Whitewater Township (part 14 of 17)

On the 17th of July, 1844, the road was opened to Xenia, sixty-eight miles, and the first train over the completed track to Springfield was run through, August 10, 1846, as stated above. The cost of the road up tothis time was $1,232,000. When afterward leased to the Pennsylvania Company it represented a value of about five millions. The property of the road had to be assigned to trustees before reaching Springfield - yet a dividend on the capital stuck had been declared as early as 1845, and thereafter, up to thetime of its lease, dividends were quite regularly declared to an average amount of ten per cent., and it still under its lease pays a handsome revenue to its owners. It has been financially one of the most successful railways in the world. The stock first came to par in 1852, after that of the Cleveland & Columbus, then reaching 120 before experiencing a fall. Its convertible bouds were rapidly turned into stock which is still largely held by the original parties or heirs. The only bonded indebtedness created was to the amount of $1,500,000, which was done for the purpose of meeting the expense of rebuilding and other improvements.

The original strap rail used on the road was, as soon as possible, displaced by T rail, the curves were straightened, the grades reduced, rolling stock increased, and other improvements made, which greatly facilitated the transportation business. It gave a fresh impetus to every branch of business, elevated the hopes of the people, and encouraged all from the merchant to the agriculturist.

On the Ist of May, 1849, one train per day, each way, commenced running between Cincinnati and Springfield. The connection for Sandusky was not completed until the latter part of 1848, when the Little Miami and the Mad River roads gave Cincinnati her first rail and water communication with the Atlantic coast. Connection for Columbus was made at Xenia by the Columbus & Xenia railroad, which was, however, not constructed until 1848-49, the first passenger train traversing it February 20, 1850. Soon afterward the members of the General Assembly made an excursion over the road, and its connection, the Little Miami, to Cincinnati." This is the first legislative excursion by rail known to history in Obio.

In 1850 Jacob Strader was the president of the road, and took an active interest in promoting its welfare. That year the whole number of passengers carried was 144,486, and the money received from them amounted to $204,589.87. Of these. 52,283 were through passengers to Springfield, and vice versa. They paid $125,000 in fares. The passenger business of that year, contrasted with that of to-day, gives the reader a vivid idea of the great increase in travel in forty-three years.

On the 80th of November, 1858, the two companies. operating each its own road, entered into an agreement by which both were operated as a single live; January 1, 1865, they came into possession, by lease. of the Dayton & Western, and the Richmond & Miami, railways; and later in the same year by purchase of the divisions of the Dayton, Xenia & Belpre road, between the two places first named. The partnership arrangement of 1853 was dissolved November 80, 1868, when the Little Miami Company took a lease for ninety-nine years of the Columbns & Xenia road, and all the rights and interests of that corporation in the Dayton & Western, Xenia & Belpre, and Richmond & Miami roads. Just one year (1870) and one day thereafter the P.,C. & St. L. (Pan Handle) leased, of the Little Miami Company, its own road, the branch owned by it from Xenia to Dayton. and all its rights in the Columbus & Xenia and other roads. The lease is for ninety-nine years, renewable forever, at an annual rental of 8 per cent. to the Little Miami Company on its eapital, besides interest on the funded debt of $5,000 yearly for expenses of organization, and the fulfillment of lease obligations to its own leased lines. These leases were effected in the palmy days of the celebrated Thomas A. Seott, when be was first vice-president of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. and just before he sueceeded Edgar Thomson as president of that great corporation, For suoacity. executive ability, and power to foresee and calculate futnre railroad results, it is generally conceded that he was the superior of any railroad president yet produced in this country.

The road is operated by the Pennsylvania Company, which was a party to the contract, and by whom its faithful performance was guaranteed. The track, several miles vf which leading out of Cincinnati is double, is in splendid condition, and the rolling stock is abundant and first-class in every respect. There are few, if any, more profitable railroads in the United States than the Little Miami. A few years ago the operating company erected a costly and elegant union station at the corner of Butler and Pearl streets, which is one of the best railroad buildings of the kind in the city. The total length of its lines is 193 miles: 84 on the main line, Cincinnati to Springfield; 17 on the branch, Xenia to Dayton; 55 from Xenia to Columbus, and 37 from Dayton to Indiana State line.

The Little Miami forms a part of the Pennsylvania Company's Southwest system of railways, which extends from Pittsburgh to St. Louis and Chicago. The distances from Cincinnati to a few important points are as follows: Columbus, 120 miles; Pittsburgh, 318; Indianapolis, via Richmond, Ind., 142; St. Louis, 382; Chicago, via Logansport, 298. George B. Roberts, Philadelphia, president; James McCrea, first vice-president, Pittsburgh; J. F. Miller, general superintendent, Columbus; E. A. Ford, general passenger agent, Pittsburgh; Samuel Moody, assistant general passenger agent, Cincinnati.

The Chicago, Hamilton & Dayton, popularly known as the ''C. H. & D.," was the second railroad to enter Cincinnati. It was chartered March 2, 1845, under the name of the '' Cincinnati & Hamilton Railroad Company." An act passed March 15, 1849, to amend the several acts relating to the company, gave it its present corporate name. The road was built without the aid of township subscriptions to its capital stock, and its bonds were sold at par. The construction of the road was pushed rapidly, and it was opened for business September 19, 185], or a little more than a year after work was commenced. For several years the road paid fair dividends, and promptly met all obligations. On February 18, 1869, the Cincinnati, Richmond & Chicago Railroad Company leased its road and property to the ''C. H. & D.,'' and assigned to that compauy also its lease of the Richmond & Miami railway. Previous to this, May 1, 1863, the railroad from Dayton to Toledo, belonging to the Dayton & Michigan Company, had been similarly leased, and a modification of said lease being made in the early part of 1870, gave it quite an extension and a. number of important connections. In 1872 the company purchased the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Indianapolis railroad, and added it to its system. The road forms an excellent means of communication between Cincinnati and points north to Toledo and Michigan points beyond, and with its connection with the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago railway, between Cincinnati and Chicago. The main line extends from Cincinnati to Dayton, Ohio, 59.93 miles, and the total length of all lines leased and owned amounts to 651.60 miles. The train service between Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Chicago over the Monon route represents the latest improvements of railway passenger service, these trains being heated by steam and lighted by electricity and the Pintsch gas system, equipped throughout with Pullman's perfected safety vestibules. The depot is located at the corner of Fifth and Baymiller streets. The general offices are in the new Carew building, Fifth and Vine streets, whither they were removed from No. 200 West Fourth street, on the Ist of September, 1893.

M. D. Woodford, the president of the ''C. H. & D.,'' was born at Fredonia, N. Y., October 27, 1888. After leaving school he became connected with the Krie railway, and after continuous service with the Michigan Central, Great Western railway of Canada, Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore road, U. S. division of the Canada Southern railway, Fort Wayne & Jackson route, Toledo, Ann Arbor & Grand Trunk railway, Wheeling & Lake Hrie railroad, Cleveland & Marietta railroad, Toledo Belt road, in June, 1889, became vice-president and general manager of the

Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton railroad, becoming president June 17%, 1890. In March, 1893, he also became president of the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling railroad.

Eugene Zimmerman, the vice-president, was born in 1848, at Vicksburg, Miss., and since 1878 has been prominent in railway interests as president of the Cincinnati & Green River, the Kentucky & South Atlantic roads and Dayton, Fort Wayne & Chicago railway, and since June, 1892, has held his present position, being also president of the Chesapeake & Nashville railway.

On the Ist of August, 1893, William M. Green was appointed to fill the responsible oftice of general manager. He is an experienced railroad man and accomplished gentleman.

C. G. Waldo was purchasing agent for the road previous to being promoted to the position of assistant to the president in August, 1892. The general superinten, dent, Charles Neilson, who was born at Hartford, Md., in July, 1849, has been actively engaged in railway service since 1869, assuming his present position in ISSGm eee Frederick Henry Short, secretary and treasurer, was born in Middletown, Conn., in 1825, and has been actively identified with railway service since 1848, having been with the Connecticut River railroad until 1852, when he became general clerk, paymaster, etc., of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton, becoming secretary and treasurer in May, 1857. In April, 1874, he became president of the road, holding that position until 1877, when he again became secretary and treasurer, thus having been over forty years continuously in its service....... The auditor, George W. Lishawa, was born in 1848, in New York, came to Cincinnati in childhood, and in 1865 began his railway service as a newsboy on the Ohio & Mississippi railroad, later becoming train and depot baggage master on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton; then clerk in the auditor's office, traveling auditor, chief clerk in auditor's office, and in 1887 he became auditor....... David G. Edwards, general passenger agent, succeeded E. O. McCormick in September, 18938, who resigned in August, 1893, to accept a higher position with the '' Big Four." ...... Alexander H. McLeod, general freight agent, was born at Point de Bute, N. B., in 1835, and has been identified with the freight departments of railways since 1861, having accepted his present position in October, 1875.

The Board of Directors, in addition to President Woodford and Vice-President Zimmerman, includes W. M. Ramsey, of Cincinnati, C. W. Fairbanks, of Indianapolis, and Messrs. M. T. Martin, Alfred Sully and H. F. Shoemaker, of New York; EK. T. Cole, of Marysville, Ohio, and George W. Davis, of Toledo, Ohio.

