The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-14
A SLUGGISH STREAM.
FIVE MINUTES WORK, AND 1T is
A ROARING RIVER
Loss of Property viii Reach Into
the Hundreds of Thousands, Vet
But Few Lives Were Sacrificed to
the Elements.

PITTSBURG, Pa. Aug. 13-A violent
thunder storm visited Pittsburg and
points within radius of thirty miles Of
the city, shortly after o'clock this
morning resulting in the death of five
persons and the destruction of much pro-
perry The storm extended its greatest
fury in the valley Of Pine creek in Hamp-
ton township, a few miles from THIS city
At De Haven, a small station on the
Pittsburg & Western railroad, what is
popWarly called a cloud burst occurred.
Pine creek, usually sluggish stream
was converted into a roaring river, that
swept up the hillsides, wrecked houses,
demolished a large part of the Butter
plank road, blocked the Plrtsburg &
Western road, killed live stock and ruined
farms. Four of the people who lost tileir
lives were drowned at De Haven, and one
near the mouth of the creek at Etna.
The dead are:
Mrs. susan Aud, widow, "A years of
age.
Mrs. Sarah Poppleton, widow, aged 60
Mrs. James Robinson, aged So years.
These were drowned at De Haven and
Emil Schoeffle, newsboy, aged 10, was
drowned at Etna.
An unknown man was crowned above
De Haven, body not recovered.
HISTORY REPEATED.
The disaster at De Haven which re-
suited in the drowning of three women
and an unknown man, was identical,
even to the details, with the catastrophe
which swept so many people to death at
Cecil, Pa, two weeks ago: The only
difference was that the Cecil flood nap
pened in the evening and this one in the
morning.
to gather north of the little village. Rain
had begun to fall about O'Clock, but
the shower, though persistent, was net
heavy. An hour later, however, 1T sud
denly seemed as if the flood gates OF
heaven had opened and the water came
down in an almost unbroken sneeN. 10
add to the terror, 1T was as black as
night.
in a two-story frame house at the head
stream rose TO the doors OF her house,
she began TO cry for help
J. c. McAuley, who lives two houses
below, heard her screams and, wadins
through the rapidly-rtsing hood, took her
and her 10-year-old daughter Sarah into
the house of James Robinson which stood
on the other side OF the road, In a small
cGe-ssogy cottage be.ow and within ten
yards of the Poppleton house old Mrs.
Aud and her two grandeons, JOAN aged
10 and Wesley, aged 10, were imprisoned,
and they were shlieking for aid. Frey,
too. were taken TO the Robinson house.
carried away; it first lodged against 9.
tree All the rubbish that the house car
ried was piled against IT. Finally it
broke and the entire mass of debris was
carried against the Robinson house,
which could not Withstand the shock
There was
NOT vEsTIGE OF THE HOUSE
LEFT.
The body of Mrs. Poppleton was found
several hours afterwards in a cOrntield
lust below the town; the body of Mrs.
Robinson was found at Burchfeld, two
miles below; and the body of Mrs. Aud
was not recovered until late IN the day.
and then far down the stream. Little
John and Wesley Aud, floating on part
of the side OF the house, managed to
reach and cling to trees and were res
cued an hour later. James Robinson also