The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-04-05
man, who began ringing the bell OF the
Church OF tho Immaculate Conception"

Governor Tanner this afternoon start
cd from Springfield one hundred tents,
blankets. enough for five hundred pco.
| pie and d sufficient amount OF prepared
| food for the Immediate relief OF 100
people. He also wired Attorney W. s.,
Phillips, president OF the Gallatin coun-
~ bank here. to draw upon him for
$1,000 as an immediate relief'fund. Gov
Gnor Tanner has issued proclama-
tlon TO the public TO send In relief In
care oflMr. w. s. Phillips at this place.
The Odd Fellows and Masonic lodges
are supervising the distribution OF sup
piles. As fast as they are received they
are taken by special train 10 the wa.
tec's edge, ferried across IN skins to
Cypress Junction and from there taken
BY wagons 10 within two miles OF
Shawneetown. #Et IE
All the carpenters IN Ridgewiy fell to
making flats this morning for trans
portatlon OF the supplies across the In
undated territory and an impromptu
ferry has been established. The water
is n mile wide ut the crossing point.
and is back water, the river being sew
en- miles. The Baltimore & Ohio South
western tracks are under five feet of
water for five miles north OF Cypress
junction. Il
Drowned before His Eyes. ls
Edward Flake, whose wife was
drowned, came to Cypress Junction to-
DAY and said that there were fsteen
people In his house when tho flood
struck the building. Only himself and
one other succeeded In escaping before
the building toppled over. Mr.. Flake
was hysterical from grief and could not
give the names OF the thirteen who were
lost. Marsh Calltcott, the son OF Wash
Culllcott and wife, who perished. made
an heroic effort to save his parents. He
secured row boat and got within forty
feet OF the home where his moth and
father were Imprisoned. The swift cur
rent prevented him from coming near
er. The parents stood In the yard In
water to their arm pits awaiting the
arrival OF the boat. Suddenly wave
swept them into the current and they
were drowned before their sons eyes.
George Harrelson, q merchant, seized
his little granddaughter when the wa
Ger struck his store. and holding her
above his head, waded. arm pit deep,
toward higher ground. A boat picked
them both out OF the water. David,
RtOhcIluOIltIa anu Wllt NelG iil biIcls
home directly in the path OF the huge
wave that swept through the broken
dixie. Their little son In the yard saw
the wave coming and hurr.sdly climbed
q tree. The father and mother had time
to rush up stairs when the house was
swept from lis foundations. They
climbed on the :oof as the house f,oated
of. and heard their little son In the
tree crying: Goodbye, papa and
mamma" The agonized parents were
powerless to go to his assistance and in
few minutes the house had been car
ried beyond the reach OF the boys voice.
They tioated from the north levee to
the south levee, the distance of a mile,
and were taken off In safety. The little
son was subsequently, rescued in the
tree top, by q boat and the family
reunited. Mr.. Rookendorffer said that
as he fioated down the current on the
house top he saw people drowning on
all sides.
Coiored Section Suffered Most.
The colored section Of the city. known
as Negro Flats" was completely In
undated by the rush OF water. 1t Is be-
lieved that a large number OF colored
people perished, as the ground was
flooded in twinliline and tonight the
water stands twenty-five feet deep in
that locality. No effort has been made
to recover the bodies. Every means OF
assistance is used to provide food and
shelter 10 tho hundreds OF homeless re-
fugees. Last night the Catholic Acad-.
emy, the schoolhouse, city hall and the
Riverside hotel. oil on high ground,
above the water, We're crowded with
homeless people. Hundreds are to-
night sleeping on the river banks under
such rude shelter as they can, con-
struct from the floating debris. Abso-
lutely nothing has been saved in the
city. The stores and other business
houses are flooded to tho second floors,
all the streets are under water from ten
to thirty feet. Provisions are constant
ly arriving from all the neighboring
towns. A relief train arrived hero to-
night, but owing TO the high wind and
roughness OF the wafer at the ferry
crossing. all attempts to transfer the
provisions across have-becn abandoned.
They have boen taken TO the waters
edge md at the break OF day will be
feTried across.
at II o'clock tonight I telephone
message was received from Shawnee
town. saying thR't the south levee was
cracking and threatening to so at any
minute. 1t Is about sure 1t Will break
before morning. This will not add to,
the depth Of the water in the town, bu.
will create q current through the streets
that will prove dangerous to rescuers In
skins.
Tup DlDTTTInlT DIIT