Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-05-04
GREAT LOSS BY FLOODS
Western Rivers Overlooking
Their Banks.
4 BIG OHIO RESERVOIR BURSTS

The Artificial Banks Gave Way Letting
Millions of Gallons Out to Flood the
Country 100000 Damage Done
Many Ohio Rivers Running yild--The
Mississippi Doing Great Damage.
ST PAUL, Mimi, May 4.-The Missis-
sippi continues to rise and has passed
above the danger line fourteen feet. At
Z o'clock the gauge showed the water to
be 14.2 feet above low water, and at 10
o'clock it had risen another tenth of a
foot. There seems to be no indication of
it's having reached the limit of the rise.
and more or less damage to property has
resulted.
The West St. Paul electric planC has
been compelled to suspend operations,
their building being now flooded. Hun
dreds of homes in the West Side and on
the lowlands above the city are under
water, and many families have lost all
their household effects.
Should the rise continue at the present
rate for another twenty fonr hours serious
results will follow. 1t is not expected,
however, that it will reach a point that
will endanger large property interests
Raging floods are reported from all
over the southern and central portion of
Ohio. The Scioto river at Chillicothe has
cut off every wagon exit from the city ex
cept one leading from the west. Below
Chillicothe the great valley IS one big lake
The Baltimore & Southwestern and the
Norfolk & Western railways have their
| tracks partially submerged. The river is
still rising rapidly. The damage to the
Ohio canal will be great 1t is feared that
Point Creek aqueduct will be washed
| away.
Circleville, O., reports great damage to
| the canal and the Scioto still rising. At
Dayton; O., the Big Miami is receding, and
there is prospect of a happy escape by
| that city. A bridge of the Big Miami ut
Miamitown. twenty-five miles west of Gin
| cinrati. was washed away.
Springfield, O., reports the bridges of
| the Ohio Southern washed away, but the
waters are receding.
Coshockton, o., reports damaging
| floods
GAINESVILLE reports the Moskingum dan
FindIay and Fremont, O., report dam
aging flools.
| LITTLE Rock, Ark, May 4.-The river
| at this place still continues to rise. Much
driftwood is coming down the stream.
Several large barns and outhouses have
| already gone down. Very little apprehen-
sion for the safety of the bridges is felt, as
they are all substantial ones. Reports
from Saline county say that all farms III
| Perkins township are overlooked and crops
are ruined. Back water is fast coming VI
in the vicinity of Woodson.
URBANA, O., May 1.-The Lewistowr
reservoir burst and turned an immense
| food of water upon the residents along its
course. A break 200 feet wide occurred
| and the water came rushing down in 8
food ten feet deep and three miles wide
completely submerging the country around
| and carrying everything in its wav.
The big covered bridge, $50 feet in length
| was swung completely around, and then
| torn loose and swept away. People fed in
| terror from their homes, while the swift
and rising food came on down the valley,
| taking everything before it.
The first town along the course of the
| food is Port jefferson, where the dam
| throws the water into the Miami canal
| portion of the town is very low; and III
WAS badly flooded. Quincy, Loyansvilfe,
Degraff, Piqua, Troy, and Dayton are also
| in the course Of the flood.
The artificial banks of the reservoir is
five miles around, and, most of the way
fully twenty feet above the land, and the
bottom of the reservoir is at least ten feet
above the country below. So far no loss
of life has been reported. The damage to
property is estimated at 81, 900, 900.