Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-06-07

of wheat: Mr.. George w. Osbourn and
Mrs. Bowers lost grass and wheat.
Mr. l.. w. Poffenberger's island in
the Potomac. about three miles be-
low town, which was farmed by
William Cook, had the house, stable
and every building upon it swept
away, and the splendid stretch OF
growing wheat was utterly ruined.
Considerable drift lodged on the
end of the island.
Mr.. David Billmyer had about 500
bushels of corn in his warehouse at
the bridge A big force of hands was
put to work Saturday morning and
they soon had the corn on the top
floor, where it was safe.
1t is said that three men were
drowned at Harper's Ferry, having
floated down the river on the roof of
a house. We were unable TO obtain
satisfactory proof of the occurrence,
and doubt its truthfulness.
High " alter mark is exactly on a
level with the window stills of the
main room of the paper mill.
The big sycamore tree at the lift
lock was knocked flat by canal boat
that struck it.
Joseph Creager, of Leiterstown,
was dro wned in Antietam creek, and
all unknown colored man was drowned
in the Potomac at Cumberland.
One of the greatest deprivations OF
the flood here was the cutting off OF
mails and newspapers. No mail was
obtained from Friday until Monday
evening, and until Tuesday daily
newspapers were distressingly scarce.
Z. EXCITING TIMES ON FROG ISLAND"
The people living in thatpart of the
town classically known as Frog Is
land" near the railroad station, had
some very exciting experiences. Fri
day nights rain overlooked the filled
up streams up the country, and by
midnight Princess street was raging
torrent. The water was not only
from curb to curb, but from house to
house. Those who had gone to bed
woke up in the night to hear the rush
ing Of the waters, and then there was
u hurrying to and fro to save the
chickens, to take up the carpets, and
to put household goods in places OF
safety. The residents were excited,
sure enough, and no time was wasted
i'm making toilets. The basement of
Mr.. Schoppert's house was filled with
water up to the top, and at Mrs. Hoif-
mans the water ran out of the front
cellar windows into the street. All
the cellars in that locality were mum
dated, the water also entering the
lower floors of some of the houses. AS
for the gardens, well, no one can
blame the women for just sitting down
and crying when they saw the devas-
tation.' All the gardens in the neigh
borhood were under water, and the
early vegetables that a day before
were looking so fine were covered with
mud. The cellars of a number of
houses in other parts of the town
were likewise filled with water. Prin-
cess and Mill streets were very badly
washed by the water that ran down
them like rivers, and will require q
considerable amount of repairing.
AT HARPER's FERRY.
Harper's Ferry, which generally
gets full benefit of floods in both the
Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, was
under water deeper than ever before.
By actual measurement the river was
feet 81 inches higher than at any
previous time. The wooden bridge
across the Shenandoah river was
swept away, except one span on the
West Virginia side. Great interest
was centered in the costly iron bridge
of the Baltimore 81 Ohio Railroad
across the Potomac. Nine locomo-
tives were placed upon it to give it
additional weight, and with their
help the splendid structure stood the
many shocks to which it was subject
ed with very little loss. When the
Shepherdstown bridge struck it 1t
trembled, but the timbers of the for
mer were smashed and the drift went
under. Water was three feet deep in
the bridge, and it was a lucky escape.
The trestle work of the railroad both
along the Potomac and Shenandoah
was knocked out of line and warped
and twisted badly. The main street
of Harper's Ferry was a raging river.
The water was about ten feet deep
and the current very swift. All the
stores along the street were submerg-
ed and the goods ruined. The store
of A. Spencer, on the Maryland side
of the river, was carried away with all
its contents-loss of $4,000. Among
other persons who lost by the flood
were James McGraw, H. V. Daniels,
T. NJ. Conner, j. G.. Childs, r. Cava-
lier. Charles Drew, Thomas Burley,
George McGlincy, Joseph Myers,
Geo. w. Green, John Doll, j. q.
Hurst, Daniel Hood, Il. A. Kirwan,
Albert Bussard, I. w. Beall, NJ. Walsh,
Mrs. S. \. Graham, c. j. Cavalier, G.
b. Wentzell, James Conway, Moses
Fine, Thomas Jones, 7. NJ. Conner,
and others. Some of these lost heav
lily, but the amounts given in the daily
papers on Tuesday were exaggerated.
At Island Park every building was
swept away, the water completely
covering the island. Five spans of
the bridge were lost and three saved.
The two pulp mills stood firm, but
lost large quantities Of logs and stock