Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-04-25
GREAT FLOOD
IS IMMINENT
Wide Expanse of Ohio Valley
Threatened
Pittsburg and Other Cities
in Distress
Gno.4oo% Das~feIE K~oxrr1 80
Greatest Rainfall known in
rlany Years

PltLSDurS, April AI-A widespread
and disastrous flood has inundated all
the lowlands of western Pennsylvania,
eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia.
Streams both great and small have
passed the flood line and are still ris-
ing. Pittsburg, which is the center Of
the storm stricken district, is badly
distressed. The flood is probably the
worst in this immediate vicinity. Rain
has been falling necessarily for 60
hours and all precipitation records
are broken. The mountain streams
have become torrents, creeks are
swollen and out of banks, big rivers
are oceans of turbid water and flood
records, it is expected. will be broken
before the water subsidies.
Railroad tracks are torn up, bridges
are weakened and telegraph wires and
poles are down in all directions. Six
land-slides have occurred on the Pan
Handle road between this city and
Stubenville, two of them being serious
The Charities branch is completely
submerged and no trains can reach
Washington, Pa, over this line. The
Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago is
crippled by snow of unprecedented
depth The Cleveland & Pittsburg is
in serious condition owing to the loss
of a number of bridges. The Buffalo
& Allegheny valley is almost tied VI
by landslides.
The financial loss cannot be esti
mated In addition to the hundreds
of thousands, perhaps millions Of dol
lars, it will cost to put the large manu-
featuring plants in commission
again, tens of thousands Of skilled
workmen are thrown out of employ
ment and will lose their wages just al
the time when all the iron and stee
mills are rushed with orders.
Thousands of people are lying in the
upper rooms of their water-soake(
houses without heat, light or food
Where gas fuel is used the pipes are
flooded and cut off, and what Goa
there may be is under five or ten feet
of water.
At Schoenville, the home of the
Pressed Steel Car company, the little
town is completely surrounded by wa
ter. The workers families constitute
a community of several thousand per
sons and if the flood does not quickly
subside the company store will be un
able to meet the demand for food by
the multitude beleaguered by the
food.
Business, religious services, comfort
and health are at the mercy of the
storm. Several narrow escapes from
death have been reported and it is
sadly probable that when the yellow
sticky flood subsidies it will reveal a
number of CHASTITY secrets. The most
serious item will follow in the wake
of the flood when the sickness which
will inevitably succeed makes its ap-
pearance and fastens itself upon the
poorer classes.
At Valley Camps the tracks are en-
tirely under water. Several plants
here are under water and compelled
to shut down and over 1000 men are
thrown out of work.
Rochester in Darkness.
Rochester, Pa, April 21.-The dam
age by storm is here estimated at $50
600. Eevery cellar i'm town is flooded.
The town is in total darkness and
people are freezing, gas and electricity
being shut off, and coal being under
water.
Cincinnati, April 21.-The peculiar
weather conditions during the week
eliminated yesterday in a rain and
snow storm almost unprecedented and
so distributed that a tremendous flood
in the Ohio river is impending. All
signs point to a stage of water that
must bring devastation of the most
serious nature all along the Ohio river
and its tributaries in Ohio, West Vir-
ginia and Kentucky.
Above Cincinnati the flood rains be-
gan falling Wednesday over a vast ex-
tent of the Ohio river valley watershed
and since then has been continuous.
Following those rains came the ire
mendous snowfall of last nigh, reaching
from Canada to the Atlantic and caus-
ing almost complete paralysis of COM
munication across that belt yesterday
From II to Is inches Of snow lies over
eastern Ohio. the greater part of West
Virginia and eastern Kentucky. This
is supplemented by heavy rain in the
region Of the headwaters of the Ohio
yesterday. Specials from the upper
Ohio valley towns indicate great alarm
among the inhabitants. The flood
already has reached many places, and
persons located in the lower districts
are moving to higher ground. Many
towns in Ohio cannot be reached, and
it is predicted there has been loss of
life as we'll as much damage to prop
erty. Similar conditions exist in West
Virginia