Perry County, Ohio - Chapter 18: Cyclones and Floods, 1883

mile east of Rehoboth, and the storm of 1832 at a point some two and a half miles southeast of the-same village. There are diflerences of opinion about the direction from which the cyclone of 1832 came ; some claiming that it came from the south, and others that it came from the west or northwest, Such storms usually come from north of west; but the one of 1832 may have been anexception. 'This hurricane unroofed buildings, blew fences where they were never found, aud converted heavily wooded forests into labyrinths of broken, twisted, and slivered timber and brush. This ''fallen timber'' district, along the head waters of Bear Run, subsequently became the home and hiding place of large numbers of rabbits, and though most, if not all, of the tangled timber has been cleared away, Bear Runis noted as a rabbit hunting ground until the present day. At the time the cyclone came up, a circus show, was exhibiting at Rehoboth. The wind broke the center pole and blew over the canvas, creating a panic among showmen and spectators. No houses were blown down, though many were unroofed, and many families living in the, line of the storm took refuge in their cellars or other supposed places of safety. This storm, in its greatest severity, was confined to small portions of Pike, Clayton, Bearfield and Harrison townships.

The storm of 1845 indisputably came from the northwest. Persons standing a little out of its line describe it as having a grand, majestic, and yet frightful appearance. Dark, murky clouds were rolled, whirled, tossed and driven in every direction, whilst the body of the great mass moved swiftly and and steadily forward. The cyclone had its origin only three or four miles west of Rehoboth; and it spent its force three or four miles east of that village. Several houses were unroofed in Rehoboth, and many others to the eastward. The dwelling, a large log house, of Benjamin Banks, situated one-half mile north of Rehoboth, was blown so that scarcely one log was left upon another ; the household goods scattered in every direction, and some of the articles were never found. Strange to Say, the inmates of the house all escaped with very slight bruises. Ata number of places in the vicinity of Rehoboth, all kinds of trees were blown down, and not one left sté anding. Manv of the trees were blown up by their roots ; but most of them were e broken off a few feet above the ground. It was the work of days to clear open the public highways, through some of this fallen timber. Saddles, bridles, harness and other articles, were carried off, and many of them never recovered. No lives were lost in either of the storms of 1832 or 1845, though many marvelous escapes were made.

Turee Grear FLoops. - About 1834 or 1835 - the oldest inhahitants differ as to the exact year - there was a tremendous flood at New Lexington and vicinity. It was in July, and the farmers were cradling oats. The wonderful 'deluge was not preceded by any warning : many people were caught in it, and some of them were in danger of drowning, though no such calamity occurred. It had beena clear, calm day, and between four and five in the afternoon, a light cloud began to obscure the sky, and. unexpectedly to all observers, the rain was soon descending in torrents, though apparently not a breath of air was stirring. The rain lasted nearly an hour, and then ceased as suddenly as it began. The streams became marvelously swollen ; horses and men were swimming where an hour before had been dry I ind. Rush Creek was booming, and spread over all the bottom, from the New Lexington hill to the hills half a mile and more nor thward. Gr eat damage was done to crops and fences, but no buildings were washed away.

The New Lexington 7rzbunc, of August roth, after speaking of the flood at Corning and Rendville the previous Thursday, thus describes the flood at New Lexington and vicinity :

The wonderful rain-fall and flood of Saturday night, we will more particularly describe. From a New Lexington point of observation, the cloud was light, and approached slowly and gently from a westerl direction, and gradually the whole heavens became overcast, and the big rain drops began to fall. It rained hard and _ steadily for about an hour, but not harder than it had frequently done before, in former years. As soon as the long shower was over, it was discovered that Oxawoosie or Fowler's Run was raising very fast, and, at the west end of town was soon out of banks and overflowing the low lands adjacent. Soon after, Yerger's Run, which empties into Rush Creek a few rods below the mouth of the Oxawoosie, was observed to be still higher than its neighbor on the other side, and the great flow of water from these two tributaries, began to back water up Rush Creek, and the novel feature of logs, boards and other drift, flowing up stream, was for some time exhibited. The back water extended for more than a fourth of a mile from the junction of the two streams named with Rush Creek. A number of citizens were looking upon this novel back water scene, when a tremendous roar was heard up the creek, which is also up the track of the C. & M. V.R. R. One person suggested that it was an_approaching train. Another said no, it is the roaring of water. True enough, and in a very few minutes the floods.came, which meetin and uniting with the back water from Yerger's Run and Oxawoosie, rose three feet higher than was ever before known, and caused the water to flow into some forty or fifly dwellings ; and in some of them it was three or four feet deep. The sight was tolerably dark, and the sudden influx of water upon dwellings was very alarming. The degree of danger could not at once be known, and the screaming of women and children was frightful enough for a while, All, however, safely waded or were carried to higher grounds, and not a life was lost. The flow of water was so sudden and bewildering, that carpets and many other articles of houschold goods were seriously damaged. "The waters were booming tor hours, and did not recede much until after midnight.

