St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-05-18
PERISH IN LAKE ERIE.
Unprecedented Floods in
Northeastern Ohio and
Pennsylvania.
Fourteen Lives Lost at Cleve-
land, Conneaut and
Ashtabula.
Four Heroes Give Their Lives
in Attempting to Rescue
Others.
Many Towns and Cities in
Western Pennsylvania
Under Water.

w 0LOEO
CLEVELAND, o., May 17.-The storm
of rain and wind which began at noon
Monday and has continued almost with
put cessation' until this evening has
produced flood unprecedented in the
history of Northwestern Ohio and
Northwestern. Pennsylvania. 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 thousands of dol
lars. 1t had rained Saturday, and Sun
day there were light showers. Late
Sunday night there was a heavy rain
fall, accompanied by thunder and light
ming. At noon Monday the wind
veered around into the northwest and
steady downpour began. The sky for
fifty-six hours has been of dull leaden
color, and the loW-hanging and scurry-
ing 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 Il
velocity Of more than fifty miles an
Eour, drove the rain horizontally and in
sheets, making walking i'm
possible for pedestrians to get along in
the streets. Roofs that never leaked
before
Let the Water Through
like SieyeS, and the rain was driven be-
tween window sasheS until the people
iespaired of being able to keep it out.
The storm was bad enough on Monday
night and Tuesday forenoon, but by
Tuesday evening there came warnings
Of trouble, and every body began to
wonder when it would stop. By Tues
day evening more than two and half
inches of water had fallen, and it is
still coming down in torrents. Then it
was that fears of flood be-
gan to be realized. In this
city every sewer was pouring a
torrent into the usually sluggish Cuya-
hoga, which came down from the hills
of Summit county swollen to more than
twice It's normal size. The river runs
through the manufacturing and lumber
district of the city by a tortuouS channel
about five miles in length. Along its
banks are the Valley Il Cleveland, Can
ton d Southern railways. This morn
ing the water was away over the river
banks. The torrent was seeking the
nearest way to the lake, and halt
dozen lumber yards in its course could
not bar the way. Whole piles of lum-
Der were carried along IN the streets
and
swept Out Into the Lake
or lodged against The abutments of
bridges further down. Millions of feet
of building material is now on its way
to Canada. and more of it is still coming
down the river. The tracks of the Val
ley ana c. c. Il S. railroad companies
were submerged to the depth of ten
feet, and all traffic was suspended, as
was work in a score of factories III the
flooded district. Owing to shaky
bridges t.affic was suspended on all
railroads running ca t.
This afternoon while great crowds
were watching the flood, the first dis
aster happened here; Capt Stanley
Flanagan and Michael LeblOnde were
going down the river id row boat used
TO peddle milk along the docks. When
near the mouth of the raging stream
one of Lebionde'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 it was evident that
their frail craft could not live in the
angry sea that was coming III from the
north, preparations were quickly begun
for their rescue. Seven men
Manned the LIfe-boat
and pulled away toward the east pier
of the breaEwater toward which the
boat containing Flanagan and LeblOnde
had drifted. when the life savers were
well out of TIE mouth of the river an
oar broke, anil in all instant the cork
like vessel swung about to toss upon
the angry waves. The men in the life
boat were totally helpless and before as
sistance OF ahy kind could be rendered,
their boat was overturned and all the
men were thrown into the water. Four
of them succeeded in catching hold of
the overturned lifeboat, where they
hang OH until they were res
cued in a terribly exhausted
condition. Four of their fellow
life-savers were tossed about so mer-
cilesSly by the wild waves that they
were unable,tO swim back to to the life
boat. and after Vainly battling for a few
moments 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 we're: Chester Simons John
johnson, Nicholas SerYas, Albert Cur
rer The life-savers who were rescued
were George Wilson, Lawrence Driscull
George Loher. Capt. Distill and the
other two lii f3-savers who escaped were
brought asl ore by a tug. Flanagan
and LeblondS were, of course. drowned
almost before the life-boat capsiZed.
Five Drowned.
distress ng accident also occurred
at ConneauE about sixty miles east of
Cleveland. SThe tug Walter Richard
EOn, dredgd Continental and a scow
were anchSred at Conneaut harbor
Tuesday night. The creek rose rapidly
and at 6 O'Clock this morning the scow
was carried out into the lake by the tug.
In cutting away from the scOw, the tug
wheel was disabled and the tug washed
ashore. The crew was saved. The
dredge was carried into the lake and
immediately capsized. There were
were washed ashore on the wreckage.
The five others perished. A list Of the
drowned is as follows: Arthur Viii
son, captain, aged thirty, of
Philadelphia; George O'Rourke,
aged tWenty-seven, of Detroit:
Joseph Fife twenty-five, Of Conn6aut
land, Watcllman, name unknown. The
sea was running heavy, and no bodies
had been recovered this afternoon. The
Two men saWed from the dredges were
terribly EXHAUSTED. The dredge was
Dwned by }. +. Baldwin, Of Rochester,