The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-07-30
,,,rsBrRGH's, CAi.AM NIL !. :
,,..sr,SG OF A wATER-s s.: y II.
Converted into Laxos-Aun-
s'' .as Of Houses Desnolishsa'
u,xpIED BODIES RECOVERED
QI'N '.,,,,iv FAMILIES SWEPT AWAY
,ry>rs AID INCIDENTS.

q,c Pittsburgh papers naturally teen VIZ"
: ,.I. nr the direful disaster when .' over
i ',' 49,, city on Sunday, which has proven
t''N ,' .Io most suddenly terrific on record
' ,,., " he MiiRiver calamity seems neon:
.,,,,l, upon comparison. we s,eah 'tle
I:"' particulars from the fi''soufSn
p<y4:h: r,r o,,crnoon was
.',ry but not nortentious 9. una asu . aG'
.,,.,,,sl i,hcnomcna. Iii'Ze'i, at1s .hor,,
ii ' '.~ ,rry,ccs rs usual; and wheh, apou. !
-..Iacl the rain suhsded, ana the ~. u.cunns
. o., S's .,nt.a the passing ciouas WIN pun Ky
,,4 .oid, thousands cro"oeu upHa Any
$40 '.,. .,rkiuc pleasure or feefeatioh, us
>..,' &c., the events OF the day ana the pros.
'''>,., - th, morrow, which. alas came hot
PEW. rr Thus fell the shades OF night; tbe
".r" retired 20 rest, aud "siitnce plooue0
isi .,.II and puISelcss world.
'N -. .,,..,.n o ana 10 O'Clock frequent ana
~ G,.b,., of iehtuing in the northern
WV ,'.r. accompanied by terrlhc peais OF
.. Yea, .,,r ,r,,a.cd the coming disaster. mo-
:" ,r;jy increasing in violence, II was oui
"' r,,.,. mill Tic streets IN many places
y" " .,'''t,.,ah,,: water swept down the
VIZ ~ earring torrents; the broadeSt
7'''.'' ,,,sr,. >nlja sheets of water; while
''''' 49,. Liu.i,jcs poured a Gcluge which
~, ~ = I'm. weight from their iouli-7
90 .,,,., u,>lrd md scanned the. earth as
49," 49,. .,f h.,u Ilyrn by an earthquake.
- ~, ro,,a resist the awful volume OF
-. ,'.,,.- .t,.Ia1u- water. Substaullal DFich
!''. ,.,rrtarii when it struck them
,l.y had been made oil slhd
49, f,;ilirDr, were lifted from their !oGA-
t...',., borne alan. on the angry cuffehi,
l.. ,.Nru 10 pieces against other eulldilSs
.,,t. ,.,ini, o!.tguctcd their course. LII
,r,. instance. foundations were undermined
.,.,,.r,,.iug> sunk down in sand and deDris
-, .t -rrnnd >.urv. 20 reSiStleSS was the
,.,.....r TINT nothing in its path escaped ne.
,.,r...ou-huj,,.>. ieDces, bridges, trees, all
a., ;,., t1wu before il. and combining to con-
-,rJ,,, :, >crn. 9; ruin such as none had ever
Witnessed beiyF'. and such is We nope we
mr.. never lnoh upon again.
IN, ,r.a, IL WAS The destruction OF pro-
,.tn II !, no,hn. in view OF the loss OF hui
'.,r lite. OF those who retired TO rest on
..,5,v ry,ulu. in the stricken districts,
,..,,.rian two hund. I'd were pallid corpSeS
r,s,r ~, morning light broke upon the
I~.,,lnI ,c"re More than a score OF little
,la.irru. who On sunday night, kneeliDg at
:lry, mothers kAcc, li-ped Now | lay me
,;rwa t. >l.c.." realized the full siSnlhcance
d, NJ. pctition ere morning broke, their
f,a,t, when found being in many instances
,lreA:ulty di>fgured, their delicate limbs
.,,,h,d and broken, their beautiful tre>Ses
II.h,,r,G md inteimNed with lOathsome
.o.,,iir,>. uh. i: was spectacle TO make
,.rous men weep. and sympathetic women
,-.Iu:.rc aud turl. fIlnting, away. Ia some
al.r, rutllc families were swept from their
,.d-. their hou>cs falling in ruins upon
Them. and all lost together.
