Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-06-26
DEVASTED
Is the East End of the County by
the Terrific Storm.
Many Buildings Swept Away on Moss
Run, Fifteen and Eight Mile.
Details of the Fearful Storm of Wedues-
day Evcniug--No Fatalities but
Many Narrow Escapes and
Great Damage.

nesday evening, noted in yesterdays
Leader, began coming in early Thurs
day morning, and each mud bespatter
| ed traveller from the stricken section
told thrilling story of destruction
wrought by the elements The
Little Muskingum and its tributar-
les suffered the most damage, and from
short distance above its mouth, there
is scarcely bridge standing. Travelling
Is extremely difficult and Ii 'zardous
and almost impossible, but enough in
formation has been received to indicate
that the loss in various parts of the
county will reach up into six figures.
The wreckage Of fences, buildings,
household furniture, oil rigs, and other
debris, continued TO pass down the Ohio
all night, and mutely told the story OF
the almost instantaneous destruction OF
the traits of years of labor.
At Fifteen and Moss Run the demor-
slization was complete. The new Bap-
tist church ar Fifteen was carr led off.
A score of small buildings suffered,
some of them being swept out of exist
ence. The residences of the Heslop
Brothers, and the Heslop postoflice
h,,; ha, = ioo
Four stores in the little valley are re-
ported destroyed, being those of Isaac
MCGOWAN, P. Stegner, Heslop Bros, and
Harrison Hamilton.
Along the Little Muskingum the de-
struction was not so great, the larger
stream having greater capacity for
carrying off the rapidly Using waters.
A barge of coal belonging to Roeser
Il Downing, was sunk, and large num-
ber of logs belonging to Captain c. A.
Miller, were carried away. Other own
ers of lumber in the neightorhood cf the
stream, also suffered to more or less
extent.
The office of DIR. j. w. Ward at Arch
e4''s Fork, was carried away by the an
cry flood, together with all his books
and papers. Other losers in the same
neighborhood are Thomas Luddington.
Jacob Davis, Joshua Goodman, George
Ducher, and James Courtney. All lost
their houses except Courtney, whose
household goods only were destroyed.
Along the Ohio River road from st.
Marys to Sistersville, the rain fell in
sheets, and dry ravines became in
moment raging torrents. A half dozen
trestles were swept away, anu traffic
on that part Of the road W i'll be suspend
ed for several days. The railroad COM
pany chartered a steamboat Thursday
for the purpose of carr ying passengers
and mail. Back of St. Marys some IA
talities are reported, bnt no definite par
ticulars can be obtained.
The Buckeye Pipe Line Company suf-
fered breaks of their main line, and mi
nor Ines in every direction, compelling
them to shut down the pumps entirely.
At Hills postoffice also number of
are reported destroyed.
The c. 81 NJ. Railway was badly de-
and the southbound evening
passenger train did not reach this city
until late in the day Thursday. Their
damages, however, are in no seuse as
serious as those of the Ohio River road.
The Muskinsum valley as far up as
Stockport also felt the force of the
storm, which was the most terrible in
.he valleys history, tho the destruction
was comparatively little. The u. a. o.
nad number of nasty landslides, but
heir trains came through Thursday
with little delay.
Up the Little Muskingum a great
quantity of stock. farm products, and
Implements, were hurled away by the
ierce flood. The damage to crops every
where is incalculable, the growing
products of the seasons labor be-
ng swept from existence by the mighty
.orents. The loss will reach into the
hundreds of thousands, and will never
De known with any degree of certainty.
So far as known no fatalities occurred
anywhere near this city, hundreds of
iisquieting rumors to the contrary not
Many oil men were
scattered through the stricken section,
lowever, and not until all are heard
rom, will their friends be entirely free
rom apprehension.
The storm was seyerest throurh Pleas
Ints, Wetzel, and Marshall counties. |