Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-08-21
FURY OF THE WINDS.
Houses Unroofed and Pleasure
Boats Overturned at
PittSburQ.

Rfttsburg, Pa, Aug. 1J.-Last nights
storm was the most terrific and destruct-
i've that has visited this city in many
years. 1t came without warning and at
u time when the parks were filed with
people and the rivers crowded with ex-
curSionists.
AS far as known at this time three
lives were lost, score of persons were
injured, two fatally, it is thought and
property damaged to the extent of $780,
900. The dead are:
MILLIE LIMBAUGH, cook on the
steamer Lud Keefer, drowned.
ARCHIBALD sCoBIE, blown into the
river and drowned.
Those fatally injured are:
Patrick Shea fireman on the West End
Electric railway power house.
John Adams, conductor on Second avenue
AT least twenty others are injured
more or less seriously by being hit by
flying debris, but their names have not
been obtained. The storm struck the
city about 10 o'clock and was over in
about half an hour, but in that brief
time death and destruction was left in
its track.
Rain Came in Torrents.
The rain came down in torrents and
terrific wind. Houses were unroofed.
trees uprooted and fences and outhouses
demolished. SO tremendous was the
force of the tornado that the steamers
Lud Keefer, Little Bill and Arlington
were overturned, and many barges, coal
boats and small craft torn from their
moorlngs and sent adrift. The passen-
ger barge Dakota was forced against
the Smithfeld street bridge and the side
crushed in. She sank in several feet of
water. When the storm struck the
keefer, Capt. Keefer, Mate Miller Mil
lie Limbaugh, the cook, and two col
ored chambermaids We're on board. but
all reached the shore in safety except
Mile Limbaugh, who became exhaust
ed and was drowned. The steamer Cou-
rler, with 400 passengers on board, was
swept with water and the passengers
became panic-stricken, but Capt. Klien
succeeded in making q landing at Paint
erS mills and all were discharged from
the boat in safety.
While the wind was at its height, an
unknown woman attempted to cross the
Point bridge. She was caught in
whirlwind, blown into the river and
drowned.
The day had been extremely hot and
thousands of people were at Schenley
park. When the shower came on there
was a rush for shelter. The wind had
Frustrated the electric light wires and
several women were seriously shocked
by coming in contact with them. On
Second avenue a feed wire was broken.
and in attempting to repair it Conductor
Adams was fatally shocked He is still |
living, but has never recovered conscious
ness.
Grain Elevator Demolished.
On the south side the large grain ele- |
vatOr of Henderson & Johnson, in course |
OF construction, was almost completely |
demolished. The heavy iron Orders fell |
on row Of tenementS and crushed them |
but fortunately the occupants were away |
from home.
Two freight cars on the Pittsburg & |
Lake Erie road were lifted from the |
tracks ard blown into the Monongahela |
river. Portions of the Monongahela and |
Castle Shannon inclines were carried |
away by the wind and demolished On |
the north side allegheny great damage |
was done TO small buildings and many |
trees were uprooted in the parks, but |
as far as reported no persons were seri- |
ously injured
On Arch Street in this city new bricl: |
building was blown over, crushing a |
double frame building adjoining, occu-
pied by Mrs. DAILY with one child and |
Mrs. Pryor with three children When |
the building went down Mrs. Pryor and |
her oldest child. a son, escaped, but the |
two smaller children were buried in the |
and her child An alarm was sent in. |
but before the iremen got there d num-
Der of men had dug the people out and |
found them all uphurt.
Picnic parties returning home by way |
of the Brownsville road had a rough eX- |
perience. The tornado broke loose while |
nearly 800 persons were scattered along |
We road. When the storm came I'D er, |
erybody rushed to the fences to hold on |
and keep from being blown over The |
wind tore up the fences and blew men,
women and children to and fro. Every. |
body got soaking wet and many were
slightly injured. The great damage was |
done to the houses scattered along the |
road, while giant trees were twisted and |
hurled across the road. Many barns |
were completely destroyed
The storm Frustrated all local telegraph |
and telephone wires, but the through
wires were only interrupted for a short
time. The rainfall was 40 inch and
the wind had a velocity of fifty miles an
hour. Another life was lost during the
storm. making the death list three.
Archibald Scobie was blown into the riy.
er and drowned while trying to tighten
the lines Of some coal barges in the west
end. He was married and had G large
fo n1iIv . =