146 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. MAY, 1886.
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on the 3d, at Farmingdale, and on the ::My at Fostoria: lenst daily ran 'c of
tempernture, Yo, on the lst, nt Cookrille. on the 20th, ut Greeneville, itnb on the 24th, at Mnnchester; mean of maximum temperatures. XSO. 18; mean of
minimum temperatures, 43O.07.
Mean depth of rainfall, 4.42 inches: mean daily rninfirll, 0.142 inch; great-
est rainfall, 7.80 inches, at Greeueville; least rainfall, 2.08 iliches, at NtMhville;
greatest loml dnily rainfall, 6.80, inches, on the 28th, at Greeneville; dnys of
greatest rninfall, (ith, 7th, 15th, 1%h, 24th: dnv of greatest rninfiill, tith.
Average humher of days on which rain fell, 10; nverage nnmber of clear
days, 10.9; nverage number of fair days, 12.8; average number of cloi~dy days,
7.3; days without rainfall, :hi, 4th, loth, I l t h , 12th, 13th, Itith, Iith. 2fith.
Warmest day. 13th; coldest days, Ist, :id.
Prevailing wind, sonthwest.
The following additional data im reference to the flood in
the Cumberland River during the first half' of' April, 1886, is
furni8lied by the Signal Service observer at Nashville, Ten-
nessee :
In this report it is proposed to show, as accurately as possilh, the amount
of dalnage which would hnve been caused from overflow if no warnings had
been given, also the actual loss experienced with tlie aid only of speciitl
river stat,ions on the u
The Chief Sigiial &&cer announced in a special I)ulletin dat.ed MnrcIi 26,
1886, that " severe local storms will occur in the Ohio Valley and Tennestiee
duriny the next succeeding twenty-four hours." Heavy rains occurred in
F a t reiinessee and on the upper Cumberlnnd during thc Inst six days of
March. The river a t Naqhville rose rapidly thereafter until April lst, ;it 2 1). ni.,
when it became stationary. It way then thought that the river would fall.
Heavy rains occurred again .on the upper Cumberlnnd, and from that time
until A ril loth, the rise varied from one-tenth to one and one-half inches per
hour. grompt and timely warning was given to the luinber, steamboat, and
other intercstv in this city and a t Clarksville, Tennessee, forty miles below
Nashville.
er Cumberland.
The water reached the danger-line at 6 n. ni., April 6.
Following the iwue of a few special river bidletins, the entire population
seemed to place entire confidence in the system of river reports, and great
demand was made for them.
The losses to the business iriterests were comparatively light owing to the
timely wnrniiigs sent out by the observer. Those families who resided on
low ground xiistnined heavy losses. Though warned i n timet malty neglected
to remove their household effects to higher ground. On the west side of tlie river there were four separnte arens under water.
The first area extended from Madison street through Sortli Front arid College
streets northward to the city park ; thence northwestward beyond the city limits for a distance of three and a half miles, overflowing the country west of tlie
river for one and n half miles. The second overflown nrea on the west side of
the river embraced that territory near the centre of the city, from l i c k
Branch culvert southwestward along Jefiersori to Wnrren street ; thence south-
ward beyond the Snshville. Chattanooga. nnd Saint Louis railroad trestle-work.
dani;rgc W I L ~ very slight. 3lany houses were submerged in this region, the
losses being severely felt.
Area number two, on the east side of the river was, virtiiitll , n continuation of
aren number one, except thnt the IAouisville nnd Nashville dailrond bed inter-
vened. A swift current ran throiigli First street under the railrond trestle.
The water ran parallel with the milkond track until Spring street was reached,
inuiitlsting the most of Imiely street, r i n g over Foster street, then through
13icnville street, southwestwurd to IAti e street, across Factory street diagoll-
ally through (nouthwestward) the square houtided by Sycarnore, Maiii, Cot-
tonwood nnd Pourtli streets to South Foiirth street ; front here it oxtended to and over Soiith First street, through tlie northern portion of the I'ldgelield
and Snshville Mainifacturing Compnny's Lumher Ynrd. The chief dnniage
in this re ion way mostly confined to dwellinbp Within this nrea, Wm.
Siitherlnnf and Company, with their iisunl forethought, wiselv erected n Inr e
und elevated dyke before their plnnt, which w a y fivetrnd one-lidf feet helow t t e
wnter.
Aren nuniber three on the east side of the river reached from lh-idge avenue to
North Second street ; it ran nrnllel with liortli Second street to FntherIad street, thence enstward over %e Shelby bottom lands, beyoiid the corprattoti.
This region contained but few houses which were inundated. l'rewitt, Spurr 9: Co.'s lumber ynrd nnd planing mill was entirely surrounded by water.
