Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-08-01
TERRIBLE CLoUD-BURST.
DESTRUCTION BY WATERS IN THB
KANAwHA VALLEY.

An Unprecedented Rise OF Waters In
Parts Of West Virginia and Ohio--Wide-
spread Loss of Life and Property by the
Raging Streams.
A Parkersburg CIV. Va.) dispatch says.
The storm along the valley OF the Little
Kanawha was one OF terrible violence, and
the rush OF water down the channel of the
river and over the lowlands bord ering 10
was unprecedented in its suddenress md
about as large in volume as ever before
known. 1t is feared drownings have been
numerous in the narrow valleys upstream
along the tributaries of the river. The
st orm extended across the Ohio, and rail-
road washouts, wrecked bridges and ruined
crops are reported over large area In
Ohio. The storm burst about midnight,
and by 3 o'clock in the morning the river
had jumped up twenty feet, and at day
light the scene presented along the channel
in front OF this city was an alarming one.
The entire surface of the stream was
covered with tangled mass of logs, barns,
fragments OF houses, and RATS OF valuable
timber
About o'clock Mrs. Isaiah Tucker went
to the door of her boat house opposite this
city to view the wreck covered river. AS
she stepped upon the deck huge raft of
logs struck the loaf and she was tossed
into the water and never rose. She left a
family of five children in the boat, who
were saved. Another shanty boat said to
contain three women, passed the city about
daylight. A short distance below it was
overturned and all were drowned.
The Ohio River railroad is broken at
II D.lk O. -
Kanawha Station, and the Cincinnati,
Washington a. Baltimore at Londonderry.
Many luml or firms have lost about all
their summer cut of logs, and thousands OF
acres Of crops are totally destroyed. De-
tails of losses are constantly coming in and
the aggregate damage will exceed $780,
600.
Above the destruction was still greater.
Big Tygart valley is completely ruined.
The big mill near its mouth went out and
took the Tygart brioge with it. In the
valley all the fences, crops, and live stock
were lost. At Chesterville, a small town
about ten miles above, half the residences
were carried Off bodily and left in corn
fields. In Clay district fine church and
three dwell lings were wrecked.
About noon information was received
that the steamer Oneida had been wrecked
and sunk at Enterprise, above. Still later
a report came that the steamer s. G. Mar
tin was sunk at Burning Springs. The
Little Tygart is also reported completely
ruinsd. Hsathsrington's store, Capt
Spencer's residence, G. p. Cooper's resi-
dence, and that Of J. w. Smith are com.
pletely demolished, but no lives are re-
ported lost as yet.
The worst story of all comes from Nor
ristown, small village near the head OF
Tucker creek, where the cloud burst con-
centrated in all its fury, coming down on
the village and totally destroying it, to-
gether with many of its people. The first
report gave the loss of life at eleven, but
later news seems to fix the loss at a
greater number. The houses of the citizens
are said to have been picked up and
hurled against each other in such short
space Of time that no chance to oscar pc was
given the people. Among those lost at
Morristown are Jake Kiger, his brothers
Joseph and Thomas, a man named Bailey,
Orville West, wife, and child. Tlrs body
of a man believed to be another Norris
town victim was found ON tho Richardson
farm.
At Pill Brush all bridges and culverts
are washed away and it is impossible to
reach or communicate with that point, or
any OJner on upper waters. III is lmpOS-
sible now 10 enumerate the loss even here,
as the river is still rising and tearing
everything loose.
A family boat containing three or four
persons went out during the night, and it
is believed all are lost, as last seen of them
was when woman held up a child in her
arms and beckoned for assistance as the
house disappeared in the flood.
LATER-A freight tram on the Ohio
River railroad broke through trestle at
Harris Ferry, completely wrecking the
train and fatally injuring William Nep-
tune, an employe. The wreck was caused
by heavy washout. The Baltimore 81
Ohio train, delayed by washouts at Kan
awha station, has just boon reported.
Lock No. | above the city on the Little
Kanawha has given way before the flood.
Advicss from Ohio show that heavy rains
fell in many places. A cloud-burst is re-
ported at Lancaster, which caused big
washout on the Columbus, Hooking Valley
& Toledo railway. At Logan, Ohio, heavy
rain caused much damage to crops Light
ming struck house in the little village of
Georgesville, in Franklin county, and set
it on fire and burned half the town. At
Marysville, Ohio, great damage was done.
Lightning struck the electric-light works,
ruined a dynamo, and put out the lights Of