The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-07-31

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enue and Vista street bursted mum
dating the whole upper part of the
city. A number of houses were
swept away. On Spring Garden
street the water attained the depth
of ten feet, causing large loss of
life in this vicinity. II is reported
that fifty bodies have so far been
recovered. The destruction of prop
erty cannot be estimated. The dam
age to property on the south side is
great; a large number of stables and
buildings we're swept away. Several
lives are reported to be lost.
The loss of life by the flood has
been appalling. Thirty-eight bod
les have been recovered in Butchers s
Run District, Allegheny county and
as many more are missing and sup
posed to have been lost. The havoc
at Woods Run was fearful and the
place was a perfect sheet of water.
Several houses we're swept away.
Nine bodies have been recovered so
far and five or six are still missing.
On the South Side, in Saw Mill Run
District, eight bodies have been re-
covered and thirty y-seven are still
missing. A whole block of bull
dings were swept away in this dis
trict. 1t is thought that over $50
persons have perished in the food.
Later reports make the obstruction
more widespread embracing an ex-
tent OF country twenty to twenty-five
miles ID diameter. In the Butchers
Run district, several houses were
washed away and about 125 lives
lost. On Spring Garden Run, Saw
Mill Run and CHARTERS Greek, vast
destruction of property occurred,
and very many lives were lost.
Many mournful cases of loss of life
are narrated, some in which whole
families perished. 1t is impossible
to give the long account telegraphed,
bat we add the following:
A prevailing theory seems to be
that the disaster was caused by
something like a water spout. A
gentleman who watched the storm
from few miles down the river
where there was but little rain, says
that by fitful flashes of lightning he
could see a hugh, inky black, funnel
shaped cloud, which hung over the
city, the narrow ends being lowest
while the dark parts gave vent to an
almost perpetual burst of lightning.
The work of destruction commen-
ced at point about two miles north
of the central portion of Allegheny
City. Butchers Run Valley, at its
mouth, is probably between 400 and
500 feet wide, and at the point where
the work of destruction commenced
it is not more than $50 feet wide.
Between North avenue and this
northerly point numerous ravines
empty into Butchers Run valley.
Along this run the houses were built
directly over the national water
course, culverts being made and
used in part as foundations for
dwelling houses.
The line of destruction followed
the water course to the river and in
volved an immense number of
houses that were not on the line of
the culvert.
When the rain commenced falling,
but little apprehensions were enter
tanned, but those who lived near the
head of the valley stated that sud
denly it seemed as if the heavens
were opened and the water came
down as If discharged from i'm
mense pipes. The volume was so
large that the narrow valley was fill
ed with raging torrent, and frame
dwellings, stables and slaughter
houses gave way like pipe stems and
the debris from the wrecks were
swept down along the line of the
plank road, the weight being aug
mented every moment.
In the district lying west of Chest
nut street and north the water rose
to heighth Of fully twenty feet. In
some places the occupants of the
dwellings were unable to escape in
time to save their lives. In many
instances the force of the water rent
the structures into splinters.
Spring Garden avenue on the
south Of Butchers run, from which
it is separated by high hill. In this
valley the same scenes were enacted
on a smaller scale as regards loss of
life. 1t would be impossible to give
anything like a detailed account of
the damage done to dwelling hous-
es in this vicinity. Those that
were not totally destroyed were very
greatly damaged. Beyond Cedar
avenue, fortunately, there were but
few lives lost, at least as far as
could be ascertained. Some two or
three are reported.
For more than a mile out Spring
Garden avenue, Allegheny City,
marks Of destruction were plainly
visible; houses washed away and
buildings thrown together in heaps.
Some twenty-five or thirty slaughter
houses on this avenue were also
washed away. The buildings that
were not totally destroyed were
greatly damaged. The water raising
to q hight of about fifteen feet, flood
ed the first floors of all the buildings,
and in many cases the second stories.
Several houses were swept into the
middle of the street and others car
ried hundreds Of yards and shatter-
ed to pieces. A house containing
two or three families at the rear of
Center street, was destroyed, and the
inmates all supposed to have been
drowned. In TemperanceVille and
Saw Millrun the elements made sad
havoc, Ehe fierce torrents Of rain