Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-03-25

Gothic and Great Damage Done.
Cincinnati, March 25.-At 10 o'clock
last night The Ohio river at Cincinnati
registered 81 feet 21s inches. and rising
an inch an hour. Reports from north
ern West Virginia at the sources OF the
Monongahela bring news of heavy rains
and OF rapidly rising river. 1t is an
admonition that prodigious flood may
be expected should the tributaries re-
ceive an accession OF rain within two
or three DAYS. Reports from all quar-
tiers Of the Ohio valley are Of drizzling
rain or cloudy skies. All up-river towns
report the Chic rising rapidly except
wheeling, where it is stationary.
Six Lives and IS ,O0O.O 900 in Property.
Loss Of life is reported at Hamilton,
o.. where the great Miami swept away
two cottages and drowned six inmates,
namely: Mrs. Charles Whitman and her
| three small children, and Mr.. and Mrs.
Charles Springman. The railroad sit
| uation in the interior OF Ohio is improv-
ing.
A rough estimate OF the loss OF prop
erty in the state Of Ohio puts it at
5000. 600.
Chillicstic Nearly Drowned Out.
a dispatch from Chillicothe says:
Never in the history of the city has
Chilllcothe suffered SO much from high
waters as within the past twenty four
hours. The eastern part OF the city il
now veritable sea, and fully 600 houses
| are submerged. The Columbus and Cir
II ~ nj Of
in a huge sweeping torrent which car
ried everything before IL. and at 6
o'clock yesterday morning the Scioto
river was over its banks and still rising
at the rate Of fifteen inches per hour.
Shortly after o'clock the Baltimore
and Ohio Southeastern tracks at Rem
ick's curve washed away. and the water
had crossed over Main street and
| reached up as far as Watt street, the
furniture factory being under water.
At o'clock the embsnkment on which
the Baltimore and Ohio Souwestern
track separates the city park and the
river gave way. and in trice the park
became a sea Of muddy water which
reached up as far as the dynamos in the
Juneman electric light plant.
Caused . Break in the Gas Malna.
The break in this bank caused the
/ water works power house to shut
down. and the natural gas mains to
break 20 that the supply Of gas Is shut
on. About s O'Clock the rising waters
| Of the river had gained such force that
they broke over all the Baltimore and
Ohio Southwestern and the y. and w.
tracks near the Point creek bridge, the
result being that two miles Of the c., H.
| and d. track between the bridge and
the N. and ". transfer was washed out
before the brssk in the Baltimore and
Ohio Southwestern bank at the north
east END of the city park. A train load
| Of cinders was sent out 20 repair the
break. but the trainmen had to run for
their lives. as forty yards Of the track
| suddenly sank from view. Baltimore
and o. Southwestern passenger train
No. 1 passed Renick's Curve at SOS
o'clock yesterday morning and the
| water was within six inches Of the
track.
BOY Averts Terrible Disaster.
"The momentum OF the train loosened
the bank. and had IL not been for a boy
who tagged the train with his hand
kerchief a terrible wreck would have
occurred. A new $4,000 steel bridge
was also washed away. 1t is estimated
that the damage will easily foot UP TO
s5oo.eoo. The railroad companies are
the greatest sufferers. With six miles
OF their track gone and perhaps as
| much more to follow no one can tell
when traffic will be opened. The water
works power house is under twelve feet
OF water. and were it not that the large
| reservoir contains half a million GAL
Ions there would be a water famine.
In the flooded districts many families
barely escaped with their lives. The
water Is now falling and it is thought
the worst il over"