Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 February 1884 — THE OHIO BIVER FLOOD. [ARTICLE]

THE OHIO BIVER FLOOD.

Thousands of People Driven from Their Homes by the Raging Waters. Millions of Property Swept AwayExciting Scenes and Incidents. PITTSBURGH AMD ALLEGHENY CITY. The waters at Pittsburgh and Allegheny roecto a greater height than at any period since Feb. 10, 1832. Immense damage was inflicted by the overflow. A Pittsburgh correspondent thus describes the scenes: “The twin cities present a spectacle never before seen in this city. Miles of valuable property and hundreds of houses are under water, whileover five thousand families are for the time without shelter. In this city the flooded district, from the Point to Sixth street, is almost entirely inundated, while along thebauks of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, for a distance of six miles, every house within two blocks of the river is under water. The same is true of the South Side and Allegheny City. Every iron mill, foundry, and glass factory in the two cities hasbeen compelled to shut down, while all the railroads excepting the Pennsylvania Central suspended traffic. Between Pittsburgh ands Allegheny travel by street cars has been, completely shut off. No accurate figures can yet be given as to the damage, but the most conservative admit that it will mount up into the millions. A calm review of the situation this morning found ibetween 5,000 and 6,000 buildings in the two cities submerged, and the residences of 25,000 people, 10,000 of whom are notable to occupy(their houses. Fifteen thousand men are temporarily thrown out of employment by the stoppage of mills and factories. Those rendered! (homeless by the flood are being oared for in 'the public halls, where bedding has been furnished. So far four deaths by drowning have occurred. The names of the victimsare Thomas Kelly, John Jacobs, William Bowman, and Harvey Genung, a boy aged 11 years. The others were married and hads families.” WHEELING. A correspondent at Wheeling, W. Va., thusdescribes the scenes witnessed there at floodtide: ‘-To attempt to adequately portray thecondition of affairs in this city is beyondi the ability of the most gifted of its citizens. One-half of the city is submerged, from 5,000> Jto 7,000 people are rendered homeless, and the loss in money will reach from $750,000 to $1,000,000. Thousands have been driven from their homes, and are crowded Indiscriminately together in private residences, hotels, and market houses, or are walking the without any shelter whatever. Wheeling island, comprising about 800 acres, and containing a population of 4,500, is entirely under water, and the loss there alone is $400,000. Several lives have already been lost here anffi [in surrounding towns. From Bellaire,. Bridgeport, West Wheeling, and 'Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, and Fulton, Wellsburg, Benwood, and Moundsville, Va., heartrending accounts qf suffering come. Some of thesetowns are entirely submerged, West Wheplfngf/for instance, not having a solitary houseout of water, within a radius of fifteen miles 20,000 people are homeless, and- * Joss bf •' $5,000 000 has been sustained;. The river at Wheeling, ordinarily but6oofeet: wide, is now swollen to a mile and a quarter,, and this will give some faint idea of Abbhavoc and ruin wrought. Deaths by drowning are reported from several points." Another correspondent telegraphed from Wheeling that “fully people were driven from, their homes by the flood, but a third of theseare comfortably quartered at hotels or boarding houses, or witb. their friendi!. Public schools and churches have been thrownopen, and people are housed and fed- there.. There has been more damage to property ,than ever before. It is impossible to estimate tj<e losses, but they will aggregate over $1,000,000. Baltimore and Ohio’s wiresare all downMtnd telephone communication* ■with all is cut off. The water and (gas works gave out, and the city is in darkness. The streets of half the city are navigable only 1 in boats, and all sorts of improvised craft are plying as ferries. Manypeople are exposed on the island, not a spot of which remains above water.” CINCINNATI, A Cincinnati dispatch repbriff: “A worseflood than ever stares Cincinnati Th the face, and wreck and ruin is imminent. At 8 o’clock; this evening the rlyqr ■fcaq pvac. sixty feet, and still going up. All the river front is under water, and for squares back among thewholesale houses and factories the fires areout, the wheels stilled, the men idle and crowding the streets.' Forewarned by the experience. of last year,, the wholesale houseshave removed the most of their goods. Tho millions 4Jf dollars- of damage last year from this source will not berepeated to that extent. How many people are driven out of their homes by thefiood eannot now be estimated, but it will reach probably 20,000 in the three cities before roon to-morrow,'unless the rising floods are checked. Already the relief • committeeis preparing to feed and bouse the. victimsthat are sure to present themselves. TheCoupcll is preparing to appropriate sloo,ooo' for'relief. It is estimated that 5,000 buildings on the Cincinatiti side have water on the first floor, and 2,000 on the Kentucky side. There has been no loss of life and no great destruction of property. The most serious-. loss is that arising from the suspension of business.” OTHER POINTS. At New Albany, Ind., the plate glass-works, were compelled to shut down in all the departments. Fifteen hundred to two thousands persons are thrown out of employment temporarily by the stoppage of these works. A. large number of other manufactories along" the river front had to stop work, throwing about 5,000 persons out of employment. Notwithstanding the large number of persons in enforced idleness from the flood there was but little suffering, and the city and county authorities were promptly relieving those who needed It. At Jeffersonville, four miles above New Albany, serious loss was inflicted, nearly all the houses in the town being under water. At Louisville, opposite Jeffersonville, the principal loss was in lumber, about 3,000,000 feet having been washed? away. People living in the low sections took, warning from their experience of last year, and moved out before the flood came. Thelevee broke at Lawrenceburg, Ind., and inundated the town. The people had prepared: themselves for the watery invasion, and consequently no serious losses ensued,' beyond l those entailed by a temporary suspension of business. Nearly all the rivers throughout Ohio and Western Pennsylvania overflowed! their banks, inflicting serious damage te» town and farm property along their banks.