The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-08-05
SIIlAf lights lISASTRlTS
TLg8D.
Whole Families Swept
Away.
Over 0ne Hundred aa5 Fiftv Lives
Lost.
Partiai Liss OF the Victims.


TIE terrible r4in-st0rm of SCndag
evening was the all-absorbiag topis
Yesterday. 50 far IS the destruction
Of human life Is concerned, this i The
greatest calamity thst has ever be-
fallen our CITY. Horrible - vas the
great Arsenal explosion. 7 wes 10. tl
( be compared il Is dreadful details ta
+ this bolocaast TIE storm was nol
accompanied Eish destructive winds
Z the devastation resulting entirely from
the saddea precipitation Il immense
+ volumes Ct water The dood-ates d
/ heaven were literally opeaed, and tie
ordinary channels f9r carrying away
the wafer were everywhere made
quate. Night had closed il. and
( our people were comfortably housed
a. home. spending The evening with
friends. q 81 some EeighboricE
house q worship. TIE rain was de-
sceading c0piogSly. and the light
hing's fash aad the tbun6er's rattle
ineessaut, bat beTo8d this there was
nothing u3usual There was ID 0e-
easion FOR anyone % app-ehend such
5 fearful visitation l. cane almost
as Unexpectedly IS the Mi Rirer dis
2s1er. Such = thing as houses har-
ing been swept away IN Pittsburgh
or Allegheny, IS Il Dy the avalanche,
was nearei heard Of. mach less an1ic-
iDzied- Nothing had ever occurred
in or past history, which, even II
the remotest degree, might lead Us 70
anticipate s1cb 3 dire calamity. much
less attempt 70 guard against u We
have 81 times. ever since the great
food Of S32, seen large p0ruons Of
Allegheny and sUburbs submerged,
and eren II : night, u q fes hours,
the waters would rise a1a overflow
The river bs1ks. CO Esi1- much destTae-
ton Of properly. and even sweeping
away hogses and DESTROYING lives
But the aood ca Saa9sE ui-nI has 10
parallel IN Cur history
The old civ q Pittsburgh. owing.
perhaps. - the fact thzt Il draiss very
rapidly. and not because the r4in-f4li
was Lighter. escaped urith comparative
" little damage. and wiEheU1 the loss.
Of life. X never before. however.
got sgch 3 complete Washing
In Allegheny the devastation was
confined - tw0 loealiries- one
known as Butchers rua, and the
other as Woods run, being some
three OF four miles spzrL The frst
locality Is IN the Third ward, and has
for wears been densly populated
mainly bE Germsns Tie valleys
leading Into this -an drain q large
area, aad the natural water courses
have been materially aided by
sewerage, 50 that there had never
keretof5re been aav dif5eulfy experi-
eBced il carrying OF ordinarily rains
The immense quantities Of water
which were precipitsted inside q sn
hours tine oFerE0wed he banks,
increased rapidly N volume. sad
surrounded the whole neigh5orho0d
with danger before tbev were aware
Gift When their houses began 70
fll with water, % IsoFe either foua-
dations. OF were crushed bE the
weight of other buildings coming
against then. Il vas too late % plsn
for esczPs- The angry waters rush
ed down the streets, sweeping every
thing before them, and II some places
rose 70 TIE height Of over twenty feet
Water rush. q down from eight % ten
feet deep, in streets which do nof Or
dina-v overflow 81 aI Amid the
raging Of the storm the foFPli1g over
Of houses, and the rushing Of t0rren1s
IA The streets, scores q men. women
and children persisted The wonder
is that tie destruction Ct life was not
much larger
A. Woods Run the loss Of lie was