CHAPTER VII.

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SOME MEMORABLE STORMS AND FLOODS.

THE CYCLONE OF 1887-A REMARKABLE HAIL STORM-THE HARDESTY FLOOD-THE FLOODS OF 1866, 1881 AND 1888-FLOODS ALONG THE OHIO-THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1884.

THE CYCLONE OF 1887.

The morning of the 17th of April, 1887, was an eventful day in the history of Belmont County in that, on that day, there swept over a portion of the county the fiercest tornado ever witnessed by our people.

It was an ideal spring morning, the fields were green, the forests were crowned with foliage, and the whole face of nature was brightened with the blossoms on the fruit trees. Soon the air became very sultry and hot and large clouds banked up in the western sky. Presently great drops of rain of unnatural size began to fall in torrents, and in localities hail; when the rain slackened, a peculiar stillness pervaded the air as the cyclone burst.

The cyclone started in an open field, just beyond the Infirmary, and looked like a great revolving funnel. The cloud reached from the heavens to the earth, dipping downwards and lifting upwards as it whirled over its path of destruction.

The route of the cyclone was eastward and moved with such swiftness and force that nothing could stay its fury. Crossing the Flushing Pike, it left a pathway of destruction 50 feet in width at the beginning, and widening to quarter of a mile. The large Infirmary barn and weigh scales were blown away like feathers. One tract of timber after another was completely swept away. Telegraph and telephoneposts were snapped off like pipe-stems. Whole orchards were uprooted and broken. The air was full of bridges, gates, outbuildings and fences; approaching St. Clairsville, a new and modern house of Calvin Patton was completely destroyed but the family miraculously escaped death by fleeing to the fields,—the loss upon this farm alone was upwards of $1,000. Nearby was a beautiful suburban home of Mrs. Mary Riley. This house and all the household furniture were practically destroyed, the loss here was upwards of $10,000.

Reaching St. Clairville, the destruction was frightful; scarcely a building in the town escaped injury, some were completely destroyed, many were unroofed; the Presbyterian and United Presbyterian churches were overthrown, and the streets were literally blockaded with timbers, bricks, roofs, telegraph poles, wagons and vehicles of every description. All the merchants had their stores unroofed and the rain that followed wrought great dam-age. The following day was the Sabbath; notwithstanding all the preachers in the town joined with their flock in working to repair the homes and the business blocks to shelter them from the storm.

Scores of citizens were more or less injured by falling roofs and tumbling walls, but miraculously no lives were lost.

Reaching the Fair Ground, all the new building erected at a heavy expense were carried

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away, and the stately old oaks that were the pride of the people were utterly ruined. Passing over St. Clairsville, the tornado reached the "big woods" on the farm of Judge Thompson,—this was perhaps the finest piece of timber left in Eastern Belmont County, but when the funnelshaped cloud raised above it and swept eastward, the beautiful grove was demolished. Nothing was left to mark the place where the "big woods" stood but a twisted, broken mass of timber.

From St. Clairsville it swept eastward over a pathway of destruction for 11 miles, leveling homes and barns. Within the cloud-encircling sweep were sheep and poultry and pigs, fences, gates and outbuildings.

The hilltops were brushed and the valleys were swept until it reached Martin's Ferry when the cloud burst over the river and disappeared.

In Martin's Ferry the destruction was fearful ; as in St. Clairsville, many homes were ruined, mills and factories were unroofed and 40 buildings of all kinds were destroyed. The streets were covered with debris of every description; scores of citizens were injured, but happily no lives were lost.

The loss inflicted upon the sufferers by this great tornado was estimated at upwards of a million dollars. Liberal contributions were made for the relief of the sufferers by many generous hearted citizens, not only of Belmont County, but of Wheeling, West Virginia.

A REMARKABLE HAIL STORM.

There are but few living today that have any recollection of the great hail storm of 1816. The storm occurred on Saturday, and three days thereafter hail stones of considerable size were gathered by the wayside. The grain and fruit growing in the belt of the storm were utterly destroyed, and many of the pioneer farmers, thereby unable to meet their obligations, were compelled to move out. These pioneers had purchased land from the government, but were obliged to sacrifice it because of the disaster.

THE HARDESTY FLOOD.

Early in the history of our county, probably in 1818, a flood occurred along the line of McMechen's Creek known as the "Hardesty Flood." The sudden rise of the water was doubtless clue to a cloudburst, for in a few moments a raging torrent swept down the valley entering many homes and working great destruction. The house of John Hardesty could not resist the force of the torrent, and was swept away and Mr. Hardesty and his wife and five children were drowned.

THE FLOODS OF 1866, 1881 AND 1888.

