Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-23

Damage and Distress Caused By Fiesas In
the West.

the West.
Low LANDS IN ONO AND WEST yrpainA COVERED
w1rn wATRa-PRorLs DarvxS Fson ruErR
noHEs-A FIRE DnEAKs eur-DnAvs weak or
TEE FIRRMEs.
Ats o'clock last night the Ohio river ct Gin
cinnati stood ffty-four feet four inches abovs
low water and was rising one inch an hour.
Business men Of Cincinnati ere preparing for .
riss Of not ovcr ffty-six feet and six inches
from the present food. n b expected that the
maximum stage will be reached by o'clock
tonight and that then the river will remain
stationary till 8 o'clock Tuesday night when IL
viii begin TO fall.
FLOODED BY TIE xANAwRA.
Riverside, beautiful suburb Of Parkersburg.
containing about thousand inhabitants, was
overlooked by the Kanavha river Several
houses have been swept down the river and
others have toppled over. but many are still
standing and battling nobly with the swift tor
soap factories, foundries, machine shops
stores, coal yards and other business places
were either entirely buried beneath the waters
or deeply submerged The losses will BE- very
heavy. Tho people abandoned their homes
and took refuge in the court house. churches
and other public buildings in carer quartsrs Of
the town.
Several narrow escapes from drowning are
reported. but no Lives have yet been lost. In
some sections On the other side of the kanawha
tho hilltops were thronged by people who were
driven from their homes. A great many people
are, despite the efforts to relieve them, actually
suffering from lack Of food and fuel. In many
cases persons were driven from their homes
during the night and were compelled to leave
their clothes behind.
LOSSES IN PARK.RsBrRa.
No Dc~ r%x, a. ID, IN -
enormous, as there is scarcely bushes, house
or factory that is not more or less submerged
and many families have lost their all. From
the top Of Fort Bremen there is not ali acre Of
land to be seen within radius Of six miles.
The water is receding at last. giving the people
needed relief. With tine exception Of the flood
Of February, 1884, when the waters reached
height of "a feet 2 inches, the present food is
tine highest for sixty years.
The historic Blennerhassett Island. for years
a famous summer resort, is almost entirely
submerged, the branches OF the tall trees being
alone visible The dancing hall, bowling
alleys, &C.. are floating in the Kanawhs. The
hills and the entire valley is inundated. I'm
mense suffering is experienced there and many
families spent the night on the hii1tops in the
drenching rain.
Every Imaginable kind of water craft is in de-
mand. People go in canoes in and out Of the
streets and alleys; peeping into the second sto-
ries OF once comfortable homes and padding
over the roofs of submerged cottages. In most
OF these homes no occupants are foGnd. At
the Buckingham and Central Hotels meals are
served on the second floor and at the Blenner
hassett all the fires are out.
FIRE BREAKS OUT.
A fire broke out in the downtown flooded
district Friday evening. An immense ware
house belonging to the Smith Hardware Com
L. q 4
merged. A number of adjoining residences
were also burned down. The Second National
Bank, the Parkersburg National Bank, Judge
Jackson's residence and other business prop
erty had narrow escapes. The fremen could
not fight the fire owing to the aood. 1t was
finally controlled late at night Firemen stood
for hours in water waist deep putting out the
flames and remained at their posts all night
drenched to the skin. to prevent any further
breaking out of the fire.
After a fall Of five inches the rivers rose again
Saturday to almost their former height, but
they are now falling slowly.
GUARDING THEIR HOMES.
Steamboats, plying up and down the rivers
cause great waves to rush to the shore, sweep
away valuable property and wash houses from
their foundations and send the waves into the
sleeping apartments of the distressed and mis-
erable. So angry did the inhabitants of Mounds
vile become at the outrage that the passing
boats were fired at, and men stand ut their win
dows with revolvers drawn when the steamboats,
are in sight.
From down the river came q courier who said
the Ohio was three miles wide for $50 miles
down. All The low towns on both sides are I'M
der water, and in many places buildings are en-
tirely out OF sight. The loss in the Ohio valley
will be much greater than in 1884.
Marietta and Harmar are entirely cut of
from the world. Not train enters or leaves
the town. There has been no communication
with these places for thirty-six hours. A courier
overland says the entire business portion and
hundreds Of residences are submerged. All
the banks are under water and business is en-
tirely suspended.
In Belpre, just across the Ohio, the river has
taken possession Of the town and the people
have fed to the hills. The suffering there is
very great.