The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-07-11
NEWS FROM FLOOD DISTRICT
SHOWS GREAT DAMAGE
WRECK AND DEVASTATION
Dry Have Become Fierce Torrents.
Family of George Benus Buried I'm
the Ruins of a Wrecked Home.
Railroad Traffic is Seriously Inter-
fered With-HOuses, Barns and
Live stock Swept Into the Lake

Rochester, n. Y, July News from
the flood devastated districts in this
section is coming in slowly. A cloud
burst struck Medina Saturday night
n early Sunday morning doing great
damage. Today wreckage is piled up
along waterways which have Deer dried
up for a month. Lightning destroyed
barns at Shelby, Dindonville and other
points north of Medina. Lightning
struck the house of George Benns,
southwest of Medina wrecking it and
burying the family in the debris.
A boy was taken put of the ruins so
badly injured that it is doubtful If he
will survive. Between Medina and Mid
dleport the railroad track is washed
away in several places and all rains
are abandoned.
The Genessee river, which at this time
or the year is but a mere raceway is to-
day a raging torrent. Great quantities
of driftwood and trees are coming
down.. From up river points come re-
ports that the lowlands are under wa
ter and that the food is as high or even
higher than ever known during any of
the spring freshets. The cloud bursts
y~SNSA NNy AL IlANC1 GU i L i Gill q
traffic on the Buffalo, Rochester and
Pittsburg railroad and the Western
New York division of the Pennsylvania
system. Neither company was able to
get trains out today. The Erie tracks
between Attica and Batavia are washed
out but rains On this division are run
ming on slow time.
Near Lake.
Canandigua, N. Y.,-The succession of
cloud bursts which visited Saturday af-
ternoon and Sunday morning the sec
ton of country lying about the head Of
C~anandigua lake caused damage rough
ly estimated at 800, 900.
Within a very few minutes after Sat
urday's storm began, all the ravineS
that cleVe the mountain became raging
torrents. DriftWood at numerous stone
bridges or culvertS gave way and large
volumes of water swept down the valley
and carried everything before it.
Houses, barns and other outbuildings,
together with their contents, including
live stock, were swept into the lake and
hundreds of acres of Vine
yards, growing crops and gardens were
swept away. The storm has parallyZed
business interests in the entire region.
From Other Sections.
From Churchville come reports h
Black creek Is the highest before known
even in Spring freshets. 1t is out of
its channel and causing great damage
to growing crops along its banks. Hun
dreds of acres of peas, corn, beans and
potatoes, sugar beets and the other
crops are under water and ruined. The
dam at Byron is reported broken and
the creek is still rising at a great rate.
Honeoye reports six bridges, including
an iron structure on Mill Creek washed
away and heavy damaged to crops
Nunla reports the greatest flood in the
history of that section. Large fields of
growing crops have been washed away.
ground and all. Dalton has also suffer-
ed greatly. Portageville, Pike. Lamont,
Rosenberg Fillmore and many other
towns have been under water since
sunday morning. The farms all about
Portageville are under water and no
field crops can be saved. Houses, barns
and live stock are being swept down the
liver. The tracks of the Pennsylvania
are washed away and a new road bed
will a to be made at many places
before trains can be V
i reports the loss of a large iron
bridge, the p~ostoffice building. Powers
store and opera house, a meat market,
cheese factory, drug store and two
dwelling houses and the village ware
house.
At Lamont the mill dam has gone out
washing away a bridge. Large num-
bers of dead cattle were seen floating
down the river during the day.
Stafford reports heavy damage from
the flood. The embankmentS of God
frey Pond, a large sheet Of water open
ed by the New York Central railroad
and which furnishes it's large stand
pipes at Byron was unable to stand the
strain and with a roar heard for miles
the large mass of water departed upon
it's destructive course, carrying bridges
and everything movable before it.
Middleport reports all dan swept
away in Johnson's creek with damage
of hundred of thousands of dollars and
all business is at a standstill. The crop
damage is also considerable. Five
bridges in the town are gone.
Acts Immediately.