Ohio And Mississippi

This was the third line completed into Cincinnati. Its history dates back to 1848, the main line having been built by three companies - -the Obio & Mississippi Railroad Company, of Indiana, incorporated in 1848; the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad Company of Ohio, chartered in 1849, and the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad Company of Illinois, chartered in 1851. It was completed and opened in May, 1857, from Cincinnati to East St. Louis, and the road has had'many changes in ownership, and was reorganized under its present name in 1882. At the last meeting of the board, the road fell under the control of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, and the board of directors as now constituted is composed of Jobn H. Davis, W. Mertens, W. D. Searls, W. L. Bull, E. R. Bell and E. R. Bacon, of New York; Gen. James H. Wilson, of Wilmington, Del.; Edgar T. Welles, of New York; Julius S. Walsh, of St. Louis; B. S. Cunningham, of Cincinnati; Frank W. Tracy, of Springfield. Ill.; J. P. Heseltine, of London, England, and R. Suydam Grant, of New York.

The general officers now are Frank W. Tracy, president; Frank E. Tracy, assistant to president; Edgvard Bruce, New York, secretary; David Agnew, acting auditor; F. L. Jackson, treasurer pro tem; O. P. McCarty, general passenger agent, all having their offices in Cincinnati; C. C. F. Bent, superintendent at Cincinnati; L. C.

Fritch, engineer of maintenance of way, at Cincinnati; H. S. Hull, paymaster pro tem; A. Hayward, superintendent of telegraph at Cincinnati.

Frank W. Tracy, recently elected to succeed J. F. Barnard, has been interested in and a director of the road for a number of years, and is a prominent banker and capitalist of Springfield, Il]., while Frank E. Tracy, his assistant, is his son. The general offices of the company are at the Grand Union depot at Third street and Central avenue, Cincinnati, and, under the new management, the interests of this road and that of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern are to be amalgamated, the financial arrangements of the stock and bondholders now being under way, and when they are completed large improvements will be made, and the equipment greatly improved.

This railroad is of great importance to Cincinnati in giving access in a direct way to western producing sections and markets. It comprises the main line from Cincinnati to St. Louis, the Louisville branch from North Vernon, Ind., to Louisville; the Springfield division from Beardstown. Ill., to Shawneetown, II]., and the Bedford branch from Riverdale, Ind., to Bedford, Ind. The total length of all lines owned and operated is 640 miles, and the system forms the most important connection between Cincinnati and the Southwest, both in the transportation of freight and passenger travel. It affords to travelers from Cincinnati access to St. Louis in less than ten hours; to Kansas City with less time on the cars than by any other line; with its connections it is the direct and fast line to Omaha and the Northwest generally. There are three solid daily vestibule trains from Cincinnati to St. Louis, with day coaches, reclining chair cars, Pullman parlor cars and Pullman sleepers, and there is between these two terminal points no change of cars for passengers or baggage on any train or on any class of tickets. The company has recently had constructed, for its exclusive use, a line of elegant reclining chair cars, which are now in service on its evening trains, between Cincinnati and St. Louis, and Cincinnati to Springfield, Ill., both directions, which are free to passengers, and have also ordered 1,000 new freight cars. The distance between Cincinnati and St. Louis is 341 miles.

Baltimore And Ohio Southwestern Company

The Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad Company, which was originally incorporated as the Belpre & Cincinnati Railroad Company, March 8, 1845, forms a part of this line, and it was operated as the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad Company until February, 1883, when it was reorganized as the Cincinnati, Washington & Baltimore, purchasing at that time the Cincinuati & Baltimore and the Baltimore Short Line railroads, which had previously been operated under lease. Two months after foreclosure sale of the property the present company was organized in December, 1889, and succeeded to the ownership of the road, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company becoming owner of the common stock of this company, and guaranteeing the principal and iaterest of its first mortgage bonds.

The main line of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern extends from Cincinnati to Belpre, Ohio, 192.88 miles; and branches aggregating 87.95 miles, including the Hillsboro branch, from Blanchester, Ohio, to Hillsboro, Ohio; the Portsmouth branch, from Hamden, Ohio, to Portsmouth, Ohio, and the Marietta branch, from Belpre to Marietta, Obio, and it has a trackage arrangement over the Big Four line from Cincinnati Union depot to the I. & C. Transfer, giving its trains access to the Union depot in Cincinnati. é

This road is also widely famed for its superior suburban service, extending forty miles out to Blanchester. The line follows Mill creek, through the West End to Winton Place, traverses Duck Creek Valley, passing through the villages of Bond Hill, Norwood, Oakley, and Madisonville to the Heights of Madeira; down the valley of the Little Miami to Allendale, Remington and Symmes, crossing the river at Loveland, and thence over the table land to Blanchester. The company's management shows great liberality in promoting the settlement of these suburbs, and offers to each new resident, head of a family, building a permanent residence costing not. less than $1,000 at any station on its line between Ludlow Grove and Loveland, free transportation for the first year between such station and Cincinnati, besides a specially low rate on the material used in construction of such residence.

The company is officered as follows: Edwin R. Bacon, of New York. president; W. W. Peabody, vice-president; William E. Jones, treasurer, and W. W. Peabody, Jr., secretary, all three of Cincinnati; I. G. Rawn, general superintendent; O. P. McCarthy, general passenger agent, and Charles H. Keenig, district passenger agent. Mr. Peabody, who has active direction of the operations of the road, was born in Maine in 1836, and from 1852 to 1877 he served on the Marietta & Cincinnati road successively as assistant engineer, president's private secretary, paymaster, master of transportation, superintendent and general manager. From 1877 to 1880 he was superintendent and general manager of the Ohio & Mississippi railway; and from 1883 to November, 1886, was president and genera] manager of the Trans- Ohio division of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, at the Jatter date assuming his present position with this road. The treasurer, William E. Jones, was born in Frederick county, Maryland, in 1847. In 1865 he became a clerk in the president's office, and in 1867 vice-president's secretary, with the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. In November, 1869, he was appointed cashier and registrar of the Marietta & Cincinnati railroad, becoming treasurer of its successor, the Cincinnati, Washington & Baltimore railroad in 1883, remaining as such with the present company; and since October 8, 1892, be has also been treasurer of the Continental Fast Freight line.

I. G. Rawn, general superintendent, is a native of Delaware, Ohio, became a telegraph operator on the "* Bee Line'' in 1870, later was train dispatcher and train master; became master of transportation on the Kentucky Central, October, 1887, and in January. 1889. division superintendent and superintendent of transportation on the Chesapeake & Ohio railway, leaving that position in. January, 1890, to assume that which he now holds.

Orin P. McCarty began railroad service in 1864 as clerk in the general ticket office of the Cincinnati & Chicago Air Line railway; became assistant general ticket agent of the Union Pacific railway in 1881; chief rate clerk of the Trunk Line Passenger committee of New York, November 1, 1887; chief clerk in general passenger office Baltimore & Ohio railroad in May, 1888; assistant general passenger agent in August, 1889, and on March 1, 1890, also general passenger agent of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern.

There is no railroadof the many entering Cincinnati that enjoys greater popularity than the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis. better known as the " Big Four." It is especially a Cincinnati enterprise, having its general offices in Cincinnati. Its magnificent Union depot is a credit to the company and the admiration of travelers. The road is a consolidation of numerous previously existing companies and lines, some dating back to the early history of railroading in the West. The Rushville & Lawrenceburg Railroad Company was organized in 1848, and the following year the name was changed tothe Lawrenceburg & Upper Mississippi Railroad Company. This company built the road from Lawrenceburg to Shelbyville, and the Shelbyville Railroad Company constructed it from Shelbyville to Indianapolis; the line being completed from Lawrenceburg to Indianapolis in November, 1858, trains being run into Cincinnati over a third rail on the Obio & Mississippi railroad December 38, 1858, the two companies owning the road consolidated as the Indianapolis & Cincinnati Railroad Company. The Lafayette & Indianapolis Company was incorporated January 19. 1846, completing its road from Indianapolis to Lafayette in June, 1862. and in 1866 this road was purchased by the Indianapolis & Cincinnati, the consolidation becoming the Indianapolis, Cincinnati & Lafayette Railroad Com- pany. The same year the company acquired by perpetual lease the Cincinnati & Indiana, and in 1870 the property went into the hands of a receiver, and a new company, reorganized in 18738, operated it until 1876, when it again went into the hands of a receiver, thus continuing until foreclosure sale in February, 1880, when the bondholders purchased it and organized the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis & Chicago Railway Company. The company has acquired the Kankakee line between Cincinnati and Chicago, Kankakee & Seneca road, owned jointly by this company and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Company, with whose line it connects at Seneca, Il.; the Columbus, Hope & Greensburg railroad from Columbus, Ind., to Greensburg, Ind.; the Lawrenceburg branch from Lawrenceburg to Lawrenceburg junction, Ind., all owned by the company, besides a number of leased lines, including the Harrison Branch railroad; Fairland, Franklin & Martinsville railroad; Cincinnati, Lafayette & Chicago railroad, and Vernon, Greensburg & Rushville railroad. On June 27, 1889, it acquired the entire system of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis railroad, popularly known as the '' Bee Line," when the name of the entire system was changed to the present style.

The properties thus acquired constituted one of the most important of Ohio roads, having been originally chartered March 12, 1845. The '' Bee Line'' became a popular connection between Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, and between Cleveland, Indianapolis and St. Louis, and when acquired by the "' Big Four," made of that a compact system, radiating from Cincinnati as its principal point, Northeast to Cleveland, Northwest to Indianapolis & Chicago with other lines to Peoria, St. Louis and Cairo, Ill.; the '' Big Four' also controlling the White Water Valley; Cincinnati, Wabash & Michigan; Cairo & Vincennes; Ohio, Indiana & Western; Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland; Columbus, Springtield & Cincinnati, and other lines. This system connects at the Central Union station in Cincinnati with the trains of the Chesapeake & Ohio; Queen and Crescent; Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern; Lonisville & Nashville; and Kentucky Central railways for all the principal points in the East, Southeast and South. The total length of all lines owned, leased and operated in the " Big Four'' system amounts to 2,336.11 miles.

