Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 February 1883 — AWFUL FLOOD. [ARTICLE]

AWFUL FLOOD.

Sixty-four Feet Four Inches of Water la the Ohio at Cincinnati—Great Oestrnctlon of Property. [Cincinnati (FeU 12) Telegram to Chicago * Tim«<.] The Indian may have witnessed such a volume of water in the Ohio, bnt his white successor never before saw such a flood It has not come upon us with a rush, or this rich, beautiful valley would become a wilderness with its subsidence, but has slowly swelled from a fair river, a useful servant, to a silent yellow sea that has sent Its waves into the marts of the city, and with their . quiet lapping put a stop to business, to manufactures, to traffic, sent thousands on thousands adrift without shelter and without food, and in the 'aggregate inflicted damages that may directly and indirectly amount to millions of dollars Within a space of twenty-five miles tributary to the city, thousands of people are houseless, many of them as destitute as when they were born, at least for the time If they stay in their houses, they are isolated, and must depend on ohance for Succor. If they leave, a host of river pirates will despoil the deserted dwellings. The Ohio river flows west between Cincinnati on the Ohio side and Newport and Covington opposite; in Kentucky, the latter cities divided by the licking river. A mile and n half below the Licking river Mill creek empties Into the river on the Ohio side. The licking has been swollen by its tributaries to a raging torrent Narrow and deep and swift ordinarily, it is now out of its banks for miles, covering points of ground never before reached by the floods. Along its banks are many factories, large and small, rolling-mills, ana furnaces. All these are flooded, their fires out, and their workmen idle. Mill creek forces its way to the river in the western part of the city, flowing through a wide valley, along which for live miles are not only dwellings, bnt pork-pack-ing houses, slaughter-houses, divers manufacturing establishments, and hundreds of market gardens, together with several railroad tracks All these axe under water, and, while the gardens are ruined, great damage is also done the factories, packing-houses and contents, but to what extent is simply impossible to even approximate. The front of Cincinnati for several streets is low. Here is done the heavy wholesale business of the city, and there are located many large factories of all sorts, machine-shops, coal-yards, etc. All this Is under water from a few Inches to several feet, while cellars for two or three streets farther back are flooded. In some of these streets a steamboat could make its way without a particle of trouble. On Second street the current runs like a mill race Where there is but little water, if the business is of a kind to warrant it, clerks and porters wade about in rubber hip boots, but most of them are simply in charge of watchmen. Most of them had removed their goods to upper stories or higher ground. In streets back and higher, hundreds of hogsheads of tobacco, sugar, etc., are piled on the sidewalks from the flooded districts. In the upper portion of the city, along the river bank, »1 live many poor people and most of, the lawless class .of the city. They are drowned out, and perforce invaded the central portion of the town and the fashionable streets, so that the the crowds were more diversified than ever before The gas-works supply both of this city and Newport has been shut off, and their fires were put out yesterday afternoon with only a slim night’s supply on hand. Today the lamp stores, drove such a trade as never before, and candles were as common as 100 years ago in the central city of the Union. Three hundred thousand people are cut off from their regular supply of gas to-night. The streets are in darkness save for an occasional electric light Theaters and other halls had to supply themselves with electric lights, oil lamps or candles, and the audiences blinked their eyes under the unwonted light, and were hilarious and jolly, as they could not have been otherwise. The water-works have about five days’ supply in the j ervoira Under the most favorable ci. stances the works cannot resume in tin to more than keep consumers scantily supplied, and, should a great fire occur, the result Is disheartening to contemplate. Should it occur in the overflowed business district, the department would be simply powerless, and the flames would run unchecked. Only one railroad, the Cincinnati, Hamilton ana Dayton, is above water. There are ten feet of water over the track leading into the new Union Depot, and on the lower ground the water runs over the tops of some freight cars that were left on the track. The stage of water at Frankfort and Louisville. Ky., and at New Albany and Lawrenceburg, Ind, Is unprecedented Thousands are without employment, many are shelterless, and much suffering prevails Dispaiches from Cincinnati, undef date of Feb. 13, report great suffering on account of the flood The frame depot of the Southern road became undermined and toppled over with many spectators, but it is not known that any lives were lost One correspondent telegraphs: “It would require the publication of the greater portion of the directory to name the businessmen, particularly those in the tobacco, produce, grain, commission, and whisky business, and in all kinds of manufacturing interests, whose businesses have been wholly suspended Many of these also lose £hoir goods. The manufacturers all lose eavily in the damage to machinery and stock, aside from the loss of time. More than a thousand business firms and manufactories are thus prostrated Yet business men are not disheartened nor selfish. These same men, for two days, have poured in contributions to the fund for the relief of the suffering among that much greater class—the poor—who are driven from home and are deprived of work. It is estimated that from thirty to forty thousand workmen are out of employment by the' closing of the manufactories. To them the loss q£ time and the injury to household effects will prove the smallest loss The dampness in their houses after the flood subsides must bring sickness and suffering. The Common Council’s action in asking'authority to issue a loan was promptly met by the Legislature, both houses having passed a bill to authorize a relief loan of $ 100,000. Thus the city has arranged to provide for ifcself. Telegrams have been received from New York, Chicago and elsewhere, offering assistance.” The Deluge at Louisville. THE DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY WITHOUT A PARALLEL IN THE ANNALS OF THAT CITY. The waters in the Ohio river at Louisville reached a height not witnessed before for years. About forty squares in the northeastern section of the city were inundated, and 5,000 persons driven from their homes. The cut-off dam, overcome! by the terrific weight of water from above, gave way suddenly. “With a loud roar,” Bays an eye-witness, “the flood rushed over. The waters covered the ground with irresistible force, falling about eighteen feet to the ground below the dam. In a few seconds the yellow tide was sweeping in from all points, and the infatuated inhabitants in the Bear Grass creek bottoms, who had gone to bed, were completely surprised in their homes With a mighty rush the waters swept from square to square, rapidly rising in the houses and severing many from their foundations The roar of the waters could not drown the screams of the terrified ones who were escaping from their doomed houses Men, women and children waded through the advancing waters Bonfires glimmered on the higher ground which many poor outcasts bad gained People who were sleeping in foolish confidence that the embankments would shelter them were rudely awakened by the flood coming into their houses Borne were even surprised in bed. When the stroke came it was like lightning. In the darkness and cold they flea the waiting death, half clothed and shivering. By morning thirty-five squares were under water,and over 153 houses destroyed. AH dav long a stream of people passed up ana dowh the Short line track to look at the river's devastation. Houses were overturned, some on their sides, some almost on their roofs; other buildings were crashed to pieces, and perhaps a third were swept away from their foundations Doors, windowsash s, pieces of furniture, lumber, driftwood and shingles were floating about in confusion. In the lower bottom lands the water is within a foot or two of the roofs of the houses. Several persons were rescued from trees into which they had climbed. A gratifying feature of the flood is that comparatively few are thought to have lost their lives Many occupants of houses in the submerged districts had removed and thus escaped. The fact that the survivors are scattered over the city renders it impossible to make a definite statement qtwho are lost qrtpved. Fiv|gersonf

are positively known to nave been drowned. The money lose will reach into the millions”