Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1888-07-12
CHEAT FBEsHEr.
The MOnOngRhela River Rises q root
sD HSur-PsOple seeking the Hills
for safety.

property all along the riVar from the
head waters TO this city. The sudden.
ness OF the rise took the river msn en-.
tirely unawRFes. and they were not pre-.
pared when the great volume OF water
burst upon them. Millions OF feet Of
lumber, scores Of coal craft, fences, out
houses and coal tipplos have been host-
Ing down the swift ourTent for the last
l8 hours. The river as this point Is
still rising, with 81 feet inches on the
marks a. 8 O'Clock, but 1t Is reported as
stationary, with 40 feet, at Greensboro,
. hundred miles above this oiEy.
At every point between Greensboro
aud Pittsburg the lowlands are under
water and the residents have been COM
pelled to live in the uppsr stories Of
their houses, and in some oAses 10 seek
the hills for safety. Many had not
time to remove their goods, as the
water rose At the rate OF a foot an hour,
and at Greensboro ~ feet Of Tito WAS
recorded In less than "a hours. The
damage 10 property cannot be estimated
at present, but It will reach away up
into the Thousands. A solitary barge,
which broke away yesterday, caused
over 5000 damage, and this Ia but one
little item, So far but one life has
been reported lost, that Of man named
George Gelter, who was struck by
parted cable and instantly killed. The
scene along the river front this morn
ing was one Of great excitement, The
banks were lined with people, watching
the debris as 1t WAS swept down the
swift current.
Occasionally floating boAt, barge or
tipple would strike one Of the piers OF
the Smithfleld street bridge, and with .
loud, grating sound sink from view.
Again, the helpless craft would pass
the bridges in safety and continue on
/ its Journey to Oinoinnati. The great
est damage to river crafts occurred
between 80 O'Clock this morning and
daylight,
Every whistle on the river sounded
the alarm, and as the rays Of the cleo
trio lights swept from side 10 side
across the turbulent food, 1t presented
. wild sight. Logs, barRes and fuel
boats we've dashed against the piers OF
the bridge and snapped like twiRs by
the Overwhelming force Of the current.
half Of one Of Jenkins' boats lodged
Isgainat the bottom just below TIE
Smithheld bridge, and the water dashed
over 1t, throwing spray high into the
cir, while the drtftWOod crushed and
cracked over the wreck with tho
grinding noise which adds to the hor-
rorB OF = food.
About 10 minutes after the barses
came down q number Of pieces Of
WFeokaRe floated past, in the middle OF
which d shanty boat WAS swept along
with light on board. The river men
shouted and the whistles screamed TO
get m answer from any psrsons who
might be on the boat, bat no reply came,
AnaA In hnnFh
aHlsBr, aa some OF the river men
thought, they wero swep5 down to In
evltable destruction.
From this Snithheld street bridge to .
considerable distance above the Balti
more and Ohio depot were Q numteE oi
boht.housss occupied By families. The
sudden riee Of the water found these
! loccu pants totally unprepAEed, and 8
J Roodly number Of the semi amphtbloui
Jewellers we're forced to make hBstJ
retreat TO dry land. The boat houses
that had their foundation on the wAter,
Ior in the mud, rode the freIhet In safety
and kept the ieet ard possesbionE Of tn
IOooupan'a dry, but thoEo which hSG
been pIOpped high above the sluggliel
Ia low water had every seam and oraoa
opened by the suH, and when th'
swiftly 4 wing water reached them II
rushed In ike voter through a elevs
land caused the occupants 70 fse TO
y their lives. They tumbled out bed 6
U chaire, children and babies in the 1t
m Ost confusion.
The wharf looks like tenement rev
on a general moving day. As tht
y waters encroachRd upon the banks, tb
household utensils were moved far.he
up towards the street, and since the fla
was so very rapid, o number OF removal
had to be made In a short tins. Wiaht
= a distance of 100 yards there wore n
less than thi teen little lots of moving
and by each OF them cat woman and
Few children.
Correct figures Of the loss cannot b
given at this time, but 1t 10 safe to esti
mate 1t o. $500 900, and II may reach
great deal more. The loss in this vi
, olnity 10 coal and river men willproba
bly exceed half that amount. The est
mates are Wild, and reach a5 high as
half million dollars.
About IL O'Clock saw mill, inolud
ing all machinery, passed down th
river. 1t wBs swept from Belle Vernon
Pa, sixty miles south OF this city, an,
was owned by Captain Cox, who value
1t at S7,C0p. Early this morning ma
I with q waEon and team Of horses AZ
2 ltbmpLGu 70 CfOaD bnB Oulu tiNGkI ucAO
! Saw MIL run, on fiat. Whom IN tn
middle OF the river he lost control 0
ths Cat, and 1t was OArtied down tn
stream, l. is not known whether th
man was rescued or not.
At McKseapoFt all the mills al
- Iolosed, and hundreds are homeless an
~ destitute. Tho OhArCierS natural ga
sr, main, crossing the river at that poln
- WAS broken during the night, and q
z immense pressure Of gas forced into tn
air. Mr.. knight, the wstohmsn OF th
"a eittsburg, MoReesport and Youghiol
J. heny Railroad, crossed the treBtle Q
SaltGburR q short time after and hl
lantern iRnited, the gas causing tIl
" mendpus explosion. Knight was fatal
~ burned and the bridge set on FIRE, bu
, the flames were extlnguished bsf1Ee
WAS destroyed.
Traffic has been almost Suspended O
the PltIsbuTg, Virginia snd Charitsto
road, no trains running south Of Peter
IA loGeak, 10 miles from bore.
A Wheeling despatoh says the fresh
"A wns the creates ever known.
n The destruction TO property is beg on
computAtlcn, bus enough Is known
warrant the declaration that near
every house and most OF the fencing q
all loYlAnds between that point an
n OlHrkBburg on the west, and as fer
/ least as Grafton on the Valley rive
>" have been swept away. From earl
dawn until dark the MonongShela COZ
"A tiuusd to rise, and during that time u
. IohAunei was oomp pletely flied VII
houses, fencing, timber, logs, shocks
wheBt, parts of bridges and other de