Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-07-23

Parkersburg, W. Va, July 22.-Ihe
storm early this morning on the line Of
the Baltimore and Ohio branch did
great damage between this city and
Grafton. and scarcely mile OF track
on the branch is not more or less dam
aged. Al Eaton's tunnel, the storm did
great damage. 1t was here that the first
stoD0lge of the trains occurred. The
rain began falling about II o'clock last
nislt and fell in torrents nearly all
the rest of the night. The water from
the hills rushed down into Eaton's tun-
mel and in a short time a raging stream
Of waser was rushing through it from
east 10 west. The water was six feet
deep in the tunnel. AT the west end
of the tunnel the water rushed down
.Che sides Of the hill, bringing hundreds
of tons Of earth and rock, which were
piled upon the track for several hun
dred yards and from TWO 10 five feet
deep. and damned the water back in the
tunnel. The wesL-bound mountain flyer
had passed but few minutes before
the fun force Of the storm broke and it
got through without mishap. The 81.
Louis fast freight, which was following,
however. was no. so fortunate. The
locomotive was derailed and the pilot
knocked off by running into the debris
a, the West End. The train was run
ming slowly or
A FEARFUL WRECK
in the tunnel would have been unavoid-
able.
The watchman at the east end Of the
tunnel, not knowing the condition Of
affairs at the other end, did not stop the
train. but displayed the danger signal
and had them slow up in the tunnel.
The wa.chman at the west end was un-
able TO approach the mouth of The tun-
mel. as the water which swept from it
would have carried him away. He then
started TO 90 over the hill 10 stop Jhe
train on the east side, but the distance
1 is more than a mile and before he reach
/ ed there the accident had occurred.
The rush of water from the hills
washed out several hundred feet of road
bed and rendered the main track impas-
sable. BY means OF blocking, however,
trains were able to pass the washcuJ on
the side track. A big slide of earth a.
tunnel No. 8, required several nouns
work before il was removed. Traffic
will be resumed tomorrow on the
branch.
The Little Kanawha river IS
on \ RAMPAGE
from It's source TO its mouth and losses
/ to- the amount Of Cne hundred thou
sand dollars-the loves, estmate-will
/ result. The heavy rains Sunday and
I Monday nisits caused timber men great
anxiety. The rain was general through
out the Little Kanawha Valley, and the
news from headWaters was Of q disQul-
! e.ing na-ure The thousands OF logs
and lies which were run out on the rise
las week were caught and saved in the
booms. These bOOmS formed gOrges OF
/ f0rn;i.0le size. The ParkerSJurg NH
Cos boom. above Cres,On, held thou
sands of legs and ties which, as the river
/ fell. became grounded and now form an
/ immoyable mass of timber from ten to
ywent- feet resting upon the bottom Of
-he river and extending for a mile or
mere up the stream. The West Fork
boom also collected a tremendous guam
| tity Of timber, which was badly gorged.
In anticipation of trouble The Parkers-
| burg Min Company sent a force OF men
up the river yesterday with lot Of lines
| for the purpose. if possible, Of holding
1 .he boom. but the flood came before they
reached there.
/ Word was received at the mill to-day
/ that the river was 20 feeJ and rising at
/ Grantsville, and that there was Is feet
and rising az NTeston. with The side
| streams all bank full and big run OF
ties and timber coming cut.
The big boom at Cresyon gave way at
/ 1 o'clock this morning from
THE TERRIBLE PRESSURE
of the gorge Of logs and drift. The
| swift current carried the mighty mass
/ down AGAINST the Parkersburg Mill
| co. s boom at Creston. The boom with
/ stood the rush. Ii was raised bodily
I and the great accumulation OF drift and
/ lcgS PASSED under it. When il had
/ passed under the boom settled back into
place and was soon filled up again TO
such an extent that it was thought i'm
pcssfble to save it, and it was expected
,ha IL would break loose AZ any time.
The number of ties that got out is es-
,imated a, l.OC0. and from 15,0C9 to 25,-
co clogs wen, out. Logs were passing
Cres,Cn at o'clock this morning al
The rate Of SEQ an hour There was a
sudden rise here early this morning from
the side streams between here and EliZ-
ahe.h. and q lot Of drift came out on
the crest of the food. The current Of
the Jurbid stream was something ter
rife
About s o'clock a big lot OF drift
struck barge Of ties and a raft of lum-
ber belonging 10 Mon Miller, which was
tied IN near Kinks mill The strong
lines were Instantly snapped asunder
and the raft and barge were swept out
in,o the current. This formidable mass
struck the new ferry boat Nina Paden.
which was lying nearby, and q big hole
was knocked in the hull of the boat.
and il. was torn loose from its mO0ringS
and was swept ont with the otherlSuff
in-,, the Ohio. Two layers of ties were
rCrn loose. The mass struck the Hilton
al The Juliana street bridge and forced
her over on Top Of several ccal barges
belonging to Pope 4 Son. Two of these
b9rges were cut loose in order 20 save
them. and they swung out in the cur
rent and were carried out into the Ohio.
- Z ,ol-- with tho 10 or.r, N o. 10 ~, Co.