From a copy of the St. Clairsville Gazette on file in the auditor's office, we read the details of one of the host terriffic storms in the history of the county. On Sabbath evening, August 12, 1866, the storm swept over Wheeling Creek Valley from Flushing on the west to the Ohio River and beyond. For hours the sky was illuminated by continuous streams of lightning. The thunder pealed continuously and the rain fell in torrents. In a few hours, Wheeling Creek had overflown its banks and, at a point between Barton and the foot of the " big hill," the log house of Kellis Robinson was washed away, and father, mother and five children were drowned. At Oglebay's Mill, the creek broke over the narrow channel that carried the water into the dam, and, washing nearly an acre of land away, the course of the stream was completely changed.

A dwelling house near Flushing was struck by lightning and burned, while the large barn and stable of Bushrod W. Hogue was also destroyed by lightning.

The loss of personal property was terrible—some farmers lost their entire crop, fields of corn ranging from 10 to 30 acres were completely washed away and several small bridges between the foot of the " big hill " and Bridgeport, including the bridge at Kirkwood, were destroyed. In addition to the seven drowned, two were killed by lightning.

In the month of May, 1881, a rain storm

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of a character similar to that above narrated broke over . St. Clairsville and the country northward. The little stream running north of the town and known as "Jug Run" became a raging canal of water that swept its narrow channel from bank to bank, carrying off everything that was movable. Along the line of "Jug Run" fences and bridges were washed away, and the road was literally destroyed.

The St. Clairsville & Northern Railroad had just been completed at an expense of about $30,000, and in a brief hour was undone, and it became necessary to build the road anew. Many families were driven out of their homes by the water and numbers barely escaped with their lives.

The year following the great cyclone of 1887, previously mentioned, the St. Clairsville branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, with the exception of a mile or more near St. Clairsville, was literally washed away by an unprecedented flood on Little McMechen's Creek. The rain storm was a veritable cloud-burst, washing away houses, bridges and fences. A great wall of water surrounded an approaching train with a passenger coach well filled with passengers. The train was compelled to stop, and although the water nearly engulfed it, the engine and car withstood the shock and the passengers were saved. Nearly everyone living on the borders of the creek suffered and the railroad was so badly damaged it was necessary to rebuild it. The loss was estimated at $200,000.

FLOODS ALONG THE OHIO.

Four notable floods have occurred along our river front at different periods, caused by a sudden rise in the waters of the Ohio. The first of these memorable floods is known as the " Pumpkin Flood," and occurred in the fall of 1816 when the corn was in shock and the rich bottom lands were yellow with pumpkins. The water not only swept the river front, bearing upon its bosom countless pumpkins, but the backwater, following the channels of Wheeling and McMechen's creeks, extended back for miles, practically destroying the farmer's crops.

THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1884.

In 1832 and 1852 occurred similar floods to that narrated above which wrought great destruction. But perhaps the severest flood in the century just closed was the ' great flood of 1884.

When this occurred, the cities of Bellaire, Bridgeport and Martin's Ferry had become industrial centers with an aggregate population of upwards of 20,000. The river attained a height beyond that of any previous floods, completely inundating a portion of these towns and compelling the citizens to move to their upper stories or take to the hills.

The mills and factories were closed and many of them were under water. The streets were full of debris and the fields for miles back were covered with logs, and the destruction to fences, homes and barns by backwater was estimated at enormous figures.

At Bellaire the situation was appalling. Nearly the whole of the lower town from where Union street crosses the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad track was completely submerged.

The Bellaire Nail Works were flooded, and greatly damaged by drift. The Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad track from Gravel Hill to a point below Indian Run was badly torn up, washed out and twisted. The roundhouse and depot were submerged as were also the cars for freight and passengers. The Bellaire, Zanesville & Cincinnati and Ohio Valley roads were badly damaged, and the Aetna Manufacturing Works flooded to the second story. Many destitute and homeless women and children were quartered in the school houses and in the City Hall.

At West Wheeling and Bridgeport the scene was one that defies description. The towns were completely inundated. The only communication between Bridgeport and Kirkwood was by boats; all the bridges were under water and the river rose to the floors of the

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wooden bridge that spans the Ohio River at Bridgeport, against which logs, buildings and drift of every character collected to such an extent that it was feared the bridge would give way.

To add to the horrors of the scene, an explosion at Bridgeport caused a conflagration that destroyed $35,000 worth of property.

In Martin's Ferry the dwellings and mill on the low land were all under water. Great destruction was wrought and hundreds of people were left homeless. The government appropriated a relief fund of $300,000 to the flood sufferers along the Ohio River, of which Martin's Ferry, Bridgeport and Bellaire received $i,000 each.