Mad Waters

The Floods Bear Down On Augusta

 Carrying Destruction With It The Backwater
Midway between Second and Third streets

The West End Flooded From Ten to fifteen
Feet The Dreadful Engine of Destruction

 That Has Caused So Much Misery  

The flood last week was the most destructive one that ever visited this section, as it was the highest since the memorable freshet of 1832.  Every house on Font Street was vacated, and in some of them the water reached to the depth of four feet.  The backwater was up to the eaves in some of the houses in the west end, and many persons living in that locality lost all their household effects, provisions, etc.  The bottoms below town were also flooded and looked like a vast inland sea.

The water reached to N. J. Stroube’s Flour Mills, situated about half way between Second and Third Streets, and all the houses between that point and the river were flooded, and the inhabitants compelled to seek shelter on the high ground at the back part of town.

Man of the inhabitants living in the West End, having no place to go, were compelled to seek shelter in the City Hall, where the necessities were supplied by the charitable people of the town and surrounding community.

Flood Notes

L. P. Kneller will lose about $1,000.

The Mayor’s office looks like a wreck.

W. P. Harbeson’s loss was very light.

W. C. Fleming & Son will lose about $300.

The loss of R. Brockman will be very heavy.

The loss to Bradley & Co. is very little.

N. J. Stroube will lose about $8,000 in wheat, etc.

Geo. Grossman loses comparatively nothing.

The loss to the coal elevator of Jno. Ryar is very heavy.

Jno. Cablish’s loss will be about $600 on ice, stock, etc.

There were about 200 buildings inundated in this place.

Coburn & Stroube will lose almost their entire stock.

The barber shop of Moses Smith was slightly damaged.

Jim Bob Wilson the furniture man loses very little.

Henry Bertrams loss on his drug tock is comparatively light.

The brickyard of A. J. Ritter was considerably damaged.

Fences and outhouse are all on “their car” about town at present.

The flood has left the town in a terrible wretched condition.

Most of the stock of Jno. Ammer was saved in a damaged condition.

The loss to the Great Western and Kentucky Livery stables is very light.

The loss at the planning mills of Moneyhon, Keraus & Co. will be heavy.

The Dry Goods stock of J. E. Dunbar and P. B. Powers were not damaged in the least.

The saddler stock of J. A. Wallace and the cigar stock of Jno. Oldham were slightly damaged.

The contents of only seven small ice-houses are left in town; the flood wrecked the balance.

The grocery stock of Mingus, Omohundro & Co., and the dry good stock of J. S. Felix escaped damage.

The immense grocery stock of Armstrong & McCormick was handled with care and their loss will be very small.

From the appearance of his lots in the lower end of town, it looks as though Dr. Tom Bradford would have several small houses for sale.

J. S. Bradley went into his store in a skiff and furnished his customers with goods at the usual price.  Bully for Bradley.

The big-hearted butcher, Len Whitmeyer, dispensed meat from the shed in front of Rankins & Sons grocery.  May Len “live long and prosper.”

Ben Perham has proven himself to be a public benefactor during the recent flood, s he has worked all night and day assisting all in need without asking any remuneration for his services.

The water was about 8 inches deep in the grocery of Winter & Anderson, but Mr. Anderson waded in and supplied customers with goods at the usual price.  This firm did not extortion on the people because the water was high.

F. S. Andrews, the whole-souled landlord of the Taylor House, acted the part of the Good Samaritan during the flood by throwing open his doors and doing all in his power for the needy and destitute.  Mr. Andrews has proven himself a big hearted Christian gentleman, and he will long be remembered by the citizens of Augusta.

The shed in front of Dr. Bayless’ office, corner of Second and Upper, was broken down by the drift piling on it, and inside the office it looked like destruction, s the water rose so rapidly the doctor did not have time to move his instruments, drugs, furniture, etc, and when the floods subsided they were all found to be ruined.

The water was from five to seven feet deep long Upper Street, and there was quite a strong current running down Second Street, which carried bridges, railroad ties, and, in fact, drift of all kinds, on its bosom and deposited it against the houses, and lamp posts along the line.

The Brown Bros. took their steamer, Clipper, to the lower part of town and did valiant service in assisting people to leave their inundated dwellings. They performed this duty willingly and cheerfully and when offered pay for their services, declined to accept any compensation, but, on the contrary, offered to assist in any need “without money and without price.” Such men as the Brown Bros are God’s noblemen.

Every store in town was compelled to move their stocks, with the exception of Rankin & Sons, Wm. McKibben & Co., J. P. Reese, and Buerger & Winter.  All the stores on Upper Street have suffered more or less and in some instances the damage to stocks has been very heavy.

The steamer Lily landed at our wharf last Tuesday and left a lot of things to be distributed to the poor of this place.  She had been sent by the Chamber of Commerce of Cincinnati, with orders to stop at every house and distribute her stock of goods, to all in need, as far as they would go.  The things left here were thankfully received by Mayor Bradford and judiciously distributed by the Committee.

The Augusta Bulletin, February 24, 1883