Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-12
THE EAsfERN FLOODS.
Five Lives hosg and Much Damage
Dnn q 20 PrnncrtY.

bOnesO properly
PITrsBURe, Mad 12,-The heaviest rain
storm for many years passed over this city
last night flooding cellars and doing consid-
cradle other damage. Landslides are re-
ported on nearly oil the railroads leading
into the city, but al far as known there have
been no fatalities. frhe low lands along the
OHIO river were sadly flooded, and numerous
farms were completely washed out. The
storm lasted about three hours aud the rain
fall was three inches.
Dispatches from towns in western
Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and West Vir-
ginia report great damage from the storm,
which seems to have been general in this
section.
So far but two deaths from drowning have
been reported. Two children of Conrad
Schaefcr, aged three and seven years, of
Spring Gardenborough, north of Allegheny,
were swept away by flood, and Mr. and Mrs.
Shaefer narrowly escaped the same fate.
This morning East street and Madison ave
nue., in the Butchers run district, are COM
plete wrecks, while numberless cross streets
arc completely filed with debris. Cars are
lying oil the tracks unable to be moved and
completely hemmed in by planking and
rubbish. The water in the run rose so
fast that residents feared repetition
of the disaster of 1870. and as soon as the
first shock passed away the terrified inhabl-
tants made preparations to vacate their
dwellings. A large number Of butchers
were heavily damaged. Their slaughter
houses were ruined, while their stocks of
meat were destroyed. The same tale of de-
structon comes from Sawmll Run, Woods
Run, Charters Valley, the West End,
South Side, Pleasant Valley aud Lawrence
vile districts A stable belonging to Fred
Kampke, on Mount Oliver was struck by
lightning and consumed. Fourteen horses
and two cows were cremated. The loss is
$4,000 Telegraph and telephone wires
were deranged throughout large section of
the country. This morning trains were late
on all roads.
Great deal manage was done in Pleasant
valley Allegheny county, as the ram poured
down the hillsides, converting the streets
into channels for the turbulent rivers, vary
ing from a few inches to several feet in
depth ana reaching from wall to wall. Earth
and debris were dumped on the street by the
wagon load. A number of street cars were
unable to get to the stables on account of
the immense amount of earth dumped on the
tracks. number Of passengers returning
from the theaters and elsewhere, in order to
hSNp
yond their accustomed stopping places, ex-
pecting to return in other cars.
When the cars were blockaded the
water was nearly two feet deep and it poured
in through the door ways and over the
floors. The unfortunate passengers took re-
fuge from the invading waters by standing
on the seats. The drivers and other en-
ployes of the road were wading about in the
water above their knees while they were
being drenched BY the rain. At McKees-
port the storm did thousands of dollars
worth of damages. In the Crooked Run dis
trict fifty houses were moved from their
foundations, and several were toppled over
and demolished The people had to
seek the hillside to escape drown
ing, while a large number of horses and
cattle were drowaed and many children
were taken out of beds floating in the second
stories of houses.
Twenty-Five carloads of debris is lodged at
the iron bridge, blockadng Fifth avenue
1t consists of lumber, wagons and house
hold goods. No lives Were lost, but there
were many narrow escapes.
On the Pittsburg, McKeesport s. Yough-
iogheny railroad freight train was
wrecked by running into a land slide, and
brakeman was killed This makes five
deaths directly attributable to the flood.
BRADFORD, May ia severe storm, &C,
compauied by lightning swept across north
ern Pennsylvania, yesterday, and did much
damage. At Itidgeway, in Elk county, Mrs.
Mcneil and three children, were killed by
lightning. Mrs. Mcneil lived with her hus-
band and children in the suburbs, and when
the storm arose she took the children into
the cellar for safety. The deadly fluid struck
the house, and, passing into the basement,
instantly killed the mother and three babies
BUGETsTowN. Pa, May I.-Lightning
struck Anns g. Co.'s oil we'll, last night and
two of the workmen were seriously injured
At Beaver Falls, the body of little two
year-old daughter of Newton Bently, living
on the banks of Walnut Run, was found to-
day, lodged IN pile of driftwood.
YOUNGSTOWN, O., May II. During the
storm, last night. lightning struck the resi-
dence of Elsen Powell, at Hazelton badly
damaging the dwelling. The family escaped
injury A large barn belonging to Robert
Hunter three miles south, was fired by
lightning and destroyed. A business house
struck and burned to the ground. II all
damaged growing crops consdera bly,.
DIXON, ILL.,, May 11.-An electric storm of
great violence passed through this place last
night doing damage to property in this city
and throughout the country. Several houses
were struck by lightning, telephone and tele.
graph wires torn down, and windmils and
chimneys without number blown over Old
residents say 1t was the worst storm in thirty
years