Their works were securely protected by boonts. Much of their lumber, how-
ever, wns upset by the rising water. A gnu e reading of 49.3 feet wm reached
nt 7 a. in. of tlie 10th ; the rise wnu scarcefy appreciable at 8.30 a. xn. ; the
water remnined stdonary until 4.36 of the l l t h , when it by an receding
slowly. f h e injury to farming lands in the up er counties way considerable. The damage would
hnve been twice ns great \ad not tirnel warning been given. In many cases the wheat crop became n tohl Iosti. duch fencing was destroved.
The followin pmcticnl illutitration may tend to show the g&at usefulness to
which the Cum%erland River service has attained in this community; the tot81
expense incurred during the Hoods at the special riser stations from March 31st
to April IGth, was:
Burnside, Kentucky:
Cnrthn e, Tennessee:
They saved their entire stock.
On the 16th the river wnu agnin within i h banks.
Services of special observer ................................................ $7 00 Expense of telegraphing ..................................................... :{ 00
iervices of Rpeciat oi)server .................................................. 10 00 Expense of telegraphing ...................................................... i SO
'I'otal cost ............................................................... 27 80
This total cost of the special river service is an insignificant sum in comparison
to the money value of property saved here and at Clarksburg, forty miles below.
The followin table shows the amount of darnage, expressed in nioney value, which occurretin and around Nmhville during the floods of March 31 to April
16, 1886, estimated with great care and nccuraey:
-
descriliiig a circle to Pearl street ; frohi'Pear1 street the backwaters extended
through to Me1,eniore street cutting ofi travel by street railwny (the water wns
three and three-fonrths feet deep here); from McLemore street the wnter found
ita wny to Crawford atreet, riinning pnrallel with this street to Cherry street ;
then, in a northemterly direction, back to the river. By actunl count there were six hundred and forty-eight Iiorirtes submerged in this district, mirinitig
much hardship and distress nmong the colored population. The water was twenty-two feet deep at different places within this region.
The third overflown area on the west side of the stream took in a ortion of the city wharf through Market, Cherry and College streeta in a sout!westerly
direction to Sumner street, down Somner on the east side to Cherry street ;
thence through Franklin and biausker streeta enstward hack to the river.
There are many business houses iu this district. The damage to the businem
interests here was trifling ($1,760). Household goods were much damaged in
this nrea. The fourth aren overflown on the west side of the river iiiclllded aline dritwn
From the City Water Works around to South Sycamore street eastward to Gor- don street ; thence southeastward over the 1,eI)anon Turnpike, back again and
northenstwnrd for a distancc of two I d e S beyond the city limits. 111 this ter-
ritory there were only a few houses under water. Six brick yards nnd three
lumber mills are locnted upon these lowlnnds. The hrick compnnies lost their
entire stock of bricks. The overflowri regions cnst of the river (011 the ISdgefield side) were i n three
districts. The first territory extended within the line drnwn from the river parallel with the Louisville and Nashville rnilroatl track, curving northward
toward Oldhani street over to Spring street : thence northwestward to Cowan
avenue, nnd from Cowan aveiiiie northeastward beyond the corporation. The
Indinrin T,nriil)er Company's plnnt is situated within this overflown uren. Their
... ... .~ ........... -
!
! Lunllm, Iiard woods, Imckots, &?..I $550
I Uoora, veneering, nnd fnncy ' 100
I'rawitt, Ypiirr arid Conipan)
Edtiold and Nndiville M i i i
Compnuy. ' w w d work.
Williani Snttrorland and ~o r i i y a ~i y .........
~
Lunilier iiiid yluriing 111111 ........... i ........... Nnplirillo Cooperngo Cornpnny ............... vrrels nnd bucketa ............
.... Lumber, doorn, #neb, and blii
n. Y. Iiiien ami Yon, graiir oievntor ......... I L r n , oats, nnii wlieat.. ......... .................... Indlnna Lnnibor Conip ...; 8tridgtrt l i i m h r
Ylraniboat in ..................................................................
City wator-worka ............................................. ...I Lumber and hard w d a ..........................
Naalivlllo Illood tiorso Aeaociiition ......... ' Htabl
............................. Uoilnra and srnitlling .......... ........................................................................ Minc~llauooun boi~ai!hold gooda, nfreet- ......... cur obatruction, Bc.
Totwl .......................................................................
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The two years' experience with the river RySteln h w already fiilly dernon-
strnted thnt it is pratticnble for the prediction of rises to within one and two
feet at this point. I he greatest diffiulty to be overcome is the uncertainty in regard to the time which it takes the waves to reach liashrille from the hend-
waters. This rate of progress vnries with ditrererit stages of the water. If the water is at a low stnge at Carthage nrid Nnshville the waves travel slower from
Ihirnside downward; should the water be moderately high, say fineen to twenty
feet. at Naqhville nnd Cnrthage. the rate of flow is fnstrr.