Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-09-30


II Breaks all Records-Sma1l Streams
Absolutely Dried mp, and the
Creeks Have no Current-No Relief
r in Sight.
The present drought throughout the
/ upper Ohio valley is certainly the worst
since 1871, the year of the great Chi
cago fire, when all the northern portion
of the United States was one mass of
wilted foliage and dust, when streams
ran dry and stock persisted from thirst,
while the loss from forest fires in many
States was enormous Another bad
year was 1888, when the river dropped
| to seven inches at wheeling, and more
parched sand was visible in the bed of
what was once the Ohio than for many
years before.
Now we have a similar state of af-
fairs in many respects. The heat OF
the summer which still fingers with us
has been far above the normal, the ex-
cess of temperature probably running
| to three hundred degrees since the first
y
rain has been a very scare article. A
few showers have fallen from time to
time, as yesterday morning before day
break, but these deposits OF moisture
are Immediately absorbed by the thirs-
ty earth, and have no effect whatever
upon the streams, even the smallest.
A solid week of rain would not more
than restore the runs and creeks to
( ina
it will take quite a season of preeipita-
ton to relieve the general inconven-
fence, loss and suffering from the pre-
vailing drought.
The river, or rather the place where
the river ought to be, is a sight, and
Is well worth at least a casual inspec-
ton Acres upon acres of sand resem-
bling nothing so much as section OF
the Sahara desert, stretch along the
margins OF the narrow and shallow
stream which has scarcely current,
while there are tall crops of grass and
weeds in places where water ought to
be. Back" river is somethinfi worse
than a dusty pike while the wherea-
bouts of the fish is question we'll cal
culated to give the most experienced
fisherman cause for thought.
The many boys still out at fishing
camps report that there is nothing to
it." They have to confine their pis-
4 catOrial efforts to widely separated
holes in the beds of the streams, where
every sort of the 6nny tribe from the
minnow to the bull catfish are sand
wiched together, preying upon one an
other, and there Is an utter absence of
sport in the strict sense of the term.
But this Is the least of the effects of
the long absence of he proper amount
OF rain, as often stock has to be
driven long distances to water holes,
While the steamboatment have simply
gone out OF business, oil drillers and
operators can DO little or nothing, and
the railroads are hauling water.
FOLLOWING are some reports from
| Register correspondents, which could
be duplicated in every surrounding
section of the country:
WOODSFIELD, O., September 3d.
Water throughout this section of the
country is very scarce The oil opera
tors are greatly disconnected, and wa
ter is being hauled for potable pur-
poses, as much as fifty cents per barrel
being Charged. Stock in the surround
Ing country has suffered greatly, and if
the drought is prolonged another week
or two there will be serious loss.
SlSTERSV1LLE, w. Va, September
29.-The extreme drought of the past
month or six weeks in this section has
done incalculable damage. The farm
ers were the first TO suffer, and many
OF them who have sown their fall crops
will have the work to do over again.
Cattle, horses and stock of all kinds
have been having hard time and
| many of the farmers are driving their
stock to the river twice a day for
water. The loss to those in the agri-
| cultural districts will be very great,
unless there is heavy downfall OF rain
| during the next few days.
| The principal and most serious dam
| age done by the dry spell in this sec
| ton has been in the Oil business. A
large number of the operators and pro-
| ducers in the interior have been hav-
ing a very hard time for the past six
weeks getting any water and in many
| instances wells have been shut down
because enough water to operate the
| property could not be gotten. 1t is
conservatively estimated here that fully
| 100 wells have been stopped, and the
| aOcc VIII AOOb up many IitOus%tiluS VI
dollars. Hundreds of men have been
| thrown out of work and there is no tell
ing when they will be able to resume
again. AS the principal business of
! the city is dependent on the oil people,
| this makes times slower. and there is
not nearly SO much money in circula-
ton, while idle men are all about the
| streets-not idle because there is no
work, but on account of the lack of
water to operate the wells on which they
4 have been working.
Vegetation of all kinds is suffering
/ to great extent and is practically be-
ing burned up. In some sections close
| by, on both sides of the river, some of
the farmers have been compelled TO
commence feeding their stock already,
| as the pasturage has given out.
| The river at this point is the lowest