Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1937-06-24
MUSKINGUM RIVER HIGH
CROPS SUFFER BIG LOSS

! After having reached a stage of
26.6 here at the lock, Tuesday even
! ing about six o'clock the Mus
kingum river began to slowly fall. 1t
/ lacked about ten feet of being as
| high as it was in the January food
of this year. Monday, following the
very heavy rains at the headwaters
and also along the Muskingum val
| ley, until every stream was raging
torrent, the river rose rapidly dur
| ing the day, and early in the even
| ing it was over the south river road
near fair grounds. The rainfall here
Monday was 2.67 inches. Later that
night water had shut off travel on
the north river road (77) and the
Marietta road, and the north river
road out of Malta was also inundat-
ed, and r. f. d. mail service was
curtailed All day Tuesday, until
| in the evening, the river slowly rose
| Down at the canal 1t was on top of
the upper lock wall.
The Bragg service station on the
north river road was flooded with
about Is inches of water. Part Of
the Linco station was also flooded
The water stopped few inches short
of the first floor of the Cochran
building where Robert butcher re-
sides, and also lacked a few inches
of getting on the floor at the Mrs. D.
G.. Ralston house, where Ray Bald
ing lives.
The river bottom lands all along
the valley were flooded and the
crops which looked the most promis-
ing for number of years, were
ruined, which means tremendous
loss. While the river and creeks
have been higher many times and
swept more low lands, yet the water
was perhaps more damaging to
crops, coming when it did, just at
hay and wheat harvesting time, and
when too late to replant corn; and
garden truck soon to reach it's mar
keting stage.
Monday evening there was wash
out on the railroad at Fox run, near
Philo, and passengers that evening
were taken from there by auto 10
GAINESVILLE This was the only wash
out along the railroad line from Ma
rietta to GAINESVILLE, and train service
was curtailed but little.
HeaVy LOSS 10 crops
The storm here broke early Mon
day morning, something after mid
night, with heavy downpour, at
times resembling cloudburst.
Creeks and small streams were out
Of banks and the bottom lands
flooded, with many roads cut off by
high water. On account of the hign
water mail carriers out of the local
office were unable to make their
rounds. After the smaller streams
and creeks had receded, the second
rain came, and while all sections of
the county were visited, it seemed to
be heavier on the east side, along
Meigs creek and tributaries, and the
creeks rose higher than the first
time 1t is stated that the creek
highest on record. Here at the gov
ernment stationE Mr. Davis, the Off
eial weather observer, reports the
Monday rainfall at 267 inches.
Coming at the season of the year
that it did, it caused a very heavy
loss, not only along the river bot
toms which overflowed, but along all
creeks and runs, and even the high
lands were frightfully washed in
places, and the crops on them ruin
ed. Fencing, trees, hay, etc., were
swept from the 1owlands into the
streams, and hundreds of acres of
corn, wheat, hay and alfalfa, and
gardens and pasture were ruined.
Many farms on the lowlands were
practically swept bare of all crops.
But little damage was done by
wind, and not much loss from light
ming has been reported.
Wednesday afternoon the water
was down so that travel on the riv-
running on schedule