Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-08-06
TERRIBLE DEVASTATION.
Allegheny City and Pittsburgh. Pa,
the Scene of an Awful FIocFd-Two
Hundred Lives Lest.
P1TTsBrRGH. Pa, Jaiy q, 1874.


yesterday and last night was the heav-
lest known to the oldest inhabitants and
the result the most disastrous in the his
! tory of this city The storm of the
morning only inflicted some damage GA
the sewers and individual property; bat
/ at about nine o'clock the windows of the
I heavens were opened and the deluge was
! fearful. Solid masses Of water Hung
I themselves in angry volume upon every
/ square foot of the town and country, the
/ thunder and lightning were terrific and
the death-cry of scores of victims rose
upon the air from a dozen submerged
4 localities. The exact course of this cy-
! clone as yet is not precisely known, but
seems to be semicircle, embracing the
northern, western and southwestern
parts of our city on its arc, leaving the
main portion of the CITY unframed. In
Allegheny the calamity is utterly APP
palling, not only in the loss of property
but in lives of human beings. The great
fire so recent within its borders was as
nothing compared with this disaster.
/ People in the vicinity where the greatest
destruction occurred say they could get
out of the reach of the fire, but the
| water overwhelmed them and placed life
in as great jeopardy as properly. In all
parts Of the city more or less damage
was done: but great loss occurred in the
bottom districts, where the torrent swept
from the hills. In these the greatest dis
tress prevailed. Families in the peace
and quiet of the Sabbath evening were
compelled to their uttermOst eXertiOn to
save their lives The devastation along
the line Of Butchers and Saw-miIl Runs
was almost beyond description.
The work OF destruction commenced
| IL, E 80
street. This valley proper commences
at a point just above the line of North
avenue, where Spring Garden Run
and Butchers Run unite and flow
into an immense sewer leading in
to Allegheny River. Butchers Run Val
ley 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 route houses were
built directly over the natural water
course to the river and the ruin involved
an immense number of houses that were
not on the line of the culverts. When
the rain commenced falling but little
apprehensiOns were entertained; but
those who lived near the head of the val
ley state that suddenly it seemed as if
the heavens were literally opened and the
water came down as if discharged frnm
an immense pipe. The volume was so
large that the narrow valley was filled
with the raging torrent The force
of the water was irresistible. The
frame dwellings, stables and slauglaer-
houses gave way like pipe-stems, and
the. debris from the wreck was swept
down along the plank road, it's weight
being augmented every moment. In the
district lying west Of Chestnut strickland
north of line parallel with North ave
nue. the water rose to a height of fully
twenty feet. In some places the 0ccu-
pants Of dwellings were unable to es-
cape in time to save their lives, and in
many instances the force of the water
rent the structures into splnters.
The storm continued until about half
past ten o'clock, and from various locali-
ties the loss Of life tonight is set,down
at 200
Searching for dead bodies began at an
early hour this morning, and woEt.men
poured in from every quarter. Build
ings were torn to pieces, rubbish re-
moved, bricks thrown into the streets,
and everything possible done in order to
recover the bodies of the missing.
Women were present in great numbers,
anXiously looking on, while friends
q stood near at hand to witness
. the eXhumatio. Of their departed
! friends. The police force was
busy to preserve order; but the excite
ment was so great that the crowd ran to
and fro in an almost maddened condition.
The bodies, as soon as they were recov-
cred, were Immediately put into wagons
and taken to places designated in the
city. After arriving with the remains
they were washed and placed in row.
side by side, to await recognition
Friends and strangers crowd around to
get sight at the remains of the dead
Many bodies are in such shape as to be
difficult to recognize, being badly bruised ;
while others are fast turning unrecogniz-
able, decomposition having set in. Upon
the whole, however, they are in as good
condition as could be expected
The principal loss will be in the dis
trict above given, but outside this the
damage is heavy; yet, the contrast being
SO great, the minor losses are hardly no
ticed The destruction Of life is the all
absorbing topic, and everyone seems to
be in sympathy with those who have
barely escaped with their own lives only
to learn that their families have persisted
in the maddened waters. When realizing
their situations many weep and refuse
to be comforted.
From the heaps Of ruins piled up and
not yet removed it is supposed that
great numbers of dead have not set
been discovered.
There are twenty-eight bodies lying at
Fairman & SIMPSONS, all but two of
| which have been recognized. On the
floor in the upper room of the establish
ment eleven of the Inflated victims lie,
all of whom are children whose ages
range from two months to five years.
Among the eleven children there is one
that attracts especial attention. 1t is
about eleven months old Its round,
! dimpled face has not been married in the
least, and the peaceful smile which liz
! gers sweetly around its mouth almost
! compels the behOlder to believe that it
will yet awaken from what seems to be
| calm, sweet sleep. At its side lies Mrs.
! Siebert and her four children.
! a German visited Fairman & Samson's
Undertaking establishment and there
! discovered the bodies Of his wife and
four children cold in death MY
Cod" said the man, almost crazed,
what have [ done to have this on
me2" and he knelt down and wept
like child. \ young man who had lost
his another and three sisters in Butchers
Rum roamed about there this morning
Ike mailman, with tears rolling down