The board of directors is composed of Cornelius Vanderbilt, William K. Vanderbilt, Chauncey M. Depew, J. Pierpont Morgan, George Bliss, H. McK. Twombly and James B. Layng, of New York; S. J. Broadwell, Alexander McDonald, Melville E. Ingalls and William P. Anderson, of Cincinnati; Amos Townsend and James Barnett, of Cleveland; Benjamin S. Brown, of Columbus, George A. Farlow, of Boston.

The company is officered as follows: Melville E. Ingalls, president, J. D. Layng, vice-president, Oscar G. Murray. second vice-president. On the Ist of September, 1893, E. O. McCormick, for a long time general passenger agent of the "C, H. & D.,'"' was appointed passenger traffic manager, a new office just created. The other offices are: E. F. Osborn, secretary, Frank D. Comstock, treasurer, F. A. Hewitt, auditor, and D. B. Martin, general passenger and ticket agent.

Chesapeake And Ohio Railway Company

Another valuable acquisition to the railroad interests of Cincinnati was the entrance of the Chesapeake & Ohio railway into the city. This company was reorganized in October, 1888, under its present management, and has been made a specially valuable feeder to the commerce of Cincinnati, besides being a convenient means of transportation for passengers to all Virginia points, Washington and the East. The company has a total mileage of 1,173.8 miles, and over this road runs the widely famed ''F. F. V.'"' or " Fast Flying Virginia" solid vestibule train, which is one of the finest and most complete trains ever built by the Pullman Company, affording Pullman sleeping cars to Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Richmond and Old Point Comfort with the "F. F. V.'' dining car running through to New York. It is also the short line to the Southeast, ranning from Cincinnati via Clifton Forge to Lynchburgh and Danville, Va., and Greensborough, Salisbury and Charlotte, N. C. It is the only direct line to Richmond and Old Point Comfort from Cincinnati, and affords the attractions of safety and luxury of travel, a firstclass road bed and equipments, through trains all vestibuled, lighted with electricity and heated with steam, while the route followed by the line is one of the finest as regards scenery in the country, and reaches more points of historic interest than any other line in America, being the only line extending through the Virginia battlefields. In every respect that regards the convenience and comfort of the traveling public this road may compare with the best in the country, and all has been accomplished as the result of the ability and enterprising management of M. E. Ingalls, who has been president of the company since its reorganization in October, 1888.

Previous to this the road had been for several years in the bands of a receiver, and was in bad shape both physically and financially; but it has been thoroughly rehabilitated and now with new road bed, 75-pound steel rails and first-class rolling stock has been put upon a substantial basis with earnings largely increased. Mr. Ingalls, who has also been for twenty years at the head ofthe '* Big Four" system, is recognized as one of the most accomplished railway managers in America. In addition to President Ingalls, the officers of the executive department are George T. Bliss, of New York, first vice-president; Decatur Axtell, of Richmond, Va., second vice-president, and C. E. Wellford, also of Richmond, secretary. The headquarters of the operating department are at Richmond, George W. Stevens being general manager, while H. W. Fuller is general passenger agent, with headquarters at Washington, D. C., and C: B. Ryan is assistant general passenger agent at Cincinnati,

The company has twenty or more summer resorts of national reputation along their line, including the Natural bridge, reached by the James River division from Clifton; White Sulphur springs, W. Va., on the main line, and the Warm, Hot and Healing springs, reached by a trench road twenty-five miles from Covington, Va. This property is owned by a party of gentlemen, including M. E. Ingalls. Drexel, Morgan & Co., William H. Anderson and others, who have expended $1,000,000 in improvements during the last two years. -

The Chesapeake & Ohio crosses the Ohio river at Cincinnati on a magnificent iron bridge, which, including its approaches, is 4,812 feet in length, 105 feet above low-water mark, and cost the enormous sum of $3,348,678.

Louisville And Nashville Railroad

Another commercial factor of great value to Cincinnati is the Louisville & Nashville railway. Its northern terminus is at the Little Miami station, and the road provides excellent facilities for the extensive southern trade, which finds an outlet here.

Its headquarters are at Louisville, and its connections here include the Kentucky Central division and the Louisville, Cincinnati & Lexington division. On this road double daily trains are run between Cincinnati and Louisville, and New Orleans, Jackeonville and Tampa, Fla., and Memphis, Tenn. Over one or the other of its branches nearly every southern point is reached, and it reaches farther south than any other road out of Cincinnati. The company's Cincinnati offices are on the seventh floor of the Chamber of Commerce. Brent Arnold is superintendent of terminals, and general freight agent for the Kentucky Central division. He is a Kentuckian, but has resided in Cincinnati for twenty-six years, was for eighteen years general agent here for the Louisville, Cincinnati & Lexington railroad, becoming superintendent when that road was purchased by the Louisville & Nashville. Samuel F. B. Morse, division passenger agent of the company here, has been in railway service since 1874, became general passenger agent of the Kentucky Central in 1886, and assumed his present position in January, 1892.

The Louisville division, which runs from Cincinnati, known as the '' Short Line,'' bas recently been entirely reconstructed. All the bridges have been renewed with iron and steel structures of the most approved style of construction, designed for the heaviest type of rolling stock; all the masonry has been repaired, old culverts have been rebuilt, and new ones constructed, so as to make the drainage of the roadbed perfect. Passengers have the choice of departing from, or entering, Cincinnati at either the Central Union or L. & N. and Pennsylvania stations. Four daily trains in each direction are run between the twocities. The distance is 110 miles. The local officers are: Y. Van Den Berg, traffic manager; J. G. Metcalfe, general manager; C. P. Atmore, general passenger agent.

Cincinnati, Portsmouth And Virginia

Prominent among the well-managed railways that center in Cincinnati is that conducted under the style of the Cincinnati, Portsmouth & Virginia Railroad Company. The main line ofthe road from Cincinnati to Portsmouth was formerly known as the Ohio & Northwestern, which was sold under foreclosure March 13, 1890, the present company being organized to take over the property in June, 1841. Besides operating its own line between Cincinnati and Portsmouth, the company also operates the Columbus & Maysville railway between Sardinia and Hillsboro, and the company utilizes an ample equipment of rolling stock, its passenger service consisting of four trains each way daily. The general offices of the company are on the fifth floor of the United Bank building, at the corner of Third and Walnut streets, and its terminal in Cincinnati is at the Court Street station, which is occupied jointly by this road and the Cincinnati, Lebanon & Northern railroad. The officers of the company are Samuel Hunt, president and general manager; Thomas Hunt, secretary and treasurer; W. D. Gray, anditor; E. F. Gray, general freight and passenger agent; J. C. Gleason, train master, and J. C. Homer, master mechanic. Mr. Hunt, the president, is an experienced railroad man, having formerly been division superintendent of the Missouri Pacific railway at Winfield, Kans., in February, 1888, becoming general superintendent of the Ohio & Northwestern road, and becoming president and general manager for the existing company upon its organization. Thomas Hunt, the secretary and treasurer, is a brother of the president, and William D. Gray, the auditor, has been in railway service since 1878,and connected with this road through its different organizations. All of the otber officers are gentlemen of, experience in the various duties belonging to their respective positions, and the road is run upon a practical basis, and forms a valuable feeder to the business interests of Cincinnati. The distance between Cincinnati and Portsmouth is 106 miles.

Cincinnati, Lebanon And Northern

The Cincinnati, Lebanon & Northern Railway Company was organized August 1, 1885, as successor to the Cincinnati Northern Railway Company, whose road was sold under foreclosure June 27, 1885. 'It is appropriately named the '* Highland'? route, for while the flood of 1884 reached the height of seventy-one feet above ordinary low-water mark, this was the only railway line running into the city which was not submerged. It gives the best service to the people of Cincinnati, Norwood, Mason, Lebanon and intermediate points on its road, and with a fine service of twenty daily trains each way, affords special advantages to those who select residencs along its route. The Board of Directors is composed of George Hafer, George Bullock, Theodore Cook, Thomas J. Emery, A. 8S. Winslow, Joseph B. Thoms and L. C. Weir, Mr. Hafer being president and treasurer. He was formerly receiver of the old Cincinnati Northern Railway Company, becoming president of the present company upon its organization. The other officers are Clay Rockwell, auditor, and John P. Winslow, secretary. Mr. Winslow is a well-known member of the Cincin- nati bar, while Mr. Rockwell, who has been with this company four years, was formerly employed by the Chicago & Erie railway as general bookkeeper. He also acts as general passenger agent for the road.

Cincinnati And Westwood Railroad

This road is an important suburban line, running from the depot of the " Cagctl & D.," to Glenmore, a distance of eight miles. Thirteen passenger trains are run daily, each way, to accommodate the travel. The officers are: J. N. Gamble, president; P. M. Williams, vice-president; A. D. Shockley, treasurer; N. G. Hildreth, secretary; M. H. Crawford, general traffic manager; J. K. Dimmick, assistant general traffic manager. The offices are in room No. 5, United Bank building, Cincinnati.

Cincinnati, Georgetown And Portsmouth

This company owns and operates the line of narrow-gauge railway from Cincinnati to Georgetown, a distance of 42 miles. It starts from Columbia, in the First Ward, where connection is made with the Little Miami railroad, and passes through Forestville, Bethel, and Hamersville, to its point of destination. * Along its line there are unsurpassed inducements to home-seekers, and there are also fine picnic grounds at Shinn's Grove, Crane's Grove, and Berry's Grove, and a camp-meeting and picnic ground at Amelia.

