St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-05-04
FLOODS LET LOOSE.
An Immense Reservoir in
Logan County, Ohio,
Bursts It's Banks.
The Flood Was Ten Feet in
Depth and Three
Miles Wide.
People Fled in Terror From
Their Homes, Every.
body Escaping.
Thousands Of Acres Inun-
dated in the Lower
Seioto Valley.

URBANA, o., May 3.-The greatest
calamity that ever came to the people
in Logan ard Hardin counties was that
Of last night, when the Lewiston reSer-
voir broke and turned an immense flood
of water upon the residents along its
course. The break was in the north
east corner of the reservoir, where
waterway GO feet in length is located.
A break 200 feet wide occurred. and the
water came rushing down in a flood ten
feet deep and three miles wide, COM
pletely suDmerging the country around,
and carrying everything in its way.
The big covered bridge, $50 feet in
length, was swung completely around,
and then torn loose and swept away.
In the course of the flood the houses of
Jack Smith and William Devault. aud
large number of tenement houses and
squatterS and bachelors homes were sub
merged, though fortunately everybody
managed to escape from the danger,
People fled in terror from their homes,
while the swift and rushing food came
on down the valley, taking everything
before it. The first town along the
course of the flood Is Port jefferson,
where the dam throws the water into
the Miami canal. a portion of the town
is very low, and it was badly flooded.
Quincy, LOgansvilie, DeGratf. Piqua,
Troy and Dayton are also in the course
of the flood.
The artificial bank of the reservoir is
five miles around and most of the way
fully twenty feet above the land and
the bottom of the reservoir itself is at
least ten feet above the immediate coun-
try below. The water
Averaged Ten Feet Deep
over the whole reservoir, so some idea
can be imagined of the great volume
that came rushing down Oh the country
below. The Lewiston reservoir is
located five miles northeast of Hunts
Vile, Logan county, and contains $4,000
acres of water. Hundreds of families left
their homes and fled from the reach OF
the coming torrent. SO far no loss Of
life has been reported, but when the
floods SubSide it will likely be revealed
that more than one unfortunate per-
ished. The damage to property in Lo-
gan county alone is estimated at $50. 600.
Farmers will lose everything but their
land, and they will be financially
ruined The reservoir has spread into
a lake stretching in every direction out
of sight. The latest reports tonight
from the scene of the flood
are reassuring aud it is believed that
such progress been made as will pre-
vent further opening at the present
places, but the entire lower banks are
saturated and in a very dangerous
condition. Should further rains fall, no
human power can stay an awful cat
astrophe. kilograms have been sent
to the authorities at all threatened
points to prepare for the worst as well
as they hastily can and to hope for the
best The LeWiStoWn reservoir Is said
to be the second largest artificial body
of water in the world.
The SciOtO BOOms.
CHILICoTHE. o., May 3.-The Scioto
continues to rise. 1t has washed out
1900 feet of the Baltimore d Ohio
Northwestern east of the city. Trains
on the Dayton IL Ironton transfer pas
sengerS and mail by boats over an mum
dated break. In Scioto valley between
here and Waverly, $4,000 acres of
planted corn in the bottoms have been
overturned. Fully 10000 acres in the
L
| western tributaries of the Scioto, have
| been overlooked. All this will have to
| be plowed again and replanted.
At Circlevlle the SciotO is stationary
| at the highest stage ever known. The
| river cut into the bed of the canal at the
! two-mile level below ClrclevIIle, and
washed the bank of the canal away. A
| strong current set down the canal bed,
and. striking the locks at the foot of the
level, washed them out. These locks
have stood ever since 1880 Bottom
lands planted in corn on Big Darby
| and Walnut creeks, tributaries of the
Scioto, and on the Scioto between there
and Chilicothe have been deep under
water, and will all have to be re -plOwed
and re-planted. This means the inunda
ton of at least 10000 acres.
at Portsinouth-The Scioto still con-
tinues to put out strongly into the
swollen Ohio, but it's rise has fallen
from two inches TO one inch per hour.
The river at some points is over two
miles wide. In that (Scoto) county,
the main damage is the flooding of the
bottom farms that have just been
planted in corn, neceSSitating re-
planting. This loss will run
up into the thusauds. A large
amount of fencing has also been
swept away. The heaviest damage will
be sustained by Pike county and by the
n. Il w. railway. Near Hlgbee's the
largest iron bridge in Pike county was
swept away today. The N. Il w. rail
way reports the track badly damaged.
A number of small bridges across Bear
creek and other small streams have
been either destroyed or badly DAM
aged. The loss between this city and
Waverly will aggregate 100000.
Two Hundred Houses Flooded.
SPRINGFIELD, o., May 3.-The dam
age in this city and vicinity from the
flood will run up into the thousands.
Two hundred houses we're flooded on
the first floor and furniture ruined. The
greatest sufferer is the Ohio Southern
rail- DAD in its extension to Lima, which
it is now building. The grade is badly
damaged from here to fremont City.
ten miles, and in places the road en-
bankment is entirely washed away.
Two bridges are also gone. The total
loss in this vicinity will foot up $4,000.
The Ohio Stationary.
CINCINNATI, May 3.-The flood in the
Ohio at this point at midnight shows a
tendency to stop at forty-eight feet, ow-
ing TO the outpouring of the Scioto
river.