Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-07-29
HEAVY STORM.
FLOOD IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY.
Great Damage at Pittsburg and Other
Places.
BETWEEN 100 AND 200 LIVES Losr.

PrrTsBURG, July 27-Rain commenced
falling about half-past seven O'Clock last
evening. 1t rained hard up to five o'clock
this morning. The worst damage was done
at Bucher's run, in Allegheny City, where
some twenty houses were swept away.
During the day heavy showers took place,
but they proved only preparatory to the
deluge which came down upon us between
eight and nine O'Clock in the evening. The
rain was accompanied with vivid lightning,
and for over an hour the storm was fast and
furious. The water came down in sheets.
A fearful loss of life is reported from
Allegheny, and a pecuniary loss beyond
that caused by the late destructive coniag-
ration. At the Union depot the 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 beiag 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 ra, idity and sent it
whirling with tremendous velocity and
power to the<iver 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 as
sault. Below, the bridge by which Carson
street crosses the river, was swept from Its
abutments. So great was its force that a
large number of bIrges, with coal, were
torn from their fastenings and swept down
the river.
A tremendous landslide occurred, COW
ering the rails of the Pan Handle railroad
to the depht of about eight feet. A train
coming towards the city was stuck there,
and was not dug out till 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.
In Allegheny the greatest damage was on
Spring Garden avenue in the Seventh ward =.
In one tavern a number of persons were
mau named Hess thought to attempt an es-
cape by swimming and was drowned. A
son of Alderman Bolster lost his life in a
vain endeavor 10 rescue a babe.
Houses are thrown together in he aps and
some twenty-five or thirty houses on the
avenues are washed away, and many
buildings not totally destroyed are Sc
riously damaged. The water rose to a
height of fifteen feet and flosdcd the first
floors of all the houses and in many places
the second stories. Several houses were
swept into ,he middle of the streets and
others were carried hundreds of yards and
shattered to pieces. A house containing
two or three families, at the rear end of
Centre street, was destroyed, and it is sup
posed all the inmates were drowned.
The track of destruction is marked by
wrecks of dwellings, bridges, immense
heaps of stone, large piles of drift wood
and the torn and ragged sides of the hills.
LATER.
PrTTsBURG, July 27.-The accounts of
the terrible food which has deluged nearly
all the suburban sections of this city as
they come in show that the disaster is far
greater than was at first supposed. 1t is
now thought the loss Of life will reach fully
200 persons, and the loss of property will
be proporhonately large. The extent of
territory damaged is not less than twenty to
twenty five miles in diameter.
A verv startling story is in irculation in
some of the West End Clubs, says 4 Lon
don correspondent. 1t is stated that the
son of a well-known Earl who entered the
army has been driven mad by the joking
gibes and tricks of his brother officers
Some time ago he was bitten by dog, and
since then the gallant fellows comrades
have .ake2 to barking at him. The other
night they are said to have put a tame bear
in his bedroom, locking the door as soon
as he entered. He escaped by the window,
and lied across the country ravIng lunatic,
until he was taken into the hos Spital ward of
a worshouse.