Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-06-03

at Pittsburg, being the only
competitor. In brisk times its payroll
embraced as high as three Thousand
men. There were also many
works of minor importance. The
whole population of that region
were either workers in iron or delivers IN
the coal mines. The storm seems to
have extended with great violence down
to the banks of the Monongahela, and to
have expended itself with equal impetu-
osity in the neighborhood OF Altoona,
which is on the eastern spur OF the Ale
ghenies. In this view OF the matter 1t 10
scarcely possible to hold the constructors
of the great dam responsible, as their
merely human work was exposed to the
power of great cstaclysm of nature.
1t is little more than year since the
devastations of the great blizzard were
recorded in the East. They, we believe,
occurred in March. The present dis
aster so far overshadows anything hereto
fore recorded that it is futile to attempt a
comparison.
And where is the end? 1t is only of re-
cent years that these exceptional meteor
illogical phenomena have been recorded
in the East. They may be said, practically,
outside of seismic disturbances of infre'
quent occurrence, to have begun in 1872
In 1874, in the city of Allegheny, the
first really memorable waterspout was
recorded. Sometime in July of thai
year there was cloudburst in the hills
back of Butcher Run, which converge tc
narrow point. 1t tore up the sewers
lifted three-story brick buildings w
bodily and jammed them down on other
three-story brick buildings, dove-tailine
the edifices together. The writer was ou
in that storm, which scarcely lasted fit
teen minutes. In company with friend
he took refuge under an arcade to which
some steps led up. Penn street, Pitts
burg, where the arcade was, was flooded
to depth of three feet in a moment
1t was only the next morning that ht
learned that the lives of two or thre'
hundred people had fallen victim totht
|
fury of the elements.
In the present unspeakable disaste
it is probable that a colossal cloud
burst discharged its fury on thu
very apex of the Alleghenies, hurting it
waters eastward into the Juniata ant
the gorges around the charming ant
romantic "Kittanning Point" nea
Altoona, and westward along thu
populous slopes of the mountains which
lead down to YOUNGSTOWN, sweeping ava,
the walls of the great dam as though
they were the card board of child
plaything, swelling the Conemaugl
river to unheard of heights and carryin
havoc in its wake.
Since the desolation Of Lisbon about
century ago, and the later destruction t
San Jose de Guatemala, both by earth
quakes, no disaster comparable to thi
has occurred in the annals of mankind
Beside it the calamities of Ischia an
Java are trivial. The loss of life is az
palling, while that Of property
monumental. The sufferers are prin
cipally of the working classes, an
the sympathetic heart and promI
hand are called upon to be instant i
their work of relief. According to ates
authentic reports the loss of life wi
reach five thousand, while the loss {
property will probably not fall short c
ten millions of dollars.
| Under the circumstances, it is pert
nent to inquire, What are the trans
Rocky Mountain States coming to
Meteorology has indeed become an al
60, bing study in that region, whose pee
pie in an especial sense. while in tn
midst of life, are in the presence {
death. The wonder is that so many c
them seem content to take the chance
there, when the discomforts and e1
trt mes OF Temperature al superadded.