Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-08-13
The Pittsburgh Deluge.

=
Allegheny City papers the following
incidents of the disastrous food of
July 26:
AS might be inferred, flood like
that above recorded, bringing with it so
much devastation and terrible loss of
life, is replete with incidents and
events, many of them thrilling and
heart rending in the extreme. Every
where on the scene, which was viewed
by thousands of people, men, women
and children, diligent inquiry was made
for lost friends and acquaintance, and
anxiety was depicted on all features.
Rumcrs of all sorts were current as to
the number of dead bodies found, per-
sons lost and remains recovered. In
quiry, too, revealed the fact that many
who were thought to be lost were
found, and others, WHO, it was thought,
had escaped the mighty deluge, were
ingulfed in the rapid roll of waters.
Parents were looking all day for their
children, who may never be found,
and children were as anxiously search
ing for parents who were no doubt
drowned. Faces of the dead recovered
were scanned eagerly by anxious thou
sands, and the undertakers' offices were
all day besieged by the anxious multi
tudes.
The scene at the school-house in the
Thirty-fift Ward was, perhaps, the
saddest of all. Four victims of the
catastrophe lay here in their last long
sleep. Near the door, covered with
sheet, as were all the rest, lay the body
of strongly-built man, who evidently
struggled hard before he yielded to the
grim destroyer. His name was Thomas
Britton. At the other end of the loom,
with his face sadly disfigured by the
timbers and stones which had struck
him, lay his son, youth about II or
IA years of age, named Willie Britton.
By his (Willie's) side was the body of
little girl with long, golden hair, look
ing as calmly beautiful as if she had
just fallen asleep. Her name was
Maggie Hunter, and her father and
mother and three brothers are still
missing, and are doubtless also
drowned. Nearer the door lay the body
of Mrs. Thrap. Her husband and four
| children are still missing. Never as
long as life lasts shall we forget the
little school-house of the Thirty-fifth
Ward.
On Spring Garden run the storm was
not nearly so disastrous as across the
hill on Butchers run. Yet here it was
bad enough in every way. For more
than mile evidences of the fierce flood
are visible in the shape of wrecked
buildings, burst sewers, etc. But
two lives are known to have been lost
here. In this locality 9-year-old son
of Michael Schoelter followed after his
father. The current carried him
against a neighbours house, and, with
presence of mind remarkable in one so
young, he caught the door-knob and
held on tightly, all the while crying
Justify for help. Mr.. August Tauer,
owner of the house, opened the door,
and young Scholter was rescued and
taken to the upper story. All along
this avenue to the intersection with
O'Hara street the wrecks of buildings,
mainly outhouses, shops, etc., are piled
up promiscuously. OF course the dam
age to furniture, bedding and clothing
is serious, falling mainly on the poorer
classes of the community.
Many exciting episodes are told by
the inhabitants of this section. Mrs.
Kiser, an aged lady, living with her son
and his family at No. so Spring Garden
avenue, was pulled out by ropes, and
thus hoisted to the upper story of q
taller residence adjoining.
About mile out on the run a man
named William Peats tied his family
a wife and seven children-with 6
clothes-line In a room, fearing that
some of them, in their alarm, would
rush frantically away and be lost. The
house was saved, and with it the entire
family.
A frightful loss of life was brought
about in single house right to the real
of Center street, near the junction o.
Spring Garden avenue. Nobody seemed
to know the persons. There were per
haps two or three families living in the
house. At least this is the opinion O.
some who live in the neighborhood
The first parties who appeared on Cen
ter street with skiff discovered MAJ
hanging on to the roof of house, OF
the right-hand side toward and neal
Spring Garden avenue. At that time
the water on the street was some fifteer
feet high. They took the skiff under
the place where the man was hanging
and told him to drop, the height being
but small, as the skiff was nearly on ,
level with the second story windows
The man jumped and was saved. HI
then told the man in the skiff that hi
family were back in the house, consist
7 ing of wife and three or four chill
dren. He had got on the roof and ha,
jumped from that on to another roof
and when he reached Center street th
, house was destroyed, and with it wer
7 lost mother with three orfour children
and the children of another family, max
1 ing in all one woman and nine children
Strange as it may appear, no one kne'
who they were.
, James Flanagan, when he saw tn
: coming torrent, made, an attempt t
: save his sister, but he received blo'
on the head, which sent him headlon
9 into the food, and in the mad coursin
, stream he foated for a distance of 80
: feet, finally grasping friendly tree an
+ climbing out.
e Among the houses struck by the Wa
e ter was small frame, occupied by tn
, billions and their little family and som
r neighbours children, to the number c
= nine souls. Away sped this little arl