The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-05-24

CLEVELAND, May 1.-THE storm OF rain
and wind which began at noon Monday
and has continued almost without cessa-
ton until this evening, has produced q
flood unprecedented in the history of
northeastern Ohio and northwestern Penn
sylvania. Thus far, fourteen lives have
been lost, great damage has been done to
shipping and the loss to other property
will amount into the hundreds of thou
sands. 1t had rained on Saturday, and
Sunday there were light showers. Late
Sunday night there was heavy rainfall,
accompanied by thunder and lightning,
at noon Monday the wind veered around
into the northwest and a steady down
pour began.
The sky for fftv-six hours has been
dull, lesden color and the low-hanging
and scurrying clouds, which were hurled
along by the northwest gale seemed to
have every drop of water shaken out of
them. The wind, which at times reached
a velocity of more than fifty miles an hour,
drove the rain horizontally and in sheets,
making it almost impossible for pedes-
TRANS to get along on the streets. Roofs
that never leaked before let the water
through like sleeves and the rain was
driven between window sashes until the
people despaired of being able to keep it
out The storm was bad enough on Mon
day night and Tuesday forenoon, but by
Tuesday evening there came warnings of
trouble and everybody began to wonder
when IL would stop.
BY Tuesday evening more than two
and one-half inches of water had fallen
and it was still coming down in torrents.
Then it was that fears of food began to
be realized In this city every sewer was
pouring torrent into the usually sluggish
Cuyahoga. which came down from the
hills OF Summit county swollen to more
than twice its normal size.
The river runs through the manu-
featuring and lumber district of the city
tortuous channel about five miles in
length. Along its banks are the Valley
and Cleveland. Canton 4 Southern rail-
WAYS. This morning the water was away
over the river banks.
Swept Into the Lake.
The torrent was seeking the nearest way
TO the lake, and MALI a dozen lumber
yards in its course could not bar the
way. Whole piles of lumber were car
ried along on the stream and swept out
! into the lake or lodged against the abut-
ments of bridges further down. Millions
OF feet of building material from the yards
| of the Cleveland sawmill company, n.
! Mills q Co.. NJ. Monroe and Fred Hempy
| q Co. is now on Its way TO Canada, and
more OF it still coming down the river
| Tracks of the Valley and c., G. & South
ern railroads were submerged to the depth
of ten feet and all traffic was suspended.
| as was work in score of factories in the
flooded district. Owing to the shaky
bridges. traffic was suspended on all rail-
roads running East.
This afternoon, while great crowds were
watching the flood, the first disaster hap
/ pened here. Capt. Stanley Flanagan and
Michael Le5londe were going down the
river in a row boat used to pedGle milk
along the docks. When near the mouth
OF the raging stream one of Leblonde's
oars broke, and the two men were
left at the mercy of the waters. They
were quickly carried out into the lake by
the rushing stream, and as il was evident
that their frail craft would not live in the
angry sea that was coming in from the
north preparations were quickly begun for
their rescue by the life-saving crew. Seven
men manned the life boat and pulled away
toward the east pier OF the breakwater, to-
| ward which point the boat containing
Flanagan and Leblonde had drifted.
-Four Heroes Perish.
| When the life savers were we'll out of
| the mouth OF the river an oar broke and
| in an instant the cork-like vessel swung
about to toss upon the angry waves. The
men in the ifeboat 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
| Three of them succeeded in catching hold
OF the overturned lifebOat. where they
hung on until they were rescued In ter
ribly exhausted condition. Four of their
fellow life-savers were tossed about so
mercilessly by the wild waves that they
were unable to swim back TO the lifeboat,
and after vainly battling for a few mo-
ments with the elements they were over
come and the battle oflife had to be given
up.
The names OF the heroes who lost their
ives in attempting to save others we're:
CHESTER SIMONS.
| JOHN JOHNSON.
NICHOLAS SERVAS.
ALBERT CURRIER.
The live savers who were rescued were !:
George Wilson, Lawrence Driscoll and
George Loher. Capt. Driscoll and the
other two life-savers who escaped were
brought ashore by tug. Flanagan and
Leblonde were, of course, drowned almost
before tho lifeboat capsized.
Five Others Lost.
A distressing accident also occurred at
Conneaut, about sixty miles east OF Ceve-
land The tug Walter Richardson, dredge
Continental and a ecow were anchored at
Conneaut harbor Tuesday night. The
creek rose rapidly and at 8 o'clock this