The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1897-03-03
THE Flood OF ~.
The Rivers Burst their Confines and
Sweep Over the City
THE WATERS AWASH WITH
SECOND STORY WINDOWS.
point Pleasant TRANSFORMED
Into an American Venice
Boats Ply ON Nearly all
the Streets.

e25, 1897, will go down in history
as second only to the visitation of
February 1884, with this difference
that while the former was disas-
trous in its effects the experience
gained, and the forethought en-
gendered by that and subsequent
calanities made our townspeople
better prepared against any SINH
lar misfortune, and consequently
the actual damage done on this oc-
casion is very considerably less
than might otherwise have been
the case. In the great majority of
instances merchants and house.
holders took precautions at an
early stage of the threatened in
undation and removed their goods
and effects to places of safety, in
upper stories, where such convent
ences existed, or to premises Sc
curely above possible invasion.
Some there were, however, who
took tardy notice of the warnings
all received and paid the penalty
of their temerity in having to trust
their merchandise to the open
decks of barges and boats lying in
the flooded streets. But these
were in the minority and the loss
of stock by damage of water will
be gratifyingly small. But every
house below the court house on
Main street, and eastward to the
creek and along its banks was
flooded in depths varying from
few inches to a quantity which
left nothing but the gables and
the chimneys above, the water line.
at least three houses were too
-frail to resist the current and were
turned on end and several ruinous
outhouses were wrecked, but these,
perhaps, deserved no better fate.
To prevent their trestle bridge
across Crooked creek from being
swept away the Ohio r. r. Co
loaded it with a line of heavy
freight cars, and owing to that
step it is almost certain that
structure will be found unim-
paired.
When earlier in the month the
swollen streams, due to the ice
breaks, passed away without more
than suggestion of possible dan
ger, we began to congratulate our
selves upon immunity this year
from floods which have too often
marked February as their own
particular month; but we had
scarcely ban1shed fear when the
heavy rain of Saturday, Sunday
and Monday here and at the head
waters.of both the Ohio and the
Kanawha rivers revived them with
added force. By Monday night
both rivers were running high and
the creek had overf1owed its banks
and inundated the lowlands in its
immediate vicinity, reaching Main
street on Tuesday, when it became
evident that a flood in the city was
inevitable, though there were many
isang1ine enough to believe it
would not attain very serious pro-
portions. Thenceafter, however,
the waters rose rapidly sometimes
at the rate of six and eight inches
an hour, and on Wednesday there
wac wholesale desertion of houses
and business premises.
That afternoon the Ohio and
the Kanawha both overfowed their
banks ON either side, and by night
Main street was impossible, and
whatever further removal of stock
was done had to be effected by
boats.
Throughout the night the water
rose, but slowly, and continued SO
doing until noon on Thursday
when the flood extended up to
within a few feet of the court
house, just kissing the foundations
of the Cornstalk monument, and
going no further, and attained a
height of five and six feet in the
higher, and reaching to the second
stories of the buildings in the
lower portion of Main street. On
the banks of the creek and in what
is popularity known as Goosetown
the houses Jared worse and those
few that escaped total submersion
had water awash with the sec
ond stories or flowing in at the
windows.
The city proper was transformed
into am American Venice and