The record-union., 1896-07-29
The Magnitude Of the Disaster, in Penn
SylVania Becomes More Apparent
A. Later News is Received From the
Stricken Districts.
A Boarding House Where Thirteen
Merrymakers Were Preparing for
q Dance Carried Away Without
Moments Warning, and Seven OF
the Party Drowned, While the
Others Narrowly Escape the Same
Fate.

OtncrS Narrowly ESSdpC lhC DohiS
Fate.
PITTSBURG, July 2S.-As news of
last nights storm continue to come in
from the outlying districts to-day, the
magnitude of the disaster becomes more
apparent In addition to the loss of
life reported last night, eight more
deaths were reported to-day in other
places.
At the boarding house of Samuel NC
Kinney at Cecil, Washington County,
thirteen merry-makers were preparing
for dance last might, when they were
carried away almost without a mo-
ment's warning, cooped up in a floating
house, and seven of them were drowned.
Before being rescued the others We're
in the water some four hours, others all
night, and the experience they went
through will never be forgotten
The dead were found to-day strewed
all along the ffood-swept valley of Mil
ler's Run, the nearest two miles from
the scene of the disaster, and the fur
thest eight miles below
The dead are: Mrs. Samuel McKin-
ney, aged 59 Margaret Mckinney, aged
James Mckinney, aged 8, youngest son;
F. c. Beatty, oil pumper, aged 26, un-
married of Bradford; J. c. Higgins, oil
pumper, unmarried, aged 90 of Oil
City: Jennie Holmes, aged IS, unmar-
ried; Vincent Wilkinson, oil driller, Oil
City, aged 80, unmarried.
The house was two stories high, and
was raised ON props just above the
h.,, lycO of ho oil
seven feet above the water level of that
little creek.
While prepara tions for the dance were
going on water crept in under the front
door. The merriment was stopped, but
no alarm was felt, and the party be-
gan to remove the furniture TO the sec
end floor While they were thus en-
gagged the house gave lurch and went
swirling into the flood, amid the
ehrieks of the inmates. .T,ewena " the
inmates were on the second floor. They
made rush for the stairway, but it was
too late, the room below being full of
water James Pierce, an oil driller,
went on the roof of the house. He was
swept ashore and saved. Charles Red
ding jumped through a window into the
water, and managed by clutching
bushes to drag himself ashore.
The villagers came trooping out into
the storm, but could do nothing as the
house swept by, and it was soon lost to
view in the binding rain.
The roof of the house gave way with
a crash, and one by one the victims
were swept from the second floor to
which they were clinging as to raft.
Samuel Mckinney had endeavored to
est son, but they were swept from his
grasp by the rush of the current. Nc
Kinney himself was under water for
some time, but eventually reached the
bank in a faint condition, and was
drawn out by the people on shore. Rob-
ert Mckinney, a nephew, was caught in
a tree near GLADDEN.. He remained in
the limbs all night, and a searching
party found him there in the morning
Lizzie Holmes was also found In a tree
and was rescued.
Suddenly and as swift as 1t rose.
the creek fell By 6 p. m to-day all the
bodies had been recovered.
At Morgansea Run School, Gus
Wright, a colored driver, lost his life
in Charlier's Greek about 8 O'Clock last
night. He had driven to Canonsburg
in a two-horse carriage. and was on
his way back. In the darkness he did
not discover the bridge had been car
ried away and drove into the swollen
creek.
In Lawrenceville the damage is
greater than on July 10Th, when the
storm wrecked the stone wall sur
rounding Allegheny Cemetery. The
broken wall offered no resistance to
the flood last evening. and a raging
torrent not only devastated a large
portion of the beautiful Allegheny
Cemetery. but flooded Butler street and
streets below to a depth of nearly five
feet The cellars of hundreds of houses
were flooded and the first floors of sew
eral score were covered with water
Every street in that part of the city
was blocked with broken trees, stones,
rubbish and mud. All over both cities
traffic was suspended.
In the mill districts along the Allie
cheney River twenty-five large smoke
stacks We're toppled over by the force
OF the wind, in a number of instances
wrecking the buildings on which they
fell Scarcely had the streets been
made passable and delayed cars began
TO move, when the night deluge came
on Ihis, in point OF downpour was
even worse than the evening flood.
The high wind was absent however,
but the heavens were almost contin-
uously lighted with terrific flashes of
lightning, and the roar of thunder was
continuous. The storm continued with
slowly diminishing energy until mid
night.
Reports from the districts surround
ing the cities detail the destruction of
buildings, death of stock and much
damage to crops and fruit. All the
railroads entering the city suffered
considerably. The b. and O. is ap
parently the worst sufferer The trains
from above Eureka on the main line
were unable TO get through from last
evening up to noon to-day The
through trains We're expected carly in
the afternoon. The delay was caused
by landslide near Eureka A large
culveft at Port Royal was also washed
out and had to be bridged over before
trains could proceed
The river took an upward turn early