[Newspaper]
Publication: The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati, OH, United States
vol. 40, no. 52, p. 4, col. 4-6
A GREAT BOOM,
Which the Raging Ohio Is
Indulging In.
The Heavy Rains of the Past Few Days
Swell the Grand Old Stream
To Wondrous Size, and It Sweeps
Through the City With Great
Devastation.
Several Thoroughfares, Many Houses,
Manufactories, Coal-Yards,
&c., Submerged.
Millcreek Also on the Rampage — A Big
Overflow, Which Deals Destruction to the
Distilleries and Dairies.
The Railroads, Street and Steam, Suffer —
Trains Abandoned and Street-Car
Routes Discontinued.
The Effect in the Adjoining Country —
A Great Sea Near
Lawrenceburg.
Four Hundred Inhabitants in the
Latter Place Driven From Their
Homes, and Great Danger
Threatened.
The already great booming Ohio is still rising rapidly, and the mighty waste of water bids fair to rival the memorable floods of 1832 and 1847. Thousands of people went to the river yesterday, in spite of the drenching rain, to view the wonderful expanse, and the bustle and activity on the levees reminded one of some great sea-port city. Every merchant on Front street was busily engaged in removing his goods to safer quarters. The rolling-mills upon the river banks were compelled to shut down, throwing thousands of people out of employment. The notorious denizens of Rat Row have deserted their familiar haunts, and their recent habitations are completely submerged. The Millcreek bottoms look like an immense lake, and the water is swiftly creeping into the cellars and houses of the extreme West End. Cumminsville is likely to suffer heavily from the inundation, and that community are much exercised over the dismal prospect. Several of the railroads are under water, and passengers are landed outside the city, and are brought into town by omnibuses.
During the afternoon and a part of the evening reporters of the ENQUIRER visited various sections of the country flooded by the raging river lying between Fulton and Brighton Station. Everywhere the story was found to be the same. The slow rise in the waters had given nearly every body ample opportunity to escape from the steady encroachment on their territory, and in most cases they had removed their property. It is true that the occupants of buildings lying along the river are in a sense always prepared for such a visitation, still the present deluge is considerably beyond their expectations, and if the frisky Ohio continues to boom as it has within the past day or so, the damage must necessarily be very great. Even now the loss will reach a large sum, as numerous manufactories will be delayed many days, and as it is their business time, the detention will injure them to the extent of thousands of dollars.
Throughout the whole length of Front and Water streets, and in different portions of Sixth, Seventh and other thoroughfares which the rebellious river could touch, were evidences of the conquest of the maddened stream. Large buildings which at other periods of the year loomed scores of feet above the Ohio's banks now appeared like diminutive structures with their lower stories hidden by the continually ascending yellow waters. Standing on any of the streets that lead direct to the river, and whose termini were nearly a score of feet beneath its surface, the spectator can view the grand body of water hurrying onward, with its turbulent bosom bearing upon it huge rafts of drift-wood. Now and then a monster log would scud its whole length straight into the air, only to disappear from sight again, shooting the spray tens of feet upward. Great old trees that had braved the storms of decades, their leafless branches broken and weighed down with gathered rubbish, were rushed swiftly by alongside of the merriest shrubbery. Then came long stretches of board fences with posts connected, and they rose and fell with the angry waves, which vainly strove to rend them asunder. Past the corners of buildings, two stories above the common mark, sped the current, laughing, as it were, at its complete triumph over the all-powerful man, and forming great eddies in the streets in which they stood that threatened, if of long duration, speedy devastation to their foundations.
At the Public Landing the scene was wonderfully interesting. The mammoth wharf-boats, with immense steamers alongside, stood with their never-before-realized heights almost on a level with the uppermost window of the ancient Spencer House. Late in the afternoon the water had mounted above the top of the high bank at that locality, and was within dangerous proximity to the railroad track running through Front street. Horses compelled to wade to their bellies to reach the gangways of some of the boats, and hundreds of barrels and boxes of freight, taken from the packets, stood in the middle of the street, waiting transportation.
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AT COVINGTON.
The rapid rise in the river has caused considerable damage in the West End. The board walk in Willow Run was completely covered yesterday, as was that over Third street. People residing west of Philadelphia street were compelled to be ferried over in skiffs, and the manipulators of the oars realized quite a handsome sum yesterday. Licking rolling mill ceased operations yesterday on account of high water. Culbertson’s saw-mill, Hemingray’s glass-works and Mitchell & Tranter's rolling mill will cease operations to-day, thus throwing nearly two thousand people out of employment. Along Front street the water completely covers the side-walks. Commodore Collin was compelled to cease operations at the Dock-yards yesterday. He employs about fifty men. Captain Alexander Montgomery moved his horses out of his stables on the river bank, and suspended operations at the coke ovens.
The barges all along the river bank are securely fastened, and no losses were reported yesterday, with the exception of a few shanty boats. There is danger at the Water-Works. At a late hoar last night the water had nearly reached the supply pumps.
The distillery of Dorsel & Wolftang, the saw-mill above and the elevators all suspended work yesterday. Quite a number of shanty boats are sunk in Licking River, and this turbulent stream is pouring out at an alarming rate. Large piles of driftwood are coming down. None of the rolling-mills will be able to work until the river recedes considerably. The banks of the river and the bridges were lined with spectators yesterday.
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