The state herald., 1893-05-26
BAD FLOODS IN OHIO,
FOURTEEN PEksoEs pRowNgp
The Country Ia tho vioinityiof Cisvs'aNs
Visited by Violent Storms OF &
Wind and Rala. r92

A storm Of rain and wind which began ~
noon Monday and continued almost withoNes
cessation until Wednesday evening produces
food unprecedented In the history OF Nortns
eastern Ohio and Northwestern Pennsylvant9
Thus far fourteen lives are reported lost, grsdA
| damage has been done to shipping and -
loss to other property will amount into IL;
hundreds Of thousands OF dollars. By Tue1
day evening more than two and half inchee
| Of water had fallen, and 1t was still coming
down In torrents. Then 1t was that fears ~
flood began 10 be realized. fS
In Cleveland every sewer was pouring tor
rent into the usually sluggish CuyahooA
which came down from the hills Of Suumlt
county, swollen to more than twice Its normal
size. The river runs through the manufactur.
ing and lumber distrcts Of the city by to-
tuous channel about Ave miles In Length.
Along its banks are the Valley 4 Clevelan1s
Canton & Southern railways. This mornine'
the water was away over the river bank.
The torrent was seeking the nearest way -
the lake and half dozen lumber yards in ~
course could not bar the way. Whole pllee
Of lumber were carried along In the streets
and swept out into the lake or lodged against
the abutments Of bridges further down.
Wednesday afternoon while great crowds
| were watching the flood, the frat disaster
happened. Captain Stanley Flanagan and
Michael Leblonde were going down the riverl
In q row-boat used TO pedile milk along the
docks. When near the mouth Of the raging
stream one Of Leblonde's oars broke and tho
two men were quickly carried out into tho
lake by the rushing stream, and as II WAS
| evident that the fran craft could not live In
the angry sea that was coming In from tho
north, preparations were quickly begun for
their rescue.
| Seven men manned the life boat and pulled
away toward the east pier Of the breakwater,
toward which point the boat containing Elan
nigsn and Leblonde had drifted. When tho
life-savers were we'll out Of tho mouth Of tho
river an oar broke, and In an Instant tho
cork-like vessel swung about. The men In
the llfe-boat were totally helpless, and before
assistance Of any kind could be rendered their
boat was overturned and all the men were
thrown into the water. -Four Of them sue
cecded in catching hold Of the overturned llfe-
boat, where they hung on until they werc
rescued in aterribly exhausted condition.
-Four of their fellow lifc-savcrs were tossed
about so merclcssly by the wild waves that
they were unable to swim back to the life
boat, and after vainly battling for n few mo-
ments with the elements they were overcome
and the battle Of life had to be given up.
| The names OF the heroes who lost their
lives in attempting to save others were: Chcs-
ter Slmons, John johnson, Nicholas Scrvas
and Albert Currier.
| Flanagan and Leblondc were, Of course,
drowned almost before the lifc-boat cspsized
Five men were washed from a drcdge and
and drowned.
| AT Ashtabula harbor the schooner Pelican,
ore-laden, from Escanaba foundcrcd rs 'shc
was entering the harbor and sank In forty
feet Of water. Three Of her crew-Petcr Nell
son, John Erickson and John Ecknisht, all
Of Cleveland, were drowned. The other mem
bcrs OF the crew were rescued by tho tug
sunol after a hard and desperate battle with
| the sea.
At willouehby, Ohio, the Chagrln river
was out of It's banks. Early this morning tho
gr.si mill Of Joseph Boyce was swept from It's
foundations, hurled against the abutment OF
bridge and crushed into wrcckagc, which
| foaicd away TO the lake.
Reports from all sections OF Northeastern
Ohio tell OF swollen streams and overnowed
farmlands, but II Is impossible 10 make an e.
Innate Of the damage.