The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-07-20
TEaR,eaE FLOODS.

Ssdden and Alarming Rice Ut the Moaon-
gahela River -BaFges Swept Away and
Other Property Destroyed.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. July 1.-The freshet in
The Monongahela river Is almost unpre-
denied and great damage has been done 10
the river craft and property all along the
river to the head waters. The suddenness
Of the rise took the river men entirely I'M
awares and they were not prepared when
the great volume Of water burst upon
them. Millions Of feet of lumber. scores "a
coal craft, fences. outhouses and coal tip
pies have been floating down the swift
current for the last eighteen hours.
The greatest damage to river craft &C.
CURED between 10 O'Clock this morning
and daybreak. Shortly before two O'Clock
. large number Of barges belonging to
jenkins & Co. came down the river from
the second pool and struck the Smithfield
street bridge, the huge berges
turning end over end and breasting the
towbcat Barnard in against the steamer
Jacobs. Every whistle on the river sounded
the alarm and as the livid rays of the elec-
trio lights swept from side to side across
the turbulent food il presented q Wild
sight. Logs. barges and fuel boats were
dashed against the piers Of the bridge and
snapped like twigs by the overwhelming
force Of the current. Half Of one of Jen-
kins' boats lodged against the bottom just
below the Smithfield street bridge and the
water dashed over il, throwing spray high
into the air, while the driftwood crushed
and cracked over the wreck with the
grinding noise which adds to the horrors
of food.
About fifteen minutes after the broken
barges came down . number of pieces Of
wrecka2e hoated past, in the middle Of
which a shanty boat was swept along with
. light on board. The river men shouted
and the whistles screamed to get an
answer from any person who might be on
the boat, but no one was on board unless
the owners were on board and asleep as
some of the river men thought. II so they
were swept down to inevitable destruction.
Later the steamer George Wood broke
her mornings above the Tenth street bridge
and came drifting down the river. but was
finally caught and towed to safe harbor.
The ropes that held the h alf-sunken Gin.
cinnati wharf boat. which the owners had
been struggling for twelve hours to save,
parted about this time and the lumber.
some craft was quickly swept away. A
few minutes later lot of O'Neirs barges
and twenty-six pieces belonging to Joseph
Walton & Co. were cut from their moor.
ings and carried down stream.
polish town." located along the bank Of
the Monongahela river between the foot Of
Twenty second and South Twenty-fourth
streets, was in sorry plight to-day.
There are nearly seventy five shanty boats
at that point occupied by over 80 families,
aggregating population Of more than so
people. All Of these, with the exception
of about a dozen families. camped
out last night. Early yesterday morn
ing the trouble began. All day men,
women and children were busy pump
ing water out of the boats and removing
theis goods to places of safety. By night
ten house boats had been sunk or capsized
down the river. The families who moved
out piled their goods along the Lake Erie
railroad and then the men did the best they
could to secure their shanties, while the
women watched their possessions by the
under pieces of furniture and slept on in
blissful ignorance of the flood and its in.
cumbent cares.
Williamsburg. Beck Run, portions Of
McKeesport, California, Monongahela
City, Bellevernon. Brownsville, Fayette
City and other towns along the river are
reported partly submerged this morning.
At 1879 O'Clock this morning word was
received that lock No. 4, located a short
distance above Monougahela City, had
been carried away by the strong current.