The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1913-04-02
STAFF MAN DESCRIBES
CONDITIONS DOWN OHIO
Raging River Tears Buildings
From Their Foundations and
washes Them Down Valley.
SUPPLIES ARE GIVEN
TO THE DESTITUTE.
Appalling Conditions of the Ohio
Valley Described by IntelK-
gencer Staff Man.
By CHARLES W. vorr1r
,,Aeoard Steamer Liberty
SfBtersville. wv. Va


, devastation and destrucfion O., 81
SSTtoued Ohio between Wheeling and
s'ile VIII run up into nIrIions
VI uoilars. The torrent spread rn;n
Um On r'ery hand. Hundreds have bsen
ionoirgn gonleIess with every worldly be-.
re swept away and the suffering
'Hat is being occasioned is intensa
report reached SistersviIIa ia.
a!rernoon that Dam No 90 ar paiin
sIIe; niteen miles below Parkersbnrs--
aas a 1cen practically washed ont by The
cI~Si, ~ Is SAID that all buildings I'm.
iGuhS 'he stables in which w.,a
Iodged, twelve mules and an extonsI,,
amount OF valuable material war,
S"SPt ava! causing a loss of go onn
Ohe hundred Bell telephone engin.
eers 1rs and linemen from Philadeln6ia
ibo ibnspurgn ih and Wheeling are aboard
ana Parkersburg TO undertake wori-
oI rec hing telephone and teia.
t!apn communication with the ou,s;oa
"orlu- Below Wheeling tho Tood
proved 10 be the highest in history
CSAcecdlhs me historic 1854 stage. by
:; =, , uii Two lnchcs AZ Moundsvilie and
IpWhatan TO six feet at Marietta Ar
LoWhatdn, practically every house in
ne town was flooded. In ono th.rd
ot them tho water rcscred ~ -
hocr. One hundred persons were
uhCIleiGSs ,hdlt , ior .evera! dass. TO-. =.
THuIn Tnrs hy,ng ing on the top floors of the
iorsey hour mill on the river bank
uhui the water went down.
.-, Buildings Torn Away.
inc situation was acute but has
necn Trcatly relieve toCay. SeverrI
bnndinss were twisted from thei.
1uuhddtions and carried away. Ths
Wnolc town OF CIarington, o.. was als,
Inundated entailing heavy loss.
only a few houses on the hillside es-
capped. Half the houses were flooded
OF the second iioor by the stage. which
exceeded that OF 1884 by over six
lnches The food sufferers took ref
ue, on the mill with friends and reIa-
uVes on the higher ground. AZ the
rear OF the town here a number ~
nuildlngSr we're twisted from thef
foundation and two residences wcr.
overturned.
Proctor Hit Hard.
NJ Proctor. W. Va 125 of the 40
houses in the village were flooded and
seN raj washed from their foundations.
IN" loss viii - neavy. At the Wood
lard dam below Moundsyille the offic,
~ he engineers was washed away and
several shac&S and other buildings
were badly damaged
The Bosser dam held. however. and
no delay will be occasioned I'm for
warding the work
At Hannibal. ohio. ono mile above
Now Mart!nsyillc. every house was
under water
New Mart!nsville was tho hardest
hit ~ any point the Liberty hqs
reached. Three -fourths Of the resi-
d'nc,s were inundated and in the bus
in'ss distric's the waters reached tho
second floors
The loss g estimated a. not less
than s35n.n0n. About IsG pianos wers
lost. The business district Is big
loser a. no preparation had becn male
for over Is n. with tho gas shut OF In
both sections ~ ,hc town suffering
was severe. hut conditions are rap
IDLY Improving 50 II viii 'be = rnontn
10 ore a fun recovery will bc possible.
Food and supplies are being dis.
tributed among the needy by a vol
unteer food and relief COMMITTEES,
headed by members Of the EIks'
ldge Sisterville has been furnishing
the provisions. which we're shipped
by trolley and water. The crest was
! inches above that Of 1884.
Sardis. New Mattamoras and other
~ the small river towns are suffer.
ing losses. Sistersville escaped with
practically no loss. as the city is lo-
Gated we'll above the danger lina
Friendly. and other points belov
however. have been hit hard.
Pitable in the extreme. although
the river has now rcceded within 10
banks. conditions have only beer
made worse thereby for miles IN
every direction Prom the deck 81
the Liberty nothing can be seen but
dismal waste ~ six inches OF mud
Dotted with each 81 wreckage and
debris tho discouraring task OF clean
iuE this litter away now faces the
flood victims The Liberty. though
not the first boat TO make the south,
vard passage since tho flood. 10 be
Ing welcomed a. every landing as
dciivcrcr for she D. loaded 10 the
waters edge with supplies and pro
visions