The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-05-16
THE 0EIO RIVER FLOOD
Will Not Prove So Disastrous a
in Former Years.
PROPERTY LOSS VERY LARGE,

hut Homeless People VIII Not he
Kept From Their Houses ~ Ions
a. During Former Floods-Rise Of
the Ohio River Not So Rapid.
Cincinnati, April 23.-Alarm over the
nood has almost ceased in the lower
Ohio valley. The low water in the
Ohio river below this city has allowed
the floods from up the river to flow
rapidly toward the Mississippi. The
situation is still serious up the river.
notably At Ripley, Maysville. Aberdeen,
Portsmouth, Hanging Rock. Ironton,
Ashland, Catlettsburg, Huntington,
Point Pleasant, Pomeroy, Marietta.
Parkersburg and smaller places be-
tween Wheeling and Cincinnati. The
crest Of the food is below Wheeling,
and the further down stream 1t gets
the lower is the rate Of rising. The
uniform rate Of three inches an hour
yesterday morning fell to two inches
L
an hour at Point Pleasant at 2 p. m.
1t usually takes the crest Of the
flood two days to reach Cincinnati from
Point Pleasant, but the present unob-
structed flood is much more rapid than
in former floods. At Portsmouth last
night SIS feet were reported, which
means serious conditions at points be-
low Portsmouth. The weather bureau
says the flood will not exceed 5S feet at
any time at Cincinnati, and possibly it
may not reach 81 feet. 1t is now above
So feet, and the maximum will not be
reached before tonight or tomorrow.
This Is about ten feet less than was
anticipated here until the river began
falling Sunday night at Pittsburg. The
flood is not as bad as in a d. zen for
mer years and Is much below the rec
ords of 1897 and 1898 and those of 1888
and 1884.
The property loss in the rural dis
tricts will be very large, but homeless
people will not be kept away from their
houses as long as during former floods,
which In some cases lasted az many
weeks as this will continue days in the
spring. The highest stage will be
reached at Parkersburg today and here
tomorrow, and at the mouth of the
Ohio before the end Of the week.
The weather bureau here last night
gave out the statement that the Ohio
river in the Cincinnati district gen.
orally was above the danger line, from
one foot at Cincinnati to IA feet at
Point Pleasant. and rising at an aver
age Of two inches per hour. It indi-
Gated that the rise would continue at
Cincinnati till tomorrow, when the
river will become stationary and soon
begin falling. This bureau predicts Sc
feet here this evening. The most en-
couraging information received by the
weather bureau was from Parkers-
burg. where there was Q rise Of only
one foot all day and q stage Of only ~
feet was recorded. where the local river
men had anticipated 4s feet. It was
expected that the river would begin
falling at Parkersburg today. At Point
Pleasant. another critical place further
down the river, the water was rising
much more slowly.
At Pomeroy, which Is located in a
great bend, the suffering is reported
less than in former floods. The large
furnaces Of the salt trust are located
there, and they have suffered much
loss, as have the lumbermen, the elec-
trio intsr-urban lines, the light and gas
plants and other corporations. Sim
liar conditions exist at Minersville, but
all the points in the Pomeroy bend es-
capped. The reports from other up
river points that suffered so severely
during other floods indicate that no
outside help is needed. that there has
been no loss Of life except in acci.
dental drownings.