The Portland daily press., 1874-07-29
THE GREAT FLOOD.
The Pittsburg Disaster Fully Gen.
firmed.
Full Account of the Terrible
Scene.

PITrSBURG, July 28.-The scattered positions
of the districts devastated by The flood and the
bewildered condition of the people in the places
inundated render it impossible to give anything
like an accurate statement as to facts and fig
ures. The loss Of life in the Butchers Bun and
Allegheny City districts is estimated at 147, but
one despatch only makes it 125 The most care
fully prepared figures, however, give the total
loss OF life at pa. With regard to properly it
is simply impossible to give an idea that can be
considered reliable.
AT a meeting of citizens in Alleghany CITY
last night, number of the leading men pledS-
ed themselves to raise $4,000 for the immedi-
ate relief of the sufferers, and measures will be
taken to have the dead removed meeting
will be called by the Mayor OF Pttsburg to-
day.
NEW YORK, July 2S-Specials from. Pitts
burg contain nothing new in the way of facts,
but several very affecting incidents report
ed. A tesutifrs young girl in ner Gi2 h6 clothes
was seen on her knees IN an upper chamber of
a floating building, engaged in supplication.
The house striking against a brick building aud
It's course for moment stayed, she was seen to
rush to window and stretch forth her white
arms as though mutely appealing for help. A
moment later the building went whirling on
and she was seen no more. The last woman
found was young mother. Close to her breast
she held her young baby in her q asp SO tight
that it was with difficulty removed. Others
were found in positions which showed that they
men were found with their clothing torn from
their bodies; some with the agonizing throes of
death struggles written plainly on their faces,
some with their hands cut and bleeding from
nails and spliuters while vainly graspng for
life.
The following is a description of the awful
storm that burst over Pittsburg and Allegheny
City:
About s 80 o'clock on Sunday evening two
great black clouds came up from opposite
points OF the compass, one to the southwest
aud one to the northwest. They rose slowly,
like two awful demons Their edges were rag
ged aud black, fiecked here and there with
patches OF fiery colOrs. A dozen little prom
ontores jutted out here and therey.like the
heads of the hydra upon each, changing sha pc
and appearance every moment and assuming
the appearance of a bird. beast or monster, oc
casionally extending far up across the interven-
ing space, as though to reconnoitre the enemy,
and then again receding. But all this time the
two great giants, swarthed in inky blacknesS
and almost without line slowly approached
each other. Suddenly a noise, between roar
and growl, burst from each. There was no
distinct detonatou, like ordinary thunder, but
a low, terrible and continuous mumbling growl,
causing the air to vibrate and the very founda-
tlons OF the earth to shake as though certain
ague had seized upon the everlasting hills. A
fringe of fire, like an aurora borealis began to
run along the ragged edges, faint at first but
growing in intensity every moment until 1T
looked as though the demons had put on an
armor Of fire. On they came, nearer and nearer,
when suddenly mighty bolt of binding light
leaped from the central head of the demon of
the northeast, burned high up in the sky, and
then fairly struck the opposing demon. A
moment, and deafsning crash divided the hot
atmosphere and made the earth to tremble pal
pably. But the demon of the southwest was
not even stunned, but paid back his assailant
with forked iavelne of ulphurous flame.
This was the opening OF the grand battle
The long lines of flames that enveloped the
combattants ceased to dance and flicker, and
like the borealis gathered into tongues of silver
and blue fire, and leaped forward Simultaneous
ly from both directions, until the rapidly mar
rowing space between them seemed to be an
ocean of fire. The two demon clouds met di-
rect!y over the city, and seemed to rock the
earth to the uttermost foundation. For a few
minutes previous few heavy drops of rain
had been pattering down, but when the two
giants met in their death embrace, it seemed
as though river had been unclaimed in the
heavens and was falling bodily to the earth be-
low. For half au hour it did not rain, there
were no distinguishing drops as the term is
generally understood; it was the descent of a
torrent like river leaping over a precipice
In three minutes after the terrible wat er spout
had burst, more than 100 human beings were
swept away. Down Madison avenue in Alle-
ghany city, came the food in its most awfnl
destructlveneSS, sweeping away more than
fifty dwelling houses and causing the death Of
seventy persons in that immediate vicinity.
AT Woods run, on the Ohio, fifty were
swallowed dp in the twnkling of an eye, and
at Saw Mill Run on the south bank of the
Monongahela, twenty-five more were sudden
ly engulfed.
The three rivers have been full of'dead all
day while the water ways leading thereto have
yielded up harvest that sickens the coroners
and undertakers.
Alderman Bolster of the 7th Ward of ALE
OlanV. who cubmar,raI Wi fap ap,Ilv
his wife being on sick bed, with a superhu-
man effort gathered up his wife and five chill
dren and started to run out of his house which
was being swept away. His little boy, Char
ley, perched upon his shoulder, hearing the cry
OF little babe in the next house TO which he
was greatly attached leaped from his father S
shoulder, and in the morning was found with
his little limbs clasping his baby lovers crib, in
which 1T was dead and smiling
AT Woods Run John Brady, wife and four
children lived in a little shanty at the foot of
bluff, that was here 100 feet high. Over
this bluff ran small gas pipe to supply q house
alone. When the flood came and struck their
house Mrs. Brady seized the babe to her breast,
leaped out of the back window, and seizng the
gas pipe sailor like dragged herself aud the
child to the top OF the hill alone. Her husband
and the other three children were drowned.
On O'Hara Street Randolph Artz, wife and
six children resided. While Mr. Artz was try
ing to paciy his family about the storm the
lily dug out of the debris to-day aud laid, seven
of them, in long room in an undertaker's es-
tablishment.
One man, who was picking up bits of broken
hardware, said he had lost nothing excspt his
house, wife aud two children. and was trying
to pick up something to begin housekeeping
with He was a stalwart man, but so dement,
ed that hundreds who heard him fell to weep.
ing.
Further Accounts.
From Charters valley further accouu3s have
been received. On Laughu's run the body of
Mrs Cleat was found this morning with her
scalp torn off and one arm gone. Half mile
above Bridgeyllle Wn, Stratbono, whose wife
and children were drowned, was found on the
top Of tree whsre he lodged, be knows not