Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-07-28
ELEMENTAL RUIN
Sweeps Over Pittsburg and Its
Neighborhood.
LIVES LOST IN THE WILD STORM.


Tree Blown Down on q Fishing Tent and
One Man Killed, the Back of Another
broken and Several Others Hurt-Prob-
ably Fatal shocks by Lightning Havoc
Working Storm I'm South Dakota-Iows
Farms Ravaged by the Tempest.
PITrsBURG. July 2s.-The full ex-
tent Of the damage by last nights
hurricane in this vicinity was not
known until daylight when wreck
and ruin was apparent on all sides.
Steeples were blown from churches,
adjoining buildings crushed. houses
unroofed. and trees uprooted. Sum-
med up this morning with many
outlying ditricts not heard from, the
result was IL lives lost and sc in.
jured. The damage is 100000.
The killed: Jacob Affelter, aged 10.
by falling fence: John Figus, aged
~. by n falling tree.
Fifteen coal miners were drowned
by the washing away Of their boarding
house near Cecil, Washington county.
Oi the injured n large number we're
not recover, others were struck by
dying bricks and boards aod some
we're fatally hurt.
A dispatch from Cecil at noon says
that seven OF the Is drowned there
were recovered up to noon. The un-
fortunates are not all foreigners. as
at first reported. Among the bodies
recovered are those Of Higgins Will
kinson. Mrs. .Mckenna, boarding
house keeper. her son James, Jennie
Holmes. a servant, and an unknown
oil man. The water rose 90 feet in
n few minutes.
Details of the Disaster.
pITTsBUEG, July 2s-A wind and rain
storm of unusual ferccncss visited this
city at I:aD y. IN. yesterday, causing the
lpss of at least three lives and doing i'm
mcnSc damage to property. Several
dwellings were completely demolished
and others partly wrecked. Eight or ten
fchurchcs had their roofs blown oil and
were otherwise damaged. Telegraph, tel
ephonc and electric light poles were
snapped like pipe stems, mixing the wires
In an incxtricablc mass in the streets.
making travel in many sections of the
city impossible Fierce lightning and
high wind accompanied the storIn-or
rather two storms, for pittsburg and NJ
leghcny was the meeting place Of one
storm from the west which came up the
Ohio valley, and another from the east
which followed the course OF the ALLIE
gheny river.
Fishing Club out in the Storm.
Such battle Of the elements is rarely
Witnessed. In East Pittsburg and Will
mcrtling hail fell in large quantities, some
of the stones being quite large In the
first five minutes OF the storm O5s Of an
inch Of water fell. and the wind reached a
velocity II thirty miles an hour. At 5 p.
IN. another storm almost "a fierce as the
first camc up and o6S Of an inch fell. max
ing u total n i.33 inches. The rivers are
now rising and another flood Is expected
Among the casualties reported is an nc,
cident to the camp VI the Eighth Ward
Hunting md Fishing club, Of Allegheny
The club was nj its camp in sugar grow,
about four miles up shc Allegheny river
when the storm came up. The members
say 1t was genuine cyclone.
Killed by q Falling Tree.
The trccs in the grove wcrr broken ant
twisted rs though they were weeds, ans
one largr sycamore, thirty feet In cirCum
ference. was snapped OH near the grount
and fell upon the tent of the campers
Killed almost instantly John Figus. brok,
the back of George Miller. who will die
and seriously injured Thomas O'Corncll
Charles Hosack. Jacob Metz. Frank Ot
and Harry Hadlcy. On Greenfield avenue
in the east end. Joseph Ashfcldcr wa
Killed by a sign being blown down. strik
Ing him ON the head In ~harpsburg W
l.. Norr was killed by the roof Of hous
b,inr, blown ON him.
Lightning the Death Of Two More.
At Mckcc's Rocks. where pruicsso
Garodcttc, curator Of Carnegie Museum
had "a gang Of men Mt work dig..ing. int
nm old Indian mound In tho interest q
scirncc. lightning struck the she'd undo
which the party had taken rcