The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-08-04
A TERRIBLE FLOOD.
Over Two Numbered Lives Lost.

about half past seven o'clock last evening
1t rained hard up to five o'clock this morn
ing. The worst damage was done at
Bucher's run, in Allegheny City, where
some twenty houses were swept away. The
latest report from there is that from sixty
to seventy dead bodies have been found.
At the Union depot almost the entire
drain from the hill came down direct and
was reinforced from the railway tunnel,
which conducted the water from the west
and part of the south side of the Hard
scrabble district, which made the building
look as if it was undergoing the last of the
forty days and nights of rain.
During the day heavy showers took
place, but they proved only preparatory to
the deluge which came down upon us be-
tween eight and nine o'clock in the eve
ming. The rain was accompanied with
vivid lightnings, and for over an hour the
storm was fast and furious. The water
came down in sheets, which fairly glistened
as the flashes of lightning fell upon them
in quick secession.
fearful loss of life is reported from
Allegheny and pecuniary loss beyond
that caused the last destructive confa-
grafton. AT the Union depot tunnel of
the Pan Handle railroad was flooded with
some four feet of water, and of course be-
came impossible for trains, and traffic for
the time being on that road was suspended.
In the Thirty-sixth ward were felt the
most costly results of the deluge.
The Tremendous body of water which
swept down the hills into Sawmill run
raised that stream with great rapidity and
sent it whirling with tremendous velocity
and power to the river. A large quantity
of barrels and lumber were carried away
and fast piled up against the new iron
bridge which did not long resist the fury
of assault. Below, the bridge by which
Carson street crosses the river was swept
from its abutments. So great was its force
that large number Of barges, with coal,
were torn from their fastenings and swept
down the river. The tow boat B. p.
Wood was also carried away at Woods
mill.
tremendous landslide occurred, COW
ering the rails of the Pan Handle railroad
to the depth of about eight feet. A train
coming towards the city was stuck there
and was not dug out until nearly morning.
Another train was bottled up Just below
Sawmill run. The damage to the track
will be great.
The damage done to the business houses
is very great, and cannot be computed at
this time.
Messrs. Arbuthnot, Shannon s. Co.,
Liberty street, had valuable stock in
their cellar, and this was damaged to the |
amount of $1,000.
In Allegheny the greatest damage was
on Spring Garden avenue in the Seventh
ward. In one tavern number of persons
were seated when water commenced to
rise. A man named Hess thought to at
tempt an escape by swimming and was
drowned.
son of Alderman Bolster lost his life
in vain endeavor to rescue a babe. A
young lady, aged sixteen years, is also
among the victims.
Thus far thirteen bodies have been re-
covered in this section of the city, and at
Woods run three bodies have been found
and five or six persons are missing A well
known citizen named John Schaffer is sup
posed to have been lost, also Adam Bur
CESS, police officer.
The names of the drowned at Woods
run, are Mrs. Brannon, and child named
German. The gas is extinguished, and
until daylight comes, no conception of the
tragedy can be felt.
For more than mile out of Spring
Garden avenue Allegheny city, marks of
destruction are everywhere SEEN Houses
are thrown together in heaps and some
twenty-five or thirty houses on the avenues
are washed away, and many buildings not
totally destroyed are seriously damaged
The water rose TO height Of about fifteen
feet and flooded the first floors of all the
houses and in many places the second
stories. Several houses were swept into
the middle of the streets and others were
carried hundreds Of yards and shattered to
pieces.
A house containing two or three fam
lilies, at the rear of Centre street was
destroyed and it is supposed all the in !
mates were drowned.
In Temperanceville and Sawmill run the
elements made sad havoc. Fierce torrents
swelled every little tributary of Sawmill
run into boiling stream and the accumu-
iatlng waters rushed with mad and ire
sistable fury down the valley, sweeping
everything in their course