Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-18
THE SWOLLEN STREAMS.
Wheeling Cut or From the world--Damage
by the Fioods.

| Hnc 8reNseet uoou In many years II expected
at Wheeling, W. Va Reports from all sections
Of the state indicate unusually heavy rains and
the streams ars rising rapidly. All the rail.
| roads entering the city are blocked by land.
| slides, and communication 10 almost entirely
cut of in every direction.
The Susqaehanna river at Harrisburg, Pa,
| IL rising, but has not yet reached the proper
lions Of a serious food. The great volume OF
| water from the north has not yet reached the
| city. Reports from the JuniAta valley are to
the effect that the streams are very high. The
Juniata river is seventeen feet high at New
port and the people are alarmed.
Three inches OF rain has fallen within the
last forty hours and flooded Freeport, Pa. and
| the surrounding country. At noon water was
two and q half feet in the streets and rising ut
the rate Of six inches an hour. People began
moving to their second stories.
The foughiogheny river at o'clock yester-
day afternoon at West Newton had reached the
highest point since August 1884. One track Of
| the Baltimore and Ohio railway is passab.s, but
the other is buried under twenty Ave feet of
water in places Passengers on the Pittsburg,
Mckeesport and Youghiogheny railroad are be-
ing transported around the landslide at Cedar
creek.
The river is at higher stage at Rochester,
Pa, than since the flood Of 1884. The residents
OF Water street are moving as rapidly as posi-
pie. Al West Bridgewatcr the Beaver river ia
backed up by the Ohio and the whole lower.
portion Of the town Ia threatened with overflow.
RAINS AT cLEABrIELD.
A special from Clarified says: For forty
eight hours warm rains have fallen and though
the river is but four feet lower than the men,
orable food Of June /. 1899. in many respects
the damage caused by this food will exceed
that OF two years ago. That food caused great
loss by carrying away nearly all the bridges,
but then our lumbermen had marketed ali
their lumber and none was left on the
banks OF the streams to be carried away.
The flood of today found all the timber
and logs in the county piled upon the river
bank ready to be RATED. As early as midnight
last night thousands of dollars worth of timber
and logs broke away and went down the river.
All day the river has been filled with lumber
No boom has yet been hung at either Lock
Haven or Williamsport and this timber cannot
be secured before it reaches Chesapeake bay.
This Hood will badly cripple many Of our lum-
Dermen. as they have invested all their money
IN the products Of their winters work. Many
OF our citizens have moved out of their houses
and are preparing for higher water
People are becoming very much alarmed at
the prospects OF serious floods at Greensburg,
"a, and are making preparations to move at
any moment. West Lathrop is partly SUBJ
merged, the second and third stories of many
OF the buildings along the creek being flooded,
and 1t Is feared that many Of the buildings will
be swept away.
The same condition of affairs prevails at
Crabtree and other places. Bridges, fences,
haystacks, &c., in every direction have been
carried away. :.
The Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers
are both over their banks and rising at the
rate IA OF 4, hve inches per hour at McKeesport.
The W: d: Wood Iron Works, the National
Roiiing Mill and the Sterling Steel Works are
submerged. Much damage has been done in
the lower part OF the city and many families
are compelled to abandon their homes.
Rain has fallen at Huntington: in torrents for
thlrty-slx hours and the Juniata river 10 nearly
mile wide. The city is cut of from OUTLYING
districts except the billy region to the north
citizens OF Portstown and Smithfield have
been compelled to vacate their homes, and
many Of the country bridges have been swept
away The loss will be very heavy.
The river at Williamsport was not rising 90
last last night. At IL o'clock it had reached
nearly nineteen feet. Much less uneasiness
prevailed ~ result Of the reports from above
tnat the water was about on a standstill.
Extra vigilance was observed. The mayor in
structed the fire department to sound q gen.
erai alarm in case tire river overfows the banks.
Later reports in relation to the escaping logs
on Pine creek announce that they were caught
IN Doom further down the stream. Trains
on the Beech Creek railroad were behind time
considerably today, having encountered much
waite, along the narrows Of Moshannoe and
Beech creeks.
THRorGHoUr OHIO.
At noon yesterday at Steubenvilie, Ohio, the
gauge showed 81 feet in the river channel, with
the water rising at the rate of one foot an hour.
Traffic on the Wheeling and Lake Erie was
suspended between Steubenville and Powers
ton and on the Pittsburgh, Shreveport and
ioughiogheny railroad between Steubenville
and Wheeling, and the Cumberland branch of
II AZ N