The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-07-28
TEIEGRAPHIC.
Frightful Storm at Pitts
burgh.
Immense Oestru Il IN of
Property.
More than 200 Lives Lost.
ire than 200 Lives Lost.
Vivid Description of the
Terrible Scene.

PITTSBURGH, July PA very destruc-
tive stolm swept over this city last night,
causing great destruction of life aud prop
erty. The water poured down from the
neighboriug hills and deluged the street.
The Union depot was inundated three or
four feet deep. The Panhandle tunnel
was filled with water and rendered impas-
sible. Smithfeld and Liberty streets and
the side streets leading from the hills SUIT
fered greatly. Boulders have been wash
ed down from declivities and holes have
been opened in the streets rendering some
OF them impossible, Brady, Tustin, Van
Broom, Millenberger, Marion, Pride and
Stevenson streets are terribly cut up. In
Allegheny City the food was terrible The
burst. inundating the whole upper part OF
the city and carrying off number OF
houses. the water being about ten feet
Deep A large number of lives were lost
in this vicinity. 1t is reported that
thirty eight bodies have been recovered.
The destruction of property cannot be es-
timated.
The loss of life by the food has been APP
paling. Thirty eight bodies have been re-
covered in the Butchers Run district, Al
leghany county, and as many more are
missing and supposed to have been lost.
The havoc at Woods Run was fearful and
the place was perfect sheet of water.
Nine bodies have been recovered so far,
and five or six are still missing. On the
south side, in the Saw Mill run district,
eight bodies have been recovered and thir
ty seven are still missing. A whole block
of buildings have been swept away in this
district. 1t is thought that over $50 per-
sons have perished in the flood.
Accounts of the terrible food which have
deluged nearly all the suburban sections of
this city, as they come in during the after
noon and evening, show the disaster to be
far greater than at first supposed, 1t Is
now thought that the total loss of life will
not be short of 200. The loss of property
is proportionate,
The Evening Chronicle, in its o'clock
edition, placed the loss Of life at l42 and
the names of missing parties are continu
ally coming in. The extent of territory
damaged is not less than twenty or TWEEN
ty five miles in diameter, and that the
main portion of the city of Pittsburgh,
| lying as it does in the centre of this circle,
escaped without further injury, seems al
most miraculous. The prevailing theory
seems to be that the disaster was caused
by some kind of water spout. A
gentleman who watched the storm from a
few miles down the river, when there was
but little rain, says that by fitful flashes
of lightning he could see huge, inky- black
funnel shaped clouds overhangiug the city,
The narrow ends were lowest, while the
dark parts gave vent to an almost perpet'
ual burst Of lightning.
1t is almost impossible for any one not
familiar with the geography of this local
ity to form an idea of this disaster or how
| it could possibly have occurred. The main
CITY of Pittsburgh as it rises gradually
| from the point formed by two rivers, has
many gulches in certain localities, which
render food of this description liable TO
do great damage. The part known as the
hill region is frequently liable to suffer
from local inundations. The damage here,
however, this time is light compared with
other localities strictly suburban. The
north bank of the Allegheny river, upon
whose hill sides and in whose valleys the
upper portion Of the city Is situated, mas
been the scene of the greatest disaster.
| The work of destruction commenced at a
point about two miles north of the central
portion of Allegheny City. Butchers Kun
Valley at its mouth is probably between
400 and 500 feet wide. and at the point
where the work of destruction commenced
il is not more than $50 feet wide Between
North avenue and this northerly point nu-
merous ravines empty into Butcher hun
Valley Along this run houses were built
directly over the natural water course, cul-
verts being made 10 part as foundations
for dwelling houses he line of destruc
ton followed this water course to the river
and inv lived an immense number OF
houses that were not on the line OF the
culvert The rain commenced very sud
denly and it seemed as though the hea-
yens had opened and the water came down
as from huge pipes. The valley was soon
filled with water and the debris of houses,
barns, etc. In the district west of Chest.
nut street the water rose to the height OF
twenty feet in places, and the people could
hardly save their lives, much less their
goods. The dwelling of Henry Mattern
was struck and he, his wife and two child.
rem drowned. Mrs. Winkler was carried
off with her house and drowned. MrShear-
ing, as soon as he saw the food coming,
moved his family to the hillside, where one
child rolled over the embankment into
the fi,oi. The body was discovered this
morning. The glue works were de
stroyed next August Ryanff dwelling
was carried away with the occupants and
two children perished. At the intersec-
ton of Madison avenue and East street a
house was struck by the food and carried
away. All the inmates, six in number,
were drowned The torrent swept down
to the low lands, in width 200 feet, and
everything yielded to it like .and, the
houses being literally turned upside down
The house of Alderman Balster was de
stroyed and one of his children drowned
The next family escaped. In another
house almost adjoining resided Jacob Ma
son, his wife and two children, All the
family except one child were lost The
bodies of three were found this morning
In Chestnut street and SpringGarden ave
nue. houses withstood the fOod. Abop
seventy houses we're destroyed in all thi
district aud it is thought that many bodle;
remain in the debris. The following is lis
of those already recovered: Mr.. and Mrs
Getzler, Conrad Getzler aud wife, Mrs
Mary Canton, John Winkler, Jacob Schaf
fer, Mrs. Henry Leonold and four children
Archibald Arnold the body q female
and the bodies OF seven children, thre'
II II H.4d