The age-herald., 1901-04-22
Great Alarm Throughout the Ohio Valley WORST SINCE FEBRUARY, '84 Inhabitants Spent the Night in Deep Anxiety MORE SNOW AND RAIN EXPECTE
 , Owing to General Prostration of Tele- graph Wires Many Towns Can not be Heard from-Tho
 Fruit crop Gone.

Cincinnati O., April 21.-There has been more alarm throughout the Ohio Valley today on account of floods than at any period since February. 1884, when the Ohio river reached its highest stage of 7l feet and inches at this city. Most of the inhabitants of the valley spent the night in anticipation of the worst flood ever known in the valley, as they will not know until tomorrow that the water has begun falling at Pittsburg. Until this news reached the rivermen here tonight, it was feared the record of 1884 might be broken but now it is generally believed that the river will not exceed the floods of February, 1897, and of March. 1898, when it reached 61 feet at Cincinnati. The present flood Is the worst that has ever been known so late in the spring. The first week in April, 1886, the river reached 55 feet g inches in this city and that was the highest water ever known so late in the spring. There has been no floods in the Ohio Valley since March, 1898, and these floods. have rarely oc- cured as late as March, usually in Feb ruary. @
 l damage now than 1t would have done one or two months ago. While the close observing river men tonight are confident that the record of 1884 will not be broken unless another mountain flood soon reaches Pittsburg, yet it Is now evident that much damage will be done before the present rise is exhausted. While the water has begun to fall at Pittsburg, both rain and snow have been falling heavily last night and today and tonight all along the Oh.s Valley. The danger line has already been reached at points above Cincinnati and 1t will be reached here tomorrow morning. The merchants and manufacturers In the lower part of the city have been workin . all day and night preparing for the worst. The Sunday excursion season was to have started here today, but navigation was suspended because the boats could not pass under the bridges.
 More Snow Expected.
 Early this evening the weather bureau here announced heavy snows and rains along the Ohio Valley, especially in Southern Ohio. The uniform rise during the day was four-tentks of foot per hour, but the average is higher tonight. The weather bureau announced that the danger line had been reached at all up- per sub-stations tonight, and that it would be reached in Cincinnati tomor- row noon. The stage was A feet and 7-10 at 6 o'clock here tonight, and the danger line is 50 feet.
 At Point Pleasant the stage is eight feet above the danger line tonight, with the river rising rapidly and a heavy rain The main harbor of Portsmouth, O., tele- graphed that the danger line had been reached there and that heavy snow was falling tonight. Similar reports have been received at the weather bureau from all over Southern Ohio and as far north as Springfield. Owing to the gen. eral prostration of telegraph and tele- phone wires it is impossible to hear from many points. The trains are late on all the railroads and some trains that were due last night from the east have not yet arrived. It is generally conceded, that ------------------~~-