Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-02-14
FATEFUL FLOODS.


sands Of People Observation-Disclosures.
Wheeling, Louisville and Other Points
Similarly Visited-Mi1lions of Dollars
Damage, Many Lives Lost, and Traffic
Very Largely Suspended.
~ PITTSBURGH, PA, Feb. 8.
This has been . day Of terror to the resi-
idents of this city, Allegheny and sur
rounding towns. What the night will bring
forth no one can say. The streets and a
majority of the houses in both cities are in
complete darkness, the gas-works having
been submerged early in the day. Com
munication between the cities is difficult
and dangerous, and thousands of families
are homeless, while other thousands are i'm
prisoned on the second and third floors of
their homes without food or fire. The food
is the greatest in the history of the city
with the exception of that in the spring of
1881, when the rivers reached thirty five
feet from its headwaters to the point. The
Monongahela River has overlooked its
banks. Manufacturers Of every descrip-
ticn we're compelled to suspend operations
early in the day, and their machinery is
now covered from six to eight feet.
In this city everything within a quarter
of mile of the wnarves has been flooded.
This morning the scene in all that portion
of the city known as the Point District
were of the most distressing character.
The water had driven all the occupants of
dwellings to the upper floors, and the only
communication between the houses and the
dry land was by means of skiffs or rudely
constructed RATS, upon which men, women
and children, with q curious aggregation
of food, fuel and household goods, foated
about seemingly without intent or purpose.
At the Duquesne Depot hundreds of teams
were engaged in removing goods which had
been stored there, while men on floats re-
covered valuable property from train of
freight cars which had been left on siding
on Water street. The water at the foo, of
Penn street early in the day reached such
a depth that it was impossible for the West
End and Union Line cars to reach the
bridges, and at noon they were compelled
to suspend operations. In many places
the water for squares is six and eight feet
deep. All the lumber-yards and saw-mills
along the river banks have been swept
away. In the center of the city no incon-
venience was experienced until late this
afternoon. Then the water commenced to
enter cellars, and the majority were flood
ed. The morning newspapers are great
sufferers.
In Allegheny the scene beggars descrip-
ion. The Exposition grounds are the bot
tom of a river, and South avenue is a swift
running stream of water that can not be
distinguished from the river itself, and
barges, RATS and boats are moored to the
second-story windows of the buildings that
line It's west side. The water made its way
through Isabella, Robinson and Laycock
bankment of the West Pennsylvania Road,
where it rose to a height of fully six feet.
Federal street, being higher than the others,
kept the flood back to the alley between
Robinson and Laycock, but on Morgan and
all adjoining thoroughfares it rushed clear
up to the track. burying fully one-half the
city beneath it. The southern section of
town suffers the most, so far as extent OF
ground covered goes. but the whole first
plateau of the city is under water. The
wards that are the most drowned out are
the First. Fourth, Sixth, Fifth and Eighth.
Many families on River avenue and adjoin
ing thoroughfares moved out last night,
and this morning those who had no place to
go took refuge in the second stories. The
lower floors are in nearly every instance
left just as when inhabited, and carpets,
furniture and household goods are float
ing around. 1t is safe to estimate 1,5OO
pie in the flooded districts have no place to
go, and in many houses there are no fires
or cooking conveniences on the second
floors and no fuel to cook with if there was.
Boats manned by policemen and volunteers
are removing the imprisoned families as
fast as possible, but on account of the dark
ness many will have to remain until morn.
ing.
Early this morning the Sixteenth street
bridge was declared unsafe, and none ven-
tured upon it. At dark the water was rush
ing over its floor timbers, and its going
down is a mere question of time. The CEN
ter span of e'Ewald street bridge is said
to be badly bulged and liable to go at any
moment. The Tenth street railroad bridge
shakes and trembles with every gorge that
surges against its stone piers. The railway
company has kept it loaded with heavy en-.
gines and trains all day, and hope in this
manner to weight it down and save it and
the lower bridges il the Sixteenth street or
Forty fifth street structures come down up
on 1T. All the railroads, even the Pennsyl-
vania, are under water, and some have suf-
fered severely from land slides.
The Mayors of both cities have issued
proclamations calling for relief for the 5000
families whose houses are flooded. Several
large halls have been thrown open for their
accommodation.
West Newton is almost completely sub
merged, and as the country thereabout is
sparsely settled, those who have been driv-
en- from home are suffering greatly. One
ward of McKeesport and sections of two
others are deserted, and from Braddocks,
Homestead, Sharpsburg, Etna, Hens Is
land, Glenwood, Lakewood and other
small towns come tales of distress.
The marks at eleven o'clock P. m, show
bridge across the Allegheny River at Kit
tanning has been swept away. 1t was a
fine structure, and cost $3.50 900. A section
of the bridge at Freeport has also been car
This evening John @. Weyman, of the firm
of Weyman Bros, tobacco manufacturers,
was sucked into a sewer and drowned.
A careful estimate of the loss in this city
based on figures furnished by losers, is as
follows: Manufacturers, $225,O00; work
mems wages lost, $500, 600; families whose
homes are flooded, $125,OO0; owners of
flo ded property, $3.50, 200; goods damaged
in cellars and business houses, $3.50, 900;
lumber dealers. $4,000; railroads, $780,
coo; surrounding towns, $3OO,OOO. Tota,,
S., 1u0, 900.
Two more lives are reported to have been
lost in the lower part of Allegheny since
midnight. The names can not be ascer-
tanned. Twenty houses have fallen down
and many others are expected to disappear
before morning. The river is still rising
slowly.
CINCINNATI, Feb 8.
There IL q tradition of food in the kOhio
In 1893, when Cincinnati was but five years
old, that was greater than that OF last Feb
ruary. There are no records OF it, but IL IS
believed to have been a trifle above seventy
feet. The first Inhabitants heard from the
Indians story of still higher food. This
was when the whole valley was covered
with dense, lofty forests. No man now
doubts that the present food will be the
highest recorded. At seven O'Clock to-