The terminus proper of the narrow-gauge is at the station of the Little Miami railroad, Butler and Pearl streets. The president, Ralph Peters, is also division superintendent of the Cincinnati division of the Pan-Handle railroad. He has been president of the Cincinnati, Georgetown & Portsmouth railroad since 1888. The vice-president and general freight and passenger agent, E. W. White, who is a native of New Hampshire, is a gentleman of extended railway experience, was formerly in the general office of the ''Big Four," but has held his present position since 1885. J.C. McQuiston, the superintendent of the road, was formerly roadmaster of the Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Lafayette division of the "Big Four" system, and is a thoroughly experienced man. H. G. Roelker serves the company as secretary and treasurer. :

Cincinnati Southern Railway

It was long the dream of Cincinnati to have direct railway communication with the extreme southern States, the seaboard and the Gulf, for the purpose of drawing trade hither; but owing to opposition and other drawbacks, many years rolled away before the dream was fully realized. As early as 1837 a charter was procured to build a railway from Charleston, 8. C., to Cincinnati, the Palmetto City to become the terminal on the seaboard for the commerce of the Queen City. But Kentucky made objections to the line passing through her territory, and the project was reluctantly abandoned. In the meantime the Civil war put a stop to the project. On the restoration of peace, however, it was revived, and stronger efforts made to carry the scheme through. Under date of May 19, 1869, an act was secured from the legislature authorizing the city of Cincinnati to issue bonds to the amount of ten million dollars, to be used in the construction of a railroad to Chattanooga, which had been fixed upon as the objective point. Chattanooga being the gate city to the South, New Orleans, Charleston and Memphis could easily be reached by other railroads from that terminal. Kentucky still looked upon the movement coldly because of the antagonism of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company, which was jealous of a great competing line passing through their territory. The permission by the legislature to issue bonds had to be endorsed by the taxpayers of Cincinnati, and there was strong opposition of course. After an exciting fight, however, the measure was endorsed by a majority vote, and the great enterprise

'was put under way in December, 1873. After a short time it was found necessary to raise more money, and a second investment of six million dollars was voted in 1876. The work of construction was vigorously prosecuted, but before the road was completed it became necessary to raise more money by a third loan. And when the railroad was fioished in 1881, Cincinnati found that she had twenty million dollars invested in the enterprise.

The completion vf the road, popularly known as the "Queen and Crescent, " was hailed with delight by the people, and a great convention, at which all the officials of the Southern States were represented, was held in Music Hall in honor of the opening of this great southern thoroughfare. There was a banquet and speeches, and the meeting was closed by entering into a compact between the North and the South to perpetuate commercial harmony between the two sections of the country.

In the construction of this railroad Cincinnati enjoys the peculiar distinction of being the first city in the world to build a railway on its own account. When it was finished the road and all its properties were leased to a corporation known as the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railway Company, for twenty-five years from the 12th of October, 1881, upon a basis of an increasing rental, limited at the highest point to $1,250,000. Recently the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company secured a controlling interest in the lease, and assumed the management, but being unable to meet the interest due the city, the road passed into the hands of a receiver early in 1893.

Mayor Mosby regards the railroad worth every dollar it cost the city, and in the hands of a strong company would become a dividend-paying property, and he therefore advocates its sale. In speaking of the resources of the city he says: ''There is probably no city in the United States that possesses an asset that is entirely foreign to municipal government, the disposal of which would entirely pay its indebt- , edness, and therefore it is safe to say that Cincinnati is the richest municipal government in the United States."

It is believed by many, however, that, if the city retains control of this railway, in course of time the property wili so appreciate in value that the interest on the investment will pay the taxes of the city. The interests of the city are looked after by a board of trustees, consisting of five members, appointed by the Superior 'Court. Under the terms of the lease, the company now operating the road does distinctly agree that a sum of $12,000 will be paid every year to maintain that board. 'The lessee company, in other words, pays each trustee $2,000, and the remaining $2,000 is to defray the salary of the secretary and offica expenses.

The distance to Chattanooga from Cincinnati, via the '' Queen and Crescent," is 338 miles; New Orleans, 830. On leaving Cincinnati, the Ohio river is crossed on a splendid trestle bridge from the foot of Horn street to Ludlow, Ky., about one mile in length (including its approaches), and 1023 feet above low-water level. It was commenced in 1875, and completed in December, 1877, at a cost, exclusive of the right of way, of $811,683. The route then lies through the rich farming lands of the famous '' Blue Grass" section of Kentucky; the beautiful city of Lexington (eighty-two miles distant), the former capital of the State and home of the peerless

Henry Clay, whose monument is in plain view from the car windows; High Bridge, where the road crosses the Kentucky river, one of the grandest scenes on the continent; thence through the foot-hills of the Cumberland range, and on amidst picturesque and charming scenery to Chattanooga, with Missionary Ridge and the battlefields in view. ;

The officers of the traffic department of the Cincinnati & Southern, with headquarters in Cincinnati, are as follows: S. M. Felton, receiver; D. Miller, traffic manager; D. G. Edwards, general passenger and ticket agent; G. P. Biles, assistant general freight agent. The offices are in the St. Paul building, West Fourth street.

Cincinnati Northwestern Railway

This line, which affords great convenience to suburban passenger travel, runs from Cincinnati to Mt. Healthy, a distance of fourteen miles, passing through Cumminsville. College Hill, Belmont, Mt. Airy and Summit Grove, to point of destination. Nine passenger trains, each way, are run. The officers of the road are as follows: Robert Simpson, president. and general manager; John R. Davey, vicepresident; Henry Bohl, treasurer; W. T. Simpson, secretary; Arthur Waters, superintendent: John E. Bruee, general counsel; F. H. Simpson, passenger agent. The general officers are in Cincinnati.

The foregoing railroads may be regarded as special Cincinnati enterprises, but altogether there are twenty railroads, either by direct lines or traffic arrangements, which converge upon the city, and give it direct communication with all points. Nearly all the foreign roads, thus entering the city, maintain offices in Cincinnati, for the purpose of soliciting business for their lines.

The street-railway system of Cincinnati is exceptionally fine, rendering it possible to reach all points, including the distant suburbs and towns on the Kentucky side of the river, quickly and cheaply, five cents being the universal rate of fare. In early times passengers desiring to ride to their homes were carried in omnibuses, stage coaches, and other slow-motion vehicles. -This mode of transit was not only slow, but expensive, when compared with the speed and cost of the present day. Streetcar routes were first authorized by ordinance bearing date July 1, 1859, which prescribed the terms and conditions upon which they could be operated. Previous to starting the original companies were compelled to buy out, at a valuation agreed upon by arbitration, the omnibus and stage lines running at that time, which, with other onerous exactions, resulted in bankrupting in a very few years every streetrailroad company organized at that time.

Route No. 1 was established by ordinance passed July 13, 1859, and extended from Fourth and Main streets to Fifth, to Western row (now Central avenue), to the then '' Brighton House,'' returning on Baymiller to Findlay, to John, and Fourth to Main. Subsequently authority was granted and the direction of the route reversed. July 25, 1879, an extension was granted from the " Brighton Honse"' corner, by double track on Harrison avenue and Westwood ayenue to the terminus of the latter, Subsequently an extension was made. The circuit length of the line is 8.37 miles. Horses are still used. Routes 2, 4. 5, and 7 were established under the same ordinance, all running in different directions, except route 7, which was not. authorized until January 2d, 1860. No. 6 was never constructed. On October 25, 1889, route 7 was extended over route 5, and electric motor power authorized. This route has since been extended over other lines.

*For the history in detail. in which all the streets traversed by the various lines are named. see annual message of Mayor John B. Mosby, April, 93. pp. 388-48. To that elaborate report the writer is indebted for the facts contained in this condensed history of the railway system.

No. 8 was established August 19, 1864. Subsequently it was extended, and the owners constructed, under the steam railroad law, an inclined plane and obtained the right under ordinances passed December 1, 1871, and October 27, 1875, to extend existing tracks in such manner as to reach the incline, both top and bottom. By resolution of the Board of Public Works, passed September 24, 1885, the company was authorized to adopt electricity, and subsequently they were authorized to extend their line to Carthage. The length of the circuit is 17 miles, and the fare is five cents to the corporation line and ten cents beyond.

Route No. 9 was originally established October 8, 1868; October 22, 1886, it became a cable line propelled by steam machinery. No. 10 was established as a horse line January 12, 1872; January 30, 1880, extensions were granted; December 20, 1881, further extensions were authorized, and a change to cable permitted.

Routes No. 11 and 12 were not built. No. 13 was established December 29, 1874. The Cincinnati Street Railway Company. which constructed this line to Avondale, purchased at an expense of $65,000 to $70,000 the Reading turnpike to the corporation line of Avondale, graded it down and operated it for some years as a horse-car line. October 18, 1889, electricity was authorized. The circuit length is 17.13 miles and the fare is five cents one way. No. 14 was laid out and an effort made to establish it by council proceedings, which failed. It was called the " gridiron,'' as it jumped all over the city nearly, touching the foot of each of the inclined planes. No. 15 was established September 29, 1876, and ran between Fountain Square and the Mt. Adams incline. No. 16 was started November 16, 1877, and ran from the upper depot of Mt. Adams incline via Eden Park to the corporation line. On March 22, 1886, an ordinance was passed authorizing routes 10 and 16 to use cable. The circuit length is 11.98 miles. No. 17 was established October 24, 1879, as an extension of the Mt. Auburn line (route No. 8), but it was never constructed except as a part of other routes.

