Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-03-25

Special to the Register.
Parkersburg, w. va, March 24--The
flood situation here tonight is very
grave and repetition OF the great
flood Of 1884 is feared, as the mad rush
Of water keeps raising higher and
higher.
The Ohio is As feet and rising four
inches an hour.
Hundreds Of families are homeless
and destitute, and should the river con-
tinue to rise the suffering and destruc-
ton to property in the low1ands will
be something unheard Of before in
ParkersDurg, as hundreds Of houses
have been erected in the suburbs along
the Ohio above this city by strangers
coming TO Parkersburg who never an
ticipated 4 food
All the merchants in the lower por-
ton of the city have closed their places
OF business and all business and in
dustrles are at standstill.
All railroads entering the city are
submerged at different points.
East-bound freight train No. IA, on
the B. & o. S.-W., due here at 11:15 a.
M, was abandoned to-day at Chilli
Gothic on account of water over the
tracks.
Tomorrow will doubtless see the b.
& 0. tied up, as the water is within
less than three feet of the track at
KanaWha Station and at a number OF
points between there and this place
Walkers creek will be backed up by
the Ohio until the track is covered to-
morrow at Walkers station In the
1884 flood the track was impossible
at these points for several days.
The Ohio River railroad is a great
sufferer. The company's shops here
have seven feet of water on the floors
and all the coaches. and rolling stock
has been run to high point on the hill
below Parkersburg.
False floors We're erected as high as
possible at the shops and everything
That might be damaged was placed as
high out of reach of the water as pos
sibIe.
It is thought that the road will be
greater sufferers than ia 1884. phoas-
ands Of dollars have been spent in the
year Just past in shaping up the upper
end, in filing trestles and preparing
the road bed for ballast and the great
fills will be badly damaged The big
fill at No trestle, McMechen, will
doubtless be ruined Twenty car
loads Of cement had been placed in the
fill and it was ready for ballast. At
ter the waters recede, traffic cannot be
resumed between this city and Wheel
ing in less time than a week on this
account
The damage to the road on the south
ern division is not SO great as the road
is on higher land.
Belpre, Ohio, Just opposite here, is
submerged, and a few more feet of a
rise will change the channel of the
river, as in 1884 directly through the
little town and the destruction of
property will be terrible.
The Little Kanawha is still rising
at headwaters and heavy rains fell
last night and to-day in the Kanawha
Valley. Hundreds of people are on
the streets without homes and this
number is being hourly added to as the
| waters continue to rise.
Tonight will be very hard on many
ana LN6 Gnurc0eS nave lHTUWu OPEN
their lecture roms and lower portions
for the accommodation of such as may
be without shelter. Cots are being
provided in the United Brethren
Church and other churches are follow
ing the example, as was done in the
1884 inundation. The city building
and the court house is also occupied
by the unfortunates.
Water broke through into the base
ment of the Blennerhassett Hotel to-
night.
Ali indications are favorable to more
rain
At $3.50 two feet Of water was in the
new city building basement
The little Kanawha Valley railroad
is submerged for several miles and the
loss to the company will be enormous.
Should the anticipated rush from
the rise in the Kanawha strike here
tonight the loss to timbermen VIII
be heavy