-
bled to pieces in the twinkling of an eye.
Occurring at the supper hour, the men
were at home and assisted in getting their
families out of reach of the water.
THE NORTHERN ROAD.
The st. ClairSville and Northern Rail-
road was built by the town of st. Clairs-
vile, under authority of an act of the
Legislature, drafted after the law under
which the Cincinnati Southern was built.
1t was originally narrow gauge, three
and half miles long, built to open up
communication with the Cleveland, LO-
rain and Wheeling r. R. Soon after its
completion ION the night of June I, 1881, }
a storm similar in fury to that of Thurs
day night burst over the valley down
which the little road was built and COM
pletely destroyed it. Scarcely veStige
of the road was left, and drift was piled
up against trees twenty feet from the
ground. But little damage was then done
on the South side of town.
On this occasion the storm reversed the
order of things, but punished the North
ern much more than that of seven years
ago did the narrow gauge on the South.
Twelve bridges over the run were torn
out and washed away-ties and iron car
ried away, much of the latter so bent and
twisted that it will have to be run through
the rolls before it can again be used-and
the roadbed greatly damaged in many
places.
The chute at Taggart's coal works was
carried away, and other damage done at
that point.
The bridge over Wheeling Creek at the
Junction, a substantial and splendid one,
suffered no damage.
The storm caught the train for st. Clairs
vile at the Wheeling Creek Mines, and it
backed to Bridgeport, two miles below.
THE NATIONAL ROAD
Suffered severely between st. Clairsville
and the river. There were number of
small landslides, and at Brockunier's
place, in the valley, gully broke over the
road, piling sand and mud two feet deep
upon it. bitches badly need attention,
the water running down the road in a
number of places, and requiring immedi
ate attention. Every particle of dust was
washed off the hills, leaving the limestone
clean, and making driving on the hills
very disagreeable.
ALONG THE RIVER.
The Bellaire and Woodsfield narrow
gauge suffered none whatever, the storm
not extending South of Bellaire.
Indian Run, which empties into the
river at the Bellaire Nail Works, was
flooded similarly to the little streams
down which our railroads are built. Some
houses on it were swept away, and con-
siderable damage done in the city limits
of Bellaire.
Whisky Run, below West Wheeling,
was roaring torrent, carrying logs and
trees, and in its course sweeping away
the splendid stone bridge of the Cleve
land and Pittsburgh R. r. and the treStle
of the Cleveland, Lorain and Wheeling
r. R. The former was fine piece of
masonry, and it is said cost $4,000.
Glenn's Run, near Burlington, likewise
became roaring torrent, and swept into
the river everything within reach of its
waters. A very expensive county fridge
was the principal loss on the line of that
stream.
The Cleveland, Lorain and Wheeling
R. r. between Martins Ferry and Bellaire
was severely punished, and the Cleveland
and Pittsburgh road received further
damage than that at Whisky Run.
At Bridgeport many cellars were flood
ed, and several houses badly damaged by
the water or by battering rams it hurled
against them. William Giffin, Jas. Clay
land, and A ]. Baggs met severe losses.
On Moore's Run, below the town, three
dwellings were swept away and broken
and scattered in the flood.
Atthe Wheeling Creek Mines, two miles
West of Bridgeport, little run was so
swollen as to carry away the tipple and
flood many homes of the miners.
THE LOSSES IN THIS COUNTY
Will aggregate nearly 100000.
1t was more in the nature of a cloud
burst than of rainfall. The water fell in
masses, and in the street had the appear
ance of thousands of buckets full being
emptied simultaneously. After the storm
passed here it gathered itself for another
mighty effort, and heavier clouds, if pos
sible, were seen in the East.
Another heavy rain fell Monday night,
but did no damage, and the atmosphere
continues warm and moist.
ITS EXTENT AND CHARACTER.
At this point the storm covered mar
row space. A light rain fell at Louisville,
five miles West, and so at Fairpoint, four
miles Northwest. At Belmont, eight
miles Southwest, there was sprinkle
only East it extended through the Pan
handle of West Virginia to the Pennsyl-
vania line, and was somewhat wider in
the vicinity of the river.
HARRISON MAsSIE, a well known citi-
zen of this county, died at his home near
Powhatan on Saturday, after brief
sickness, from heart disease. He had been
in usual health until the day before his