Route No. 18, established by ordinance March 26, 1880, commenced on Colerain pike opposite entrance to the Wesleyan cemetery, and after passing through various streets meandered on down to Fountain Square. October 27, 1886, an extension was granted and authority granted to use electricity. This is the only instance in the city where the fure has been actually increased, but it was likewise the first electric road constructed, and electricity was but an experiment. October 18, 1889, an extension was granted, and the circuit is 138.59 miles. No. 19 was established by ordinance, but has never been constructed. No. 20, known at the time of its establishment as the '"' grass-hopper,'' jumped about from one existing line to another so as to get a route by building very little track from Fifth and Main streets to Dalton and Liberty, was authorized February 24, 1888, but never constructed. No. 21 was established September 8, 1882, and runs from the top of Price-Hill incline to St. Peter's cemetery out in the country, and is operated as a horse line. Circuit length 3.13 miles. No. 22 was established June 25, 1886, and runs on Sycamore street from Fourth to Burnet avenue, thence through Avondale to Main avenue. It isa cable road, and the circuit is eight miles.

The ordinance awarding the contract for route No. 23 was passed May 25, 1892. It commences at Central and Colerain avenues, and after running some distance ascends on an incline and runs to North corporation line. No. 24 was authorized in 1892, but it was not constructed.

The Spring Grove avenue line originally ran from Harrison avenue along Spring Grove avenue to the cemetery of Spring Grove. On March 19, 1880, it was extended by ordinance to Fountain Square. In July of that year the road and its extensions were acquired by the Cincinnati Street Railway Company, and the circuit length of the route as now operated is 13.32 miles. The extension grants twenty-five years.

The Kighth street line was originally established as a line running from Sedamsville, along the Lower River road to Slop street, obtaining its grant from the township trustees. On July 2, 1875, an ordinance was framed by the council of Cincinnati extending the route on Main to Evans, to Kighth, to Central avenue, to Sixth, to Walnut, to Fourth, to Elm, to Eighth, and returning to foot of Price-Hill incline. On August 23, 1876, an additional extension was granted, and still another March 2, 1877. The route is owned and operated by the Cincinnati Street Railway Company, and at this writing (August, 18938,) it is hard at work on an extension which will be of great service to the public. The original grant was perpetual - the extension is for twenty-five years. The regular route is a tive-mile circuit, and its branches 4.25 miles.

Lines Across The River

The Newport & Cincinnati Street railroad and the Cincinnati & Newport Street railroad grant, passed February 25, 1881, commencing at the Newport and Cincinnati bridge, running west on Pearl street to Broadway, Broadway to Fourth, Fourth to Walnut, Walnut to Fifth, east on Fifth to Broadway, south on Broadway to Pearl, east on Pearl to Newport and Cincinnati bridge, over which it passes to the city of Newport and Bellevue and Dayton.

The South Covington Street railway and the Newport, Covington & Cincinnati Street railway, under ordinances passed September 1, 1871, and November 2, 1877, were permitted to run cars from the Suspension bridge on Front to Walnut, Walnut to Fifth, thence to Vine, south on Vine to Front, east on Front to Suspension bridge, over which it passes to the city of Covington.

The South Covington & Cincinnati Street Railway Company has opened the York street line to Newport. This line has only a few hundred feet of construction within the city limits, as the cars are operated over the lines of the other railroads from the foot of Broadway to Fountain Square.

A line has recently been extended to Fort Thomas, in Kentucky, which affords easy and quick communication with that point from Fountain Square. A ride over this route is a charming one as a splendid view of the city and surrounding country is had from the hills of Kentucky.

A summary of the electric railways in the city shows a total of 255 miles of wire and 4,764 poles used to operate a total of 274 cars, equipped with about 8,640 horse-power in electric motors. There are at the present writing twenty-two separate street railway lines, but this number will soon be increased to meet the demands of the growing city and suburbs. In 1875 there were only forty-five miles of streetear tracks; to-day there are nearly 200. In a short time all horse-car lines will have disappeared from the streets, and only electricity and steam (cable) will be in use. The horse-car has had its day; let it give way to the greater power and more desirable improvement of modern times.

Nearly all the foregoing street-car lines start from, and return to, Fountain Square, that being the center, as it were, of the system. It is an interesting sight to stand, on a corner opposite this square and watch the numerous cars arriving from the four points of the compass, crossing each other's tracks in symmetrical curves, and departing to make their circuits. And as they move with clock-like precision, the scene is particularly animating to the observer who witnesses it for the first time. This radiating center enables a stranger to secure a car to any point in the city or suburbs without trouble, as all bear the names of the places to which they run.

Chapter Xix Great Floods In The Ohio

EARLIEST GREAT FLOoop Known To Wuitrk MeN - TaBLE SHOWING THE STAGE OF HIGH WATER FOR Srxty YEARS - THE FRESHETS OF 1847 AND 1883 - GREAT FLOOD oF 1884 - TABLE SHOWING THE RISE AND FALL OF THE WaTER During FrEBRUARY - WORK OF RELIEF COMMITTEES - PHYSICAL HISTORY OF THE FLOOD.

S the Ohio* river drains a wide scope of country, it has been subjected to many great floods since the advent of the white man. What they were anterior to that date we know not. From the earliest times it was regarded as a beautiful stream. When first visited by the French voyagers in the latter part of 1600, they were so impressed with its beauty that they named it La Belle Riviere. Tradition tells us that in early times the channel was narrower than it is to-day. The banks were lined with trees, vines and creepers, which, in many places, extended to the water's edge. After the trees were cut away the channel gradually widened, as there was no longer any resistance offered by roots and vines to the encroachments of the water during high stages. The direction of the current, too, was changed in many places on account of shifting sands and the formation of bars.

The first account we have of high water was in 1773. Three brothers, James, George and John Medfee, of Botetourt county, Va., visited the Ohio Valley for the purpose of seeking a place to settle. Early in June, 1773, they started in canoes from the mouth of the Kanawha, and descended the Ohio rapidly, because of a great flood in the river. This flood, it is said, was twelve feet higher than the - great floods of 1832 and 1847. This is doubtful, for such a stage of water would have made it higher by three feet than the flood of 1884, which is the highest of which we have any authentic record. It is supposed that it was this flood (1778), the height of which was afterward found marked by these visitors, or the Indians, on a tree standing below where Fort Washington was afterward erected, aud which was long pointed out as the greatest height of the river then known, either by personal experience or by tradition. The Medfee brothers said the mighty torrent bore them swiftly along, and the valley was full from bluff to bluff. There was scarcely any dry land on what are vow known as the ''flats'' of Cincinnati, and Mill creek valley. Dismayed at the watery scene, they left the river and hastened inland to a point in Kentucky where they bad friends living, and there they finally settled. They are believed to have been the first explorers in search of a place to settle in the Miami country, although Christopher Gist had ascended the Great Miami on a mission to the Indians as early as 1751.

Judge Symmes says that on the 29th of January, 1789, he left Maysville with Capt. Kearsay and thirteen men, detailed for the protection of the settlement he proposed founding at North Bend. ''The river was uncommonly high," he writes, 'higher than at any date since 1778.''? From this statement we infer that it had attained an unusual height. When the party reached Columbia they found the 'place under water with the exception of one house only." The houses were not

* Kis-ke-pi-la-sepe. 1. ¢., Eagle river, was the name given to the Ohio by the Shawanese. But the Wyandots, who were in this country generations before the Shawanese, called it O-he-zuh. This is regarded as the primitive name and means * great, grand and fair to look upon." The French yoyageurs used this name in their boat songs - adopting its significance when they called it La Belle Riviere. - [ Teclor's Past and Present of Mill Creek Valley, p. 68.)

The flood of 1832, which reached a height of 64 feet 3 inches on the 18th of February, was a notable one. It was the highest ever known at Pittsburgh, according to the best data attainable, and was higher than that of 1883 from Pittsburgh to and including Ripley, 414 miles below Pittsburgh, and 45 miles above Cincinnati. The flood of 1884, while it did not equal that of 1832 at Pittsburgh, exceeded all floods below Pittsburgh to Cairo, and laid the foundation for the flood in the Mississippi river that covered the territory on either side for forty miles, and resulted in the highest water at New Orleans since 1874.

Flood Records

The following table showing the highest stage of water at Cincinnati from 1858 to 1884, and also in 1832 and 1847, is taken from the published report of the Relief Committee in 1884, and will be found valuable for reference. From 1885 to 1893 the record has been obtained from other sources. The figures, which give the stages of water for thirty-eight years, are:

Year. Date. Feet. Inches. Year. Date. Feel. Inches

The great flood of 1832 was a notable one - the highest known up to that date - and until 1883 the '' oldest inhabitant"? always referred to it as high-water mark, until the freshets of 1883 and 1884 wiped out the record. The damages caused by the rise of 1832 were not great, when compared with those sustained in 1884, because there was less property and individual interests to be placed in jeopardy. With the record of 1883 river men and close observers were quite firm in their opinions that it was not likely to be broken soon, if ever. But they were soon doomed to be disappointed. In one year it was wiped out by an excess of over four feet.

For twenty-seven years after 1832, with the exception of five or six years, there was a gradual decline in the annual high stages of water. The lowest stage of which we have any record was one foot nine inches, which was reached on the 17th of September, 1881, and it remained stationary at these figures until the 19th of the same month, inclusive.

According to the reports of the Chamber of Commerce the river on the 6th of February, 1884, had reached a height of fifty-nine feet at Cincinnati. This cireumstance, added to the rapid rise of the waters at all points above, and the enormous rainfall that had prevailed for a long time, and still continued, in the territory drained by the river, made it certain that the city was about to be subjected to a flood as great as any that it had experienced in the past, and rendered it quite probable that all previous experiences of floods in the Ohio would be exceeded.

