Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901, 1898-04-06
At Shawneetown, Ill MANY
Narrow Escapes.
The Awful Sadness of the kush Oh
waters-Many Gases Where Death
Overlook the Unfortunate when Ala
Was Almost within Reach.

tore the Q1Ke DIOke. I1lS DiothSi
in-law, Sheriff Galloway, of Gala
tin county, had the same good for
tune. The Sherif's wife and two
daughters were swept away and
their bodies have not yet been
recovered. Hogan's story OF the
flood shows that the town people
had absolutely no warning OF the
disaster.
About S o'clock last evening""
he said, the levee on the north
side of the town gave way at the
north end of Market street, near
the court house.
An opening ten feet wide was at
first made but it quickly spread to
twenty, and wall of water ten or
fifteen feet high poured through
the main street, sweeping every
thing before it. About fifty small
frame houses along the line of the
levee to the south were crushed
like toys and none of the occupants,
most of whom were poor colored
folks, escaped. Those living in
the more substantial houses man
aged to climb to second and third
stories where they chung for hours
through the chilly night. Houses
in the western part of the town did
not at once feel the effects of the
flood, and residents made hasty
steps for safety, most OF them fee
ing to the top of the levee on the
south side of town A large NUM-
Der also reached the little hills
which are a mile from town and
from there saw their property crum-
bic in the muddy waters. When
daylight came, this morning, the
streets were full of water to depth
of ten or twelve feet. Only the
most substantial buildings in the
in the central business district re-
main standing. Water is every
where aud the relief work is being
carried out under great difficulties"
A WOMAN's STORY.
Mrs. Harriet Dumont was one of
the arrivals tonight from the flood
ed district. Mrs. Dumont, in com,
pany with a friend, was walking
along the levee at the time the
break occurred. She said. 1T
was about 4.25 in the afternoon
when we were suddenly startled by
hearing the bells of the different
throughout the city
People began running
in all directions and somebody
shouted that the levee was broken.
We ran three blocks to my friends
home and went up stairs. Within
ten minutes the water came pour
ing down the street and within
twenty minutes more it had risen
almost to the second floor of our
house. My friends husband soon
came to us with a skiff and took
us to the Riverside hotel. The
first alarm was given by Father
Buck~an, who began ringing the
bell of the Church of the Immacu-
late Conception.
Governor Tanner this afternoon
started from Springfield one hun
dred tents, blankets, enough for
five hundred people, and sufficient
amount of prepared food for the
relief of 1900 people.
He also wired Attorney w. S.
Phillips, president of the Gallatin
county bank here to draw upon him
for $1,000 as an immediate relief
fund. Governor Tanner has issued
a proclamation to the public to send
in relief in care of Mr.. w. S. Phil
lips at this place. The Masonic and
Odd Fellows lodges are supervis-
ing the distribution of supplies. AS
fast as they are received they are
taken by special train to the waters
edge, ferried across in skiffs to Cy-
press Junction and from there TAX
en- by wagons within two miles of
Shawneetown:
All the carpenters in Ridgeway
fell to making flats this morning for
transportation ofthe supplies across
the inundated territory and an i'm
promptu ferry has been established.
The water is mile wide at the
point, and is back water,
the river being seven miles. The
Baltimore s. Ohio Southwestern
tracks are under FIVE feet of water