Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-10-13
ANOTHER DELUGE.
WHEELING VISITED By 0Ss OF TEE HEAVIEST
RAINS on RECORD.
Great Deal Il Damage Throughout the City and
Surrounding Tsrritory-Caldwells Run
and tao Creek On a Higb.
Wheellag IS rapLdIy aequIrIng a na-


Wheeling is rapidly acquiring a ma
tionai reputation for big rain storms.
Last evening this locality was visited
by downpour about equal to the cele-
brated deluge which carried out the old
stone bridge and drowned number OF
people in the valley on Caldwell's run,
in July. ISIS. The result was a very
considerable amount of damage, and
more Inconvenience, to a large pro-
portion of the population Of the city
proper, while in the surrounding coun-
Try, when all reports are in, it will be
found that the aggregate loss is very
large.
Briefly, Caldwelrs ran out with ire
mcudous force, carrying away three
bridges and breaking the water mains,
the city gas main and the natural gas
main, thereby shutting off those neces-
sarics from the people of the Eighth
ward: 80 least one bridge, and probably
two. were carried away on the line of
the r.. * O. at Tridelphia; there was
/ bad washout at Bcnw0od, and the other
railroads suffered proportionatcly, while
private citizens had their cellars, and in
some instances residences, Hooded, and
| the streets were turned first into raging
/ torrents. aud afterwards were beds of
srmi-liquid slime, covered with piles OF
earth, or strcwu withrOck and boulders.
That no loss OF lie occurred, was
proy.dcutial.
The rain which fell at intervals dur
| ing Saturday night, continued during
most of Yesterday morning. and along
during the early part of the afternoon
there was prolonged struggle between
the clouds and the Sun, as to which
should prcpoudorate for the rest of the
| day. Showers Of greater or less severity
were intcrSperSed with brief periods OF
\ clearing weather, and about four
O'Clock /. seemed as though the rains
were over. This, however, proved TO
/ De but the lull before the storm. About
lhalf-past four IL began TO cloud
/ up in the west, and at 4 quarter past
/ 1--WE the whole heavens had taken ON
peculiar dirty orange color, while the
Iatmosnhcre seemed 10 be saturated with
| water. About twenty minutes To SIX
! the storm broke, and for the succeed
| ing three quarters OF an hour the rain
/ fell in sheets. while q gale dashed the
water against the houses and sent 1t
living through the streets from about
every point OF the compass in turn At
times the wind approached the danger
/ point, and many people were apprehen-
| siye that the storm would cUminatc in
a tornado.
In maryelouSly short time the streets
| throughout the city We're turned into
creeks. and in many places not only was
! rho space between the curbS fully Occu-
Died bv the water. but both sidewalks
were covered. the water flowing in
solid body from house 10 house. This
WAS notably the case ON Market street
/ between Twelfth aud Sixteenth, on
| Twelfth. II Seventeenth and Jacob, AT
Sixteenth aud Main, and NJ various
points ON the South Side. On Main
street the water, INSTRUCTED by the
| long lines Of sewer pipe standing on the
street. broke over the pavement on the
south side, and tore through the la
| dies entrance of the Mcclure House,
completely hooding the apartment. and
rnnning ont into the Office UNI
Itl there was an inch or TWO
/ Of semi-lipuid mud over the whole in
terror. and the water was running out
| through the main entrance. All along
Market street. from the Mcclure House
south % Sixteenth, the sidewalks were
covered, and water ran into great
many cellars. while large quantities OF
debris from ne Hill side were left IN
| thc street Vhe same thing IS true oi
Twelfth street. where the sever pipe,
and the mass of earth from the new
sewer excavation, damned up the water
at Main and Twelfth, causing 1t 10 run
into the basement OF the Peoples bank
building. damaging goods belonging 20
Henry Jacobs. McLsuyhlin'S cellar was
also Hooded. Down about sixteenth
and Main streets there was the same
old trouble. water running into the
Easements in that vicinity, and also
in,o Eros livery stable. AT stanton "
Davenport'S. poliOck'S mill, McLain
Bros. and a number of other places the
water invaded the promises, doing more
or less damage.
At Caldwelrs run the storm was only
surpassed by the memorable Hood OF
July. issS. aud number of people came
very near losing their lives. Along up
the run the families who suffered by the
Hood two years ago fled from their
homes as soon rs the water began r!s-
ing. and to this prccaution some are I'M
doubtcdlv indebted for their lives. As
10 was there was uncertainty foran hour
or So after the storm subsidized, as to
whether or not all had been saved.
The water come down the valley In tre-
mcndous volume. carrying pretty much
everything before it. About six o'clock
the bridge nj the cement works, oppO-
site the old flour mill, gave way and was
carried with great force against the
bridge about one hundred yards below.
This was IN tarn carried OF, making Il
tremendous crash as 10 went and break
ing the natural Gas pipe, which crosses
the run at that point. The heavy
temporary bridge used by Paige, Carey
* Co. lust east of EoG street. was also
carried cn. and the timherS, or p0r-
ton of them. lodged down near the
.Chapline street bridge. Six houses
owned by Mr.. W. Bowman, and the
house occupied by Fred Miller, all on
the south side OF the run. east of Me
Culloch street, were flooded to depth
OF two or three feet, while Mrs. Hob
mans house. tie scene Of 81 many mis-
fortunes. was moved off its foundation,
and large holes knocked in its end by
heavy drift. There l. a pile OF drift
wood ten feet high against the east side
of the house, and the wonder is that the
entire structure was not carried off.
At the EoiT street bridge the water
swept clear over the level of the street,
as is evidenced by a deposit of slime two
or three inches thick. The street is
undermined for a. long distance, on the
east side. and i'm places the brick pave
mcnt has cavcd ia for width Of ten
feet. The excavation for the straight
cniug Of the run is greatly damaged, As
we'll as the adjacent street, and the con
tractors. Paige, Carey u Co, will suffer
considerable loss. The city water main
and the Illuminating gas main at this