Relief Committee Appointed

In view of this alarming prospect, a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was called for the purpose of taking steps to appoint committees and otherwise be prepared to meet what seemed to be an inevitable calamity. A Relief Committee, consisting of fifteen members, was appointed and authorized to receive contributions and to furnish relief to sufferers by the flood. Subsequently the committee was strengthened by the addition of thirteen more names, added by Chairman H. C. Uruer. Subscriptions to the proposed relief fund being in order, the Chamber by a unanimous vote appropriated $5,000 as a contribution to the fund. S. F. Dana was chosen treasurer, and Sidney D. Maxwell secretary. An executive committee was appointed, consisting of six members. Buildings were secured for the storage of provisions, and headquarters for the committee established. Ata meeting of common council held on the 6th of February a resolution was passed requesting the legislature to authorize the city comptroller 'to borrowa sum not to exceed one hundred thousand dollars to be placed at the disposal of the Relief Committee of common council to be used for the purpose of relieving the distressed and _ protecting life and property during the continuance of the great flood."" In accordance with this action a committee of common counci!, consisting of seven members, with the mayor at the head, and seven aldermen, was appointed. At a meeting of the Relief Committee, held February 7th, the action of the common council was reported, and the gentlemen appointed as the council committee were added to the committee, ' which henceforth was known as the Relief Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Common Council of Cincinnati.'? For the proper performance of the work devolving upon the Relief Committee sub-committees were appointed, and a better organization was thus effected.

A large number of boats having been found necessary, Capt. W. P. Walker, Jr., was appointed admiral of the fleet, with two assistants. The committees and officers thus appointed at once proceeded to organize their several departments, and most faithfully and efficiently performed the laborious duties imposed on them.

In the meantime Howard Donglass, president of the board of education, announced that he would assume the responsibility of ordering the vacation of such schoolhouses as might be needed to provide shelter for persons driveu from their homes by the floods. Ata subsequent meeting of the board his action was unanimously approved. A number of schoolhouses convenient to the flooded district were occupied. both for places of shelter and the distribution of supplies.

The Chureh of the Atonement was also placed at the disposal of the committee, and, under the care of Rey. Father James Cary, many homeless persons were

The First Regiment. O. N. G., Col. C. B. Hunt commanding; the Regiment of Veteran Guards, under Col. M. L. Hawkins, and the Second Battery, Capt. Joyce, tendered their services to assist the police in the preservation of the public peace. These offers were gladly accepted by the committee, and, under the direction of the committee on police, the streets of the city, which, through the failure of the gas supply, were unlighted, were regularly patroled by the soldiers of these regiments during the continuance of the flood.

One of the first cares of the committee, says Prest. Urner in his exhaustive report, was to provide for feeding the hungry and destitute persons who had been driven from their homes by the flood. To accomplish this a soup house was opened, which was maintained during the entire period of the high water. An enormous quantity of food was consumed, and a very large number of persons were fed. Through good management the best of order prevailed, and the lack of crime and violence showed the importance of thorough organization and food distribution during the alarming prevalence of the high water.

The unexampled rise of the river rendered the situation of many of the flooded buildings unsafe, and the committee, through the police department, had them under constant inspection, which resulted in the condemnation of a number of buildings and an order for their vacation. This order was executed with some difficulty, the persons living in the condemned houses in many cases being unwilling to. abandon their dwellings; but with much persuasion, and some exercise of authority, they were all safely removed - it being necessary in some instances to seize boats from extortionate owners engaged in the removal.

Call For Assistance

The progress of the rise, although steady, was slow, and for some little time. after the organization of the committee the citizens did not seem to appreciate the magnitude of the impending disaster. That they might be fully informed of the condition of the suffering people, the committee issued a call for assistance and urged prompt attention to,it in the way of contributions of money, food and clothing. The public was informed that at that time more rations of food were being issued, and a greater number of persons fed, than at any time during the flood of 1883. There was a prompt response to the call, and from that time on until the waters had receded from the inundated parts of the city, the contributions came from all classes of the people. The College of Music, in connection with Mr. Henry E. Abbey, projected and carried to a magnificent conclusion a concert for the benefit of the Relief Fund, at which the celebrated singers of the Opera Festival gratuitously contributed their services. By this concert, which took place February 17, the substantial sum of $6,170.14 was realized.

To guard against imposition the committee only distributed relief through regularly established organizations and agencies, and at all times declined to make any . allowance to individuals. The charitable organizations of the city placed themselves at the service of the committee, and through them the work of relief was carried on with a zeal and intelligence that protected the fund from impostors, and efficiently contributed to the succor of all persons found worthy of relief.

The care of the distressed people of Cumminsville (Twenty-fifth ward), which the flood had converted into a vast lake, was delegated to a citizens' committee composed of three gentlemen, and they addressed themselves to the relief of the suffering with entire devotion, and accomplished their work to the satisfaction of the Relief Committee.

The Relief Committee, following the precedent established during the flood of 1888, decided that no part of the contributions received from places outside of Cincinnati should be applied to the relief of persons living in the city, but that any such contributions which might be intrusted to the committee should be distributed for the relief of distress throughout the Ohio Valiey outside of Cincinnati. That" this should be thoroughly understood the committee gave public notice of its decision, and offering to take charge of any contributions that might be sent it for distribution at outside points. Jn response to this notice contributions in money to the amount of $97,751.22 - ineluding $20,315.25 from the Ohio State Relief Commission- - - were received by the committee from sources outside of Cincinnati, and the total amount thus received was distributed throughout the entire length of the Ohio Valley.

The condition of the people living on the shores of the river above Cincinnati was deplorable. Suddenly driven from their homes, and in wany instances compelled to flee for their lives leaving their household necessities behind them, their situation was most distressing, and urgent appeals for assistance reached the committee. As soon as a sufficient amount was received from outside sources to justify the expense of an independent expedition, the large steamer '' Granite State'' was chartered by the committee, loaded with supplies, and despatched on a mission of mercy. The cost of the cargo, to the extent of $15,000, was defrayed by the Ohio State Relief Commission; but the distribution of the proceeds of the amount contributed by the commission being necessarily confined to Ohio, Gen. A. Beckwith, representing the United States Government, also placed on board supplies to the value of $10,000, that both sides of the river might share in the distribution. The expedition was successful in its mission, and much suffering was relieved.

Liberal Contributions

To guard against deception the committee sent out special commissions to explore both sides of the river and ascertain the true condition of the sufferers. The Ohio Legislature, in accordance with the request of the Common Council, passed a law authorizing tbe city comptroller to borrow $50,000, to be expended for the relief of suffering in Cincinnati, upon the order of the tax commission. The commission instructed the comptroller to pay the amount authorized, or any part thereof, upon the order of the executive committee of the Relief Committee.

The unexampled rise of the water entailed such widespread distress among the poor of the city, that the demands for relief exceeded the ability of the committee to supply from the fund provided by the voluntary contributions of the citizens. To meet these demands, the executive committee called upon the comptroller for $25,000 of the city fund. This amount was received and placed in the Relief Fund. So judiciously was it used that upon the completion of the work, and the final adjustment of accounts, it was found that there was at the credit of the fund for the relief of Cincinnati an unexpended balance of $5,260.74, which was returned to the city.

Treasurer Dana in his report says that the amount received from local sources for the relief of Cincinnati was $96,680.12; amount contributed by persons not. residents of Cincinnati, $97,751.22, making a total of $194,431.34.

The flood committee estimated the number of persons fed at the Sixth street. soup house, during the thirteen days it was in operation, at 65,000, and as many as: 7,500 were fed in one day. This did not include all receiving relief, as there were many other stations where provisions and clothing were distributed.

Thomas J. Stephens, chairman of the military and police committee, reported that so long as the gas works continued to furnish light for the city, it was not. deemed necessary to increase the patrol by the appointment of specials. Gen. Hickenlooper's assurance that, until the river should reach 64 feet, the manufacture. of gas would continue, gave some hope that the extremity of darkness might be: avoided; but when the steadily advancing flood marked 65 feet 14 inches on the: gauge, the fires were put out and the supply of gas light ceased. Then it was that: the committee called out the military. This action quieted the apprehension felt: that the city was in danger from disorder and plunder. For eleven nights these soldiers were on duty, and greatly aided the police by partly relieving them of routine patrol duty outside the submerged district. During the continuance of the flood the best of order was preserved and fewer thefts and deeds of violence were reported than usual. When the reservoirs were running low. in consequence of the big engines being stopped by the flood, the realization of this fact caused the utmost vigilance to be exercised on the part of the police and citizens, and as a consequence. there were hardly any alarms of fire. Much of the distress and loss of valuable property in 1883 was due to the unprecedented inundation of that year, which covered territory never before reached, and which, in the opinion of old river men, was considered not possible.

The severity of this lesson was not overlooked by the people, and while the flood of 1884 was greater in extent, and many more persons were forced to vacate their houses, yet the loss of property and consequent distress, was perhaps not more than: in the preceding year. It was ascertained that 4,930 houses were inundated and

21,856 persons either compelled to vacate or reach their houses by boats. The work of the police, however, was arduous and required the most active kind of service. A large number of the relief boats were manned by the police and kept busy from daylight till dark, and regular patrol duty in boats, day and night, was continued throughout.

The inspection of all dangerous tenements in the flooded quarter was another duty of the police, and in many cases it was found necessary to compel the vacation of such premises as were deemed unsafe. The only serious accident during all this time was the falling of a house on East Front street, whereby several lives were lost. After the water receded, an examination by the police resulted in the discovery of one hundred buildings that were deemed unsafe. The extraordinary expense incurred by the police department amounted to $1,788.76, which was paid by the Relief Committee. The pay of the military while on duty, at the State allowance of $2.00 per day, amounted to $14,000. This sum, by Act of the Legislature, was ordered paid out of the fund appropriated by the State for the flood sufferers.