The Ohio Central Railroad bridge across Rush Creek was carried away, and some of the adjacent track washed out. "Phe passenger train was standing near the Ohio Central depot, and a good part of the railroad bed was washed from under it. The iron bridge that spanned Rush Creek at the north end of Main street, was carried away. Jt floated off beautifully at first. with the street lamp attached to it, lighting up the scene; but fifteen or Wwenty rods down the stream the floating bridge was dashed against something, and the lighted lamp disappeared beneath the waves. The principal bridge, leading from up town to the C. & M. V. depot, escaped. * The bridge north of town, near Arnold's Mill, was for a time under water, but sately weathered the storm. "Phe railroad bridge of the C. & M. V., across Rush Creek, about threefourths of a mile north of town, was carried off, and the track for about a quarter of a mile washed out. The water and drift) had evidently gathered and dammed up at this poiit, on the north side of the railroad track, and when the break was made, everything went with a rush. The Ohio Central depot, though in an exposed situation, and thoroughly bumped and punched with drift wood, stood the racket well, and did not receive 'any serious injury.

The great rain and flood at this place have been sufliciently described, but some of the accessories to the flood are deserving of mention. "The gathering of waters and drift three-fourths of a mile above town already referred to, did much to swell the flood at New Lexington - just how much itis impossible to determine. When the new channel tor the creek was cut out, along the north side of the railroad, it was probably sufficient to carry all the water; but a thicket of willows and other young timber has gradually accumulated alony the banks, and reaching out over and into the creck bed, until the channel is far from what il should be. Here the water and drift dammed up, and when the bridge and track broke, everything went at once, and this damming up of the water of Rush Lae was the cause, in part, of the unusual back water from Fowler's and Yerger's Run, as well as. the extraordinary rise of Rush Creek at New Lexington. There is another reason for the unprecedented back water, al this place. 'Phe channel of Rush Creek' just below town, is very crooked, and is, at this time, much obstructed by logs and other drift, so that the great surplus of water havc no sufficient outlet.

There was a marvelous flood at Rendville and Corning on "Uhursday, August 3d,1882. A correspondent of the New Lexington 777bine, who was a witness of the whole affair, as nearly as oue person could

On Thursday afternoon we were visited by the most destructive flood that ever occurred on Sunday Creek. In about half an hour's time the water had risen fifteen feet, and was destroying everything in its course. Every bridge, county and railroad, was washed out between Moxahala tnnnel and two miles south of Corning, with the exception of the depot bridge at Corning, and it was saved by the torrent of water breaking over the track above the depot and running down the east side.

At Mine No. 2 the entire side track and about five hundred feet of main track was carried some distance down the stream. Six coal cars that were on the side track were scattered along the creek for some distance, two of them lodging against a tree about one-quarter of a mile below. \ At Middletown the water was up to the secon floor of the houses nearest the creek. One house was moved from its foundation. Both bridges at this place were swept away. At No. 3 bridges and the side track from the hill to the main track were swept out. The main track for some distance below the depot was washed from the road bed. The.water was from one to three feet deep in nearly all the houses in Rendville. The majority of the stores are losers to some extent - some of them quite heavy. The damage to the Sunday Creek Company's store is not less than $1,000. Shepperd & Co. lose about -$800. Clifford's saloon was the first building to go from Rendville. It went to pieces on the railroad bridge, carrying the bridge with it. Two houses belonging to Clifford were in great danger, with their occupants, who had not time to get out of the water as it'rose so rapidly. A house was washed from the foot of Main street and lodged on the railroad 'track. 'Iwo houses belonging to William McBride were washed away ; one of them, which was occupied by a family by the name of McMahon, having eight persons in it, fortunately lodged long enough against No. g bridge for them to be rescued before the house and bridge both went to pieces. 'lwo house belonging to George Venning were washed from their foundations and lodged against the Rill. Mrs. Burns was in one of the houses, sick, and was rescued while the house was in motion. The Sunday Creek Mine side-track was partially washed out and a number of loaded cars drifted some distance into the meadow. Between that point and Corning nearly all the main track is carried from the road-bed. | Frank Rogers had his entire stock of lumber floated off; also, the Jones Brothers, at Corning. About two miles of track below Corning is swept away. A number of small houses from the lower end of Corning were carried off. Two large houses were floated right across the end of Valley street. The Corning depot was flooded, and the boys abandoned it in a hurry, all striking for high grounds, except Agent McKay, who made for the platform of the old depot, and as the waters rose he mounted on a pile of beer cases and was thus enabled to defy the flood. Jim Cody, for the time, lost all interest in telegraphy, and took a sudden notion that he had business up town. Our Rendville agent, H. C. Bowles, although he thinks Rendville is no such a place as his old home in Virginia, did not want to leave on a floating depot, and made a rush for.the passenger train wnich was caught Lere 'by the flood. Mr. J. H. Harsh started from the store to his home near the mine when he saw the flood coming, and succeeded in getting to his house just before the water began to rush around it. He thinks he could have outrun the Champion Valley. Rend & Co. and No. 11 shaft were partly filled with water. Si Nelson, from Portervillé, was at the mill with two horses and an express wagon, which were swept away. Considerable stock was drowned.

It is impossible to give anything near a correct estimate of the damages of the flood in this valley, but it will not fall much short of $150,000. It will be several weeks before the mines are in full operation again. It will be several days before trains can get here.