The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-27
ABOVE THE DANGER LINE
OHIO RIVER MAY REACH SIXTY
root MARK BEFORE MONDAY.
only enc Road Reaches Cincinnati
Union Standardization of Flood
in Southern Indiana.

CINCINNATI, o., March 26.-To-night
the outlook for a great flood n the Ohio
river valley is almost disheartening The
Hood here touched the danger line of forty
I'VE feet on wednesday forenoon. The total
absence of definite news of the terrible ex-
tent of cloud bursts in the interior of Ohio
and Indiana demoralized all forecasts.
River men, who habitually underestimate
great floods, set the maximum OF the pres
ent one at fifty-one feet. None was more
surprised than they when the river at noon
to-day passed the fifty-five-foot mark here,
ten feet above the danger line and rising
rapidly. What, with the appearance of light
rain this afternoon, transformed tonight
into a heavy rain, they are filled with APP
prehensfon of a flood record above the dis
astrous one of 1884. All depends on the ex-
tent and severity of this rainstorrl now
coming from the Southwest.
Ats o'clock tonight the river was rising
at all points from Gallipolis to Cairo. At 10
O'Clock tonight it was stationary at CALI
polls. but rising rapidly at all points from
Catlettsburg to Cairo. AT Cincinnati at 10
o'clock tonight it was fifty-six feet and
six-tenths, and still rising one-tenth of a
foot hourly. This looks very much like six
ty feet will be reached by Monday, with a
contingency of an alarmingly greater rise,
conditioned upon the extent and duration of
the present rainstorm. All points on the
Ohio river above Gallipolis report reced-
ing river.
Here in Cincinnati merchants from Sec
ond street and from West Pearl street to
the river are moving goods from inundated
cellars rapidly as possible, with the pros
pect of having to remove them to the sec
ond story. Street railroads are flooded be-
tween Newport and Dayton and between
Covington and Ludlow, Ky. River naviga-
ton is embarrassed here because or a Hood
ed landing. The only place for landing
goods is at the river and railway transfer
station in the West End.
As predicted in these dispatches last night,
the Grand Central Depot has been flooded
so that trains cannot enter it since noon.
Trains entering that depot all have emer-
gency stations outside, which they are US
ing. Sixty feet of water here will not cut
off any railroad in Cincinnati from using its
own line. Sixty-One feet would cut the
Pennsylvania off, but it can make a detour
by the Cincinnati Northern and the Balti-
more & Ohio Southwestern. The present
outlook is for fifty-nine and possibly sixty
feet on the present rise without aid from the
rainfall of tonight.
Temporary stations are made at Eighth
street and at Storrs. All the roads are
ern roads are compelled to detour ex-
cept the Chesapeake & Ohio. The
c. H. & d. road is using it's own track to
Hamilton, Dayton and Toledo. An officer
of the Big Four road says the loss to the
roads entering Cincinnati cannot be less
than a million dollars. The Big Four bridge
at Cloves will cost $4,000 and this is but
one Of many such structures that will have
to be replaced. The loss of traffic is enor-
nous as the freight carried just proceed
ing the flood was far beyond that of a
year ago.
The railroad situation is much the same as
reported last night, allowing for some i'm
proVement. All the embarrassed roads Suf-
fered all their damage from deluged streams
in the interior of Ohio and Indiana. Repairs
are going on with all possible dispatch.
Barring the gloom this rainstorm brings,
the condition of the homeless in stricken
interior cities is improving. Provisions for
their relief have been generally and speedi-
ly made by their neighbors.
The damage thus far at Cincinnati has
been what people of the flooded part of the
city are accustomed to annually. To Rat
Row and Sausage Row a flood is a blessing,
as it gives these low dens about all the
house cleaning and rat routing they ever
get Gardeners on Mill creek suffer serious
ly out they always recuperate rapidly.