Stages Of The Water

In the report made by the Chamber of Commerce and the Common Council of Cincinnati, there is an elaborate table showing the stages of the river every hour from February Ist to the 29th, 1884, inclusive, together with a comparative table of the stage of the water for the same days in 1883. It is of exceeding great value to those who desire accurate information, hourly, of the gradual rise and fall of the river during those memorable floods. From that table the following has been compiled showing the stages of the water during each day at noon of those months:

At 4a.m. February 15, 1883, the water was at its greatest height, 66 feet 4 inches. At noon, however, it had declined 24 inches, as shown above.

At8a.m., February 14, 1884,the water reached 71 feet and remained at those figures till 10 4. m., two hours, when it gained 4 of an inch. It remained at this figure till 11:30, when another 4 was added, making 71 féet 4 inch. At noon another quarter was gained, and the maximum, 71 feet $ of an inch, was reached. It stood at these figures till 1 p. m., when 4 of an inch was lost. From this hour till 6:30 it stood at 71 feet } an inch. At 7p. m., it had fallen to 71 feet, and at midnight it was down to 70 feet 10 inches. From that hour the decline was slow until noon of the next day, when it receded more rapidly.

Physical History Of The Flood

The great floods of 1883 and 1884 seemed to be forerunners of the deluge which destroyed Johnstown in 1889, caused the loss of more than 3,000 lives by drowning, and the inundation of the upper valleys of the Susquehanna on the eastern slope of the Alleghanies. Physically considered these great floods bear peculiar relations.

R. B. Stephenson, in his report to the Chamber of Commerce, says that the causes which combined to produce the flood of 1884 were geographical, topographical and meteorological. The Alleghany, with its sources and tributaries, drains an area of 13,000 square miles; the Youghiogheny and its tributaries, 2,100 square miles, and of the Monongahela and its other tributaries, 4,900 square miles, making the total water shed of the Monongahela 7,000 square miles, which, added to that of the Allegheny, gives a grand total area of 20,000 square miles drained by the sources of the Ohio river. These waters were augmented below, during the first week of February, 1884, by the Muskingum river and tributaries draining the southwestern portion of Ohio; the little Kanawha river, draining the western slopes of West Virginia; the Elk river, supplied by springs on the south side of Rich mountain, and rising and spreading out until it became navigable eighty miles for steamboats, and emptying, at Charleston, into the Kanawha, which, with its tributaries, drains the entire southern half of West Virginia; and yet below these there were added to the waters of the Ohio those of the Guyandotte, Big Sandy, Little Guyandotte, Licking, Kentucky, Green, Tennessee, and Cumberland rivers, on the south side, and the Scioto, Little Miami, Great Miami, White, and Wabash rivers, on the north side, nearly all being navigable rivers, and the hundreds of streams tributary to these, as well as many small streams that empty directly into the Ohio, on both sides.

When The Causes Began

The meteorological causes, says Mr. Stephenson, began on the 14th day of December, 1883, when the winter's first fall of snow occurred in the Ohio Valley, less than one inch in depth at Cincinnati, where the stage of the river was 10 feet 7 inches on that day, a minimum to which it did not again decline for a period of six months or more. To the snow on the date named, was added rainfall to the depth of sixteenhundredths of an inch. Light snows fell on the loth, 16th, 18th and 19th of December, followed by a heavier snow on the 20th, and twelve hours of snow on the 22nd, the fall of the day last indicated measuring 6% inches in depth. The snow then on the ground was partly removed and partly more closely packed by a fall of sleet and rain on the 28d that equalled a rainfall of 2.57 inches, after which the temperature became so cold that ice appeared in the river the following day, which disappeared on the 28th, under the influence of light rains which fell on the 27th. Light rains, but enough to carry much of the snow into the river, and solidify that which remained on the ground, fell also on the 30th and 31st. The total fall of snow, sleet and rain, during the month of December, reduced to rainfall, was 5.61 inches. The highest stage of the river during the month was 494 feet, on the 28th, when it began to decline.

Light snows were frequent and a cold temperature prevailed from the Ist to the 14th of January, 1884, when a heavy snow set in at 5 p. m., continuing until the following day; and on the 19th there was another light fall of snow. These alternated with sleet and rain, and the temperature varied, during the last five days, between zero and 60 degrees above. 'The first half of the month was generally cold, but there were slight variations in the weather conditions. These variations and other influences were sufficient to cause the river to fall, first, from 494 feet on December 28, to 15 feet 5 inches on January 13, then rise to 24 feet 1 inch on the 19th, then fall to 15 feet 9 inches on the 29th, and rise again to 31 feet 3 inches on the 31st, when the flood of 1884 properly began. Tue 380th of January found upon the ground much of the previous fall of 18 inches to 4 feet of solidified snow, packed upon the hills and mountains and valleys of the Ohio river and its tributaries, and the smaller streams tributary to the latter. The depth of snow that fell at Cincinnati during the month of January was 10 inches, and much more had fallen at other localities that would affect the condition of the river. The rainfall of the month was 1.23 inches. The snow, sleet and rain, reduced to rainfall, was

Closing Days Of January

During the two or three closing days of January a warm temperature spread itself over a territory represented by the length of the Ohio river, but events ip March showed that it did not extend more than one hundred miles on either side of the same, nor up the Allegheny Valley, nor up the tributaries on the east side of the Monongahela, else the magnitude of the flood of 1884 would have been much greater. On the 29th there was a general rain over the southern half of the water-shed heretofore described, but it missed the Allegheny drainage, the snow being scarcely disturbed, and the ice remained firm in the Allegheny and Youghiogheny rivers and their tributaries. The rain and warm weather continued up the Monongahela and some of its contributaries, and that river continued to rise, while simultaneously . all tributaries of the Ohio below poured out floods of water, not all, however, from their' headwaters. But restricted as was the territory covered by the warm temperature, which at Cincinnati was 59 degrees at 2:30 p. m. of January 31, it was fraught with grave consequences. The ice, which had held firm in the Youghiogheny river throughout the winter, was, on that day, partially broken up, and while it did not pass into the Monongahela until the 5th, it piled up in its own bed, caused adjacent. territory to be overflowed by back water, and destroyed much property. The Monongahela rose on January 31 to a depth of 29 feet at Brownsville, and 21 feet at Pittsburgh, and much coal property was carried away.

The ice in the Muskingum and Little Kanawha rivers gave way on the same day, and both of those tributaries poured their floods into the Ohio, the stage of the Ohio at Marietta being 21 feet, and at Parkersburg 24 feet. Freshets in the Elk river and Paint creek caused the Kanawha river to swell to 19 feet at Charleston on January 31, and this water was being added to that in the Ohio at Point Pleasant during the 24 hours that the latter rose 12 feet at Catlettsburg, the result of a flood in the Big Sandy, from Louisa to the mouth. The Scioto river also poured out strong, causing the Ohio to swell eight inches per hour at Portsmouth, where the stage on January 31 was thirty feet.

It will be observed that at all of the points named above on the Ohio river the. rises were simultaneous, being due to local streams and local causes alone. This was also the case at Cincinnati, where the river rose 124 feet during the same 24 hours, the Little Miami river and smaller streams on its south side pouring into it their floods of water. The stage of the Licking at Butler Station was 214 feet, and while its flood was being emptied into the Ohio, the water was prevented from passing off so rapidly by the strong cross-currents at points below, where the Great Miami river on the north side, and the Kentucky river on the south side, formed a barrier to its swift progress. The latter river was rising three inches per hour at Frankfort, where the stage of water reported was 22 feet, and all streams that empty into the Ohio below Carrollton were also rising.

February Opens

With a change to cold weather during the night, the month of January closed, and the memorable February opened with the mercury 30 degrees lower than on the previous day; but, notwithstanding this, the Ohio, Licking and Little Miami rivers continued to rise. The Allegheny was swelling some, but the river was falling at Pittsburgh, and all the upper tributaries had ceased to rise, except the Scioto, and the Kentucky river was falling at Frankfort. The Ohio continued to rise from Steubenville to Portsmouth, the rise at the latter place being six inches per hour, and the stage of the river there had reached 43 feet. The further rise at Cincinnati during the 24 hours ending at 6 p. m. of February Ist was 7 feet 10 inches, and at the hour named the stage of the river was 40 feet 54 inches.

During the next two days no rain fell in the Ohio Valley, and the Licking river was falling. The Ohio was falling on February 3d from Pittsburgh to the mouth of 'the Big Sandy, and the decline extended on the 4th to Portsmouth, where the stage of water had on the previous day reached 47 feet. But the river continued to rise steadily and rapidly at Cincinnati, having entered the buildings at the foot of Main and Walnut streets on the morning of the 2d, and those at the foot of Broadway on the same day, the river's upward tendency being aided by the arrival of waters from upper tributaries in quick succession until it reached 49 feet 114 inches on the 4th at 7 a. m., when it declined so perceptibly that at 2 rp. m. the surface of the water was one inch lower; but between 2 and 3 Pp. m. there was a heavy fall of rain that carried much of the solidified snow into the river and local tributaries, and a rise again set in that did not cease until noon of the 14th, when it culminated in the highest stage of water at the mouth of the Licking river that had ever been seen at that point by an enlightened people. The rainfall of the 4th amounted to 1.35 inches, and the temperature had risen to 62 degrees. A dense fog hung in the bottoms at 3 p. m. - so dense that artificial light was necessary in all buildings south of Third street. Rain was falling at all points above, and the Licking and Little Miami rivers were again rising, and also the Monongahela. At midnight the stars appeared, but the river continued to rise nearly two inches per hour, and before daylight all buildings fronting on the river, between the suspension bridge and Main strpet, and between Ludlow street and Broadway, had been invaded by the water, the advance being due to local causes.

Ominous Signs

The conditions of February 5th were such that a few close observers of river phenomena believed that in them existed the germs of a flood greater than that of the previous February, but no alarm was excited among the mass of the people, although the bottoms of Cincinnati were covered by water, and Lawrenceburg and Aurora, Ind., were partially submerged. The temperature at Cincinnati ranged from 49 to 62 degrees, while the rainfall of the day was 1.56 inches, and it was equally as much at points above on the Ohio river and ulong its tributaries. The rainfall of the first five days of February, 1884, was 1.11 inches more than during the first five days of the previous February. More rain had fallen between 6:30 A. M. of the 4th and 2:30 p. m. of the 5th, than fell during the entire four days that immediately preceded the same stage of water on February 8, 1883. The river was 20 feet and one-half inch higher than at the same time of the previous year, and there had been but niné years in which the stage of the water exceeded that at midnight of the 5th.

The Licking river was rising 12 inches per hour at Cynthiana and Boston Station, with 18 feet of water at the latter place; the Ohio was again rising at Portsmouth, with 45 feet 10 inches of water; there had again been heavy rains up the Big Sandy, and that river was exhibiting the effects; the New river had swelled to six feet at Hinton, and was yet rising, while the Kanawha was already rising, with 15 feet of -water at Charleston, and 23 feet at Raymond City. Rain was causing the Muskingum to pour out again, and the rise of the Ohio at Marietta was at the rate of four inches per hour. Rain had fallen constantly 24 hours at Pittsburgh, and there the 'stage of the river was 18 feet and rising, and at Wheeling 26 feet and rising. The ice poured out of the Youghiogheny river and into the Monongahela, carrying with it houses, stables and other property. The stage of the Monongahela at Greensboro -was 264 feet, and at Brownsville 244 feet, and it was rising at both places, with rain yet falling. The Allegheny had risen to 10 feet at Oil City, and was yet rising, and rain falling. The Kentucky river, which, when it pours into the Ohio, prevents the water of the latter from passing off freely, and is thus a factor in producing high water at Cincinnati, was on a stand at 19 feet at Frankfort, but a heavy rain was

The opinion began to prevail on the 7th, and was strengthened as the day advanced, that all of the prompt measures for relief that had been adopted at Cincinnati were not justified by the actual situation. The temperature became cooler, the mercury ranging from 40 to 63 degrees; and although the aggregate of rainfall since the river began to rise was five inches, the light sprinkle of rain that fell on the 7th amounted to only twenty-three hundredths of an inch. The river came to a stand several times, when its stage was 61 feet 93 inches.

At Steubenville the river reached its maximum at 3 p. m. on the 7th, 49 feet, which was two feet higher than in 1832, the highest previous flood. At Maysville the water was yet 63 feet below the high-water mark of 1883, but it was rising two inches per hour.

Half Hourly Bulletins

At Cincinnati the water had covered Second street at Vine, Walnut and Main streets, and the interest in the condition of the rivers had become so universal that the superintendent of the Chamber of Commerce not only caused half-hourly bulletins of the stage of the river at Cincinnati to be posted, but also organized a thorough system of intelligence by telegraph, embracing such points on the Ohio and otber rivers as would affect the stage of the river at Cincinnati. So full were the reports thus obtained that at no time during the flood was he asked to secure others. The doors of the Chamber of Commerce were thrown open to the public from early morning till midnight, that none might be uninformed of the situation. At Cincinnati the gas-works were submerged at noon when the stage of the water was 62 feet 64 inches. -

The Ohio reached its maximum at Marietta at 6 o'clock in the morning, being 3 feet 2 inches higher than in 1832, and at 5 p. m. it was falling at the rate of four inches per hour. The highest stage reached at Parkersburg was 53 feet 3 inches on the same day. The Licking river continued to fall, with 114 feet of water at Boston Station, when the weather was cooler, but cloudy. The conditions were favorable to an early decline at Cincinnati, where the rainfall of the day amounted to only six-hundredths of an inch; the wind shifted from the southwest to the northwest, and the mercury fell from 57 to 30 degrees during the day. But the conditions were such at points on the Ohio below Marietta, and in the Kanawha Valley, that rendered it almost certain by noon tbat all previous flood visitations at Cincinnati were to be eclipsed. The river swelled more than a half inch per hour throughout the day. At 9a. m. it reached 63 feet 7 inches, the high water mark of December 17, 1847, and by midnight it covered 64 feet 3 inches, the high-water mark of February 18, 1832. The Covington gas-works had ceased to supply light, and 8,000 people were homeless. New Richmond was all under water, and the people of California, Ohio, were suffering for food. At Ripley, yet farther up the river, the water reached the mark of 1883 at 3 Pp. m., and at 9 p. m. it was 23 inches higher and rising one inch per hour. At Maysville it reached the mark of 1883 at 10 a. m., and at 8p. m. was within three inches of that of 1832. The conditions above there were yet more alarming. Point Pleasant was entirely inundated, there being four feetof water in parts of the town that had escaped the flood of 18838, and the back water from the Ohio extended up the Kanawha fifty miles, inundating all the farms, houses and villages in the valley, and entirely wrecking the track of the Ohio Central railroad. The width of the Kanawha varied from three to five miles. At Gallipolis the-Ohio was 6 feet 11 inches higher than in 1883, and five feet higher than in 1832, and was still rising one inch per hour. At Catlettsburgh rain was falling in torrents at 5 p. m. and the Ohio was three feet higher than in 1883, the water extending back six squares from the river, submerging all houses to the hillside. The water at Portsmouth was five feet higher than in 1883. At Ripley the water was 22 inches higher than in 1888, and 11 inches higher than in

1832. Although the wind continued to come from the northeast, the mercury rose from 386 to 43 degrees at Cincinnati, culminating in fourteen-hundredths of an inch of rainfall during the evening. At 12:45 p.m. of the 11th the stage of water at Cincinnati was 66 feet 4 inches, which was the maximum reached by the flood at 4 a. m. on February 15, 1883.

The up-river conditions still continued to be alarming. Nearly all the immediate tributaries were rising. Rain fell twenty-four hours up the Licking river. In Newport the Licking was on Thirteenth and Richie streets, and other streets were partly under water. The pumping engines that supplied that city with water were stopped in the afternoon. The stage of the Ohio at New Albany was 68 feet 8 inches; in 1832 it was 69, and in 1883 it was 72 feet.

Nearing The Culmination

On the 12th the range of the mercury at Cincinnati was from 48 to 66 degrees; a light rain fell in the afternoon, the snow continued to melt in the street, and some of the tributaries continued to rise. A windstorm from the south at midnight rocked from their foundations many houses in the water that had withstood the force and buoyancy of the current. Dayton and Bellevue were invaded, and the greater part of the northwest portion of Covington was covered, the water from Willow run being a foot deep on the Lexington pike, and a foot deep also on the Independent pike, one mile from Latonia Springs. There were 13,000 applicants for relief in Newport, half of the city being under water. The condition of the Little Miami river caused the Ohio to be relatively six inches higher at New Richmond than at eas At Ripley it was rising slowly and was 5 feet 4 inches higher than in 1883.

At Ashland it was 5 feet higher than in 1883. At Ironton it was 7 feet higher than in 1888, and two-thirds of the territory occupied by the town was under water.

If the almost hourly varying conditions had heretofore rendered the future of the flood in some degree uncertain at times, there appeared natural causes on the 13th which gave assurance that its climax was near. The tributaries above Cincinnati were falling. These conditions all favored an early check to the rise here, but they were supplemented by another that was destined to exert more force in that direction than all combined, and to overcome the effect of unfavorable conditions yet to be named. During the day there was a rainfall of 1.18 inches at Cincinnati, but the mercury fell from 55 to 42 degrees, the forerunner of a cold wave that was coming from the northwest. After a knowledge of this fact no alarm was excited by the intelligence that the Allegheny was again rising at Oil City. The stage of the river at Ripley, where a light rain was falling, was 71 feet 9 inches, which was 24 feet higber than in 1883.

The temperature grew colder and colder at Cincinnati, the highest on the 14th being 28 degrees, which lowered during the day to 20 degrees, and the great flood of 1884 reached its maximum at noon. The bulletins were eagerly watched by hundreds, whose hearts throbbed alternately with hope and fear, while the water lingered at 71 feet and § of an inch for the next ninety minutes, at the end of which time the announcement that it had declined one-quarter of an inch was received with emphatic demonstrations of joy, that were participated in to some extent by a whole nation of people, who had assisted to feed, clothe and shelter fully one hundred thousand of their countrymen. Five hours the water again lingered at one stage, while a fierce contest was raging between cold weather on one side and constantly arriving floods from upper tributaries on the other, and then a steady decline set in at the rate of one-quarter of an inch per hour, which satisfied waiting millions that the flood was actually abating, and that the water was seeking its natural bed, after having been recorded as the highest ever known of the Ohio river - a record that millions of people hope may never be made again.

Official Marks

While the water was on a stand at its highest stage the authorities of the Chamber of Commerce had agents employed to indicate high-water marks at various convenient points of observation near the public landing, that were reached by the use of skiffs, where permanent marks were afterward established, in some places being located immediately above the permanent high-water marks of previous floods. By these it was ascertained that the height of the flood above that of February ios 18838, was 4 feet 82 inches; above that of February 18, 1832, 6 feet 9% inches; and above that of 1847, 7 feet 53 inches. The snow and rain which directly produced this greatest of floods, when reduced to rainfall, amounted to 7.03 inches, of which 6.82 inches fell in February before the 14th. The total rainfall during the remainder of the month of February was 2.05 inches, including a level of ten inches of melted snow that fell on the 19th.