The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-07-28
A PENNSYLVANIA FLOOD.
Sad Loss of Life
Great Destruction of Prop
erty.
Not Less Than 200
Lives Lost.
A PENNSYLVANIA FLOOD.

| PITTsBURG, July 27-All the flood gates o
the heavens were opened last night and vas
| volume OF water was discharged upon the city
| During the day heavy showers took place, ba
| they proved only preparatory to the de lug
| which came down upon us between eight AM
| nine In the evening. The rain was accompan
led by vivid lightning, and for over an hour thu
| storm was fast and furious. The water came
down in sheets, which fairly glistened as the
lightning flashed upon them in quick success
sion.
A fearful loss of life IS reported from ALLIE
ghany and a pecnniary loss beyond that cause
by the late confagration.
AT the union depot this morning, the tunnel
OF the Pan Handle railway was flooded with
four feet OF water and became impossible fol
trains. and traffic for the time being was sus.
pended.
In the 18th ward, the most costly results of
the flood were felt. The tremendous BODY of
water which swept down into the mill run raised
that stream with great rapidity. A large guam
tity OF barrels and lumber were carried away
and piled up against the new iron bridge,
which did not long resist the fury of the as
sault. The bridge by which Carson stree
crosses the river was swept from its abut-
mentS.
So great was the force that large number of
bar2es with coal were torn from their fastening
and swept down the river.
a Sllue occurred, covering the
Pan Handle road to depth of eight feet A
train coming towards the city was stuck there,
aud not dug out until nearly morning. An
otser train is bottled up just below the saw
mill run.
The damage to business houses Is very great,
but cannot be computed at this time.
In Allegheny city the greatest damage done
was in Spring Garden Avenue. in the 7th ward,
In one taver.i number of persons were seated
when the water rose. A MAN named Hess
thought to escape by swimming, but he was
drowned. A son of Alderman Bolster lost his
life in vain enGeavOr to save the life of a
baby. A young lady was also among the VIC
tins. Thus far thirteen bodies have been re-
covered in this section of the city, and at
Woods run three bodies were found. Five OF
six persons are missing. A we'll known citizen
named Joen Schaffer is supposed to be lost
was extingushed.
Up many places great holes were ploughed up
in the streets Some of the cross streets are al
most impossible, and will require large expend-
itures for repairs.
Iu Allegheny city the flood was terrible.
The sewer on Madison avenue aud Vista street
burst inhndating the whole upper part of the
city.
On Spring Garden street several houses were
swept away, causing a large loss of life.
1t is reported that ffty-fye bodies have thus
far been recovered.
as large number OF stables and other build
ings were swept away.
The loss Of life by the flood is appalling
Twenty eight bodies have recovered in Butch
er's Run district in Allegheny city, and as
many persons more are missing who are sup
Run is fearful The place was perfect sheet
of water. Nine bodies have heGn recovered
there thus far and five or six persons are still
missing. On the south side in Saw Mill Run
district, eight todies were recovered and 81
persons are missing. A whole block of build
ings were swept away in that district, and sc
persons persisted in the flood there.
For more than mile out on the Spring Gar
den avenue, Allegheny City, the marks of de-
struotion are everywhere seen. The houses are
slaughter houses on the avenue were washed
away. Many buildings that were not totally
destroyed, are seriously damaged. Water ris.
ing to the height Of Is feet Hooded the first
floors of all the houses, and in MANY cases the
second stories. Several houses were swept In
to the middle of the street, and others carried
off hundreds of yards aud shattered to pieces
A house containing two or three families, al
the rear of Centre street, was destroyed, and it
is supposed all the initiates were drowned. 1r
Temperanceyille and Saw Mill Run the ele
ments made sad havoc. The fierce torrents Of
ram sweled every little tributary of Saw Mil
Run into boiling stream, and the accumulat
ing waters rushed with irresistible fury dowr
the valley sweeping everything in its course
The track of destruction is marked by the
wreck of buildings and Bridges, immense heaps
of stones large piles of drift wood and the
torn and rugged sides of hills where the waters
surged and ground into their very vtals.
Seven lifeless bodie, have already been fount
and from % to 30 persons are missing
The iron bridge crossing Saw Mill Run al
1 Main street, and tive othcs bridges above, wer'
swept away.
At McI1aushJin's, about II milas west oil
the Pan Handle railroad, eleven persons are
reported drowned, and also hundreds of cattle
horses, sheep, &c.
Later About the Flood.
1 The account of the terrible flood which has
| deluged nearly all the suburban sections of thi
city, as they come in, show the disaster to b,
far greater than at first supposed 1t is now
thought that the loss of life will reach fully 20
persons, and the loss of property will be pro
portionately large. The Evening Chronicle
places the loss of life at l42, and names of the
| missing are continually coming in. The extern
of territory damaged is not less than 20 to %
miles in diameter, and how the main portion O
| the city of Pittsburg, lying as it does in tn,
centre of this circle, escaped further injury ap
pears miraculous
The prevailing theory is that the disaste
was caused by some kind of water spout. A
| gentleman who watched the storm from a few
miles down the river, where there was littl,
| rain, says that by the fltfu flashes of lightning
| he could see large inky black, funnel shaped
| cloud which overhung the city, the narrow en-,
| being lowest, while the dark parts gave vent tt
| almost continuous flashes of lightning.
1t is almost impossible for any one not ia
| miliar with geography of locality to form Al
| idea of this disaster or how it could possibly
| have occurred. The main city Of Pittsburg a
it rises gradually from point forward by tn
| junction of the TWO rivers has many gtlches i
| certain localities, which, under flood of thi
4 do mott liahi tn do
| aud the part known as the He'll region is fire.
/ quently liable to suffer from local inundation:
| The damage. here, however, is at this time
| light compared with other localities strcul
| suburban. The north bank of the Alleghan
! upon whose hillsides and In whose valleys tn
| upper portion of the city is situated, has &C
| cordIng to all accounts, been the scene of th
| greatest disasters. The work of destruction
| commenced at point about two miles nortl
! of the central portion of Allegheny City
Butchers Bun Valley at its mouth is probabl
| between 400 and 500 feet wide and at the po;I
where the work of destruction commenced it i
not more than $50 feet wide.
Between North avenue and this northerl
point numerous ravines empty into Butcher
Run Valley Along this run the houses wei
built directly over the natural water cours
| culverts being made and used in part as found;
tions for dwellings. The line of destructio
followed the water course to the river, and il
| volved an immense number of houses that WI
not on the line of culverts.
When the RAIN commenced falling but ltt
apprehension was entertained that those WI
lived near the head of the valley state that SUE
denly it seemed as if the heavens were opened
Water came down as if discharged from in
mense pipes. The volume was so great tn;
the valley was filled with a raging TORE q
Frame dwellings, stables and slaughter hous
gave way like pipe stems, and debris fro
wrecks was swept down along the line of tt
plank Toad. the weight being augmented evel
moment. In the district lying west of Chestnl
street, and north of line lying parallel wit
| North avenue, the water rose to height
| fully twenty feet In some nlaces The occnnan