The scenc early Monday morning sur
;,t,>r> tie power OF language to Adequately
Ir,ryit". Thousands Of people, many oil
whom had been tcreaVcd during the plght,
Ia.krG 10 The scene OF disaster TO survey the
ruin and. if possible, 10 recover the bodies OF
;n,ir wives. husbands, children, or friends.
Hundreds Of wiling bands were soon at
work removing the debris, while hundreds
@. others, With batcd breath, hoping against
ha" that their missing ones had escaped,
awaited the i,>l.r. ~ body after body was
i,s,n from the ruins and was recognized.
HI >''b''u tll't NpLith NNitN, " INV VIZ
SPECTATORS stood with uncovered heads as i.
Va borne away. There were many such
>rne.. 4 German, the bodies Of whose wife
AID tire" children were recovered and taken
u Ii house. manifested every symptom OF
INSANITY. all the efforts of his friends failing
10 4. apo>e his mind. At midday bis cond!-
tin atl not improved. and il is probable the
jrrr, arlhlc loss be sustained has permanently
unsettled his mind.
Though the tall Of rain alone would have
Srl.!ir"d TO bring Il terrible devastation, If
s., II, 10 81 well authenticated that the prin-
,j;a r;l)I>v Of The great calamity in this local.
j.y ~ 4 WATERFRONT OF vast proportions
w!i,i. bust upon the bills overlooking the
Citl. und pnurCd down in rWhelHling vol
uu.r through the natural water channels.
TIr body ut water fell asunder on the second
range OF hills, and sought Z level by the way
Vi Butchers, spring Garden, and Woods
ran, expanding them with almost the sud-
d,nn,>> IT hgatning stroke, from small,
tGt not dangerous streams, TO terrible ele-
m..ntS q! destruction and power against
which all rliJrts Of men were futile and
pung. II
THE INCEPTION OF THE DISASTER.
AZ NV iIuNll'ii ~ Last st0Ct WIN AobuI~
son uYrDuc the volume burst from its com
lMa,iycly narrow confines full upon the
paved >ucrls OF the city, and about eight
i,r'. III depth rushed down both the tho
ruu.hinc-. Where the two came together
va, 4 narrow frame house, which first felt
Tie force AID collapsed as if caught in the
embrace Of Il monstrouS vice. A mother and
three children named Connolly, and a young
man nalned Rogers, q cripple, were swept.
away with the ruins. On East street the
wafer bowed for about hundred yards,
tearing down six or seven houses, and then
rolled Oft 10 the eastward and joined forces
WIN the >cethiDg river which had laid hold
u MADISON avenue for it, channel. On this
~olOu.hlare,a large sewer built TO receive
'!r Whole flow Of tie run burst with ire
!A"adoll, force. leaving a cavity some thirty
'rei II depth, and giving new and angry lm- |
pulse 10 the stream. For half mile this |
Ah"iUt was >cooped out in places twenty feet
.oNcr than the curb, tearing lamp-posts from
their places, aud twisting them like straWs
III al variety Of shapes. The houses on each
SIDE "err flooded and the weaker ones were
wrecked, aud in some cases torn from their
iouGIltons; but most Of them, until Vista |
Street VAS Telched, held together, and the
terrified occupants, budding in the second
stories, escaped death which seemed eacl
i4oment about to grasp them. AT Vista
>,ir"t tue natural valley leads to the east
Ward, The hill coming to bold point, below
HAcn Butchers and Spring Garden ruus
u'''t aNd now together TO the Allegheny.
II TnE FACE AND FRONT OF THE FLOOD.
Here, in direct line with the flood, was the |
OF Mr.. Sweden, which now
Ile> ~ ii fell, a pile OF broken, mud-stained
Nn5"rs. Just below it, Concord street; |
traded some twenty feet above the patural
led Of the stream, which it crosses by cul'
vert, neatly paved and we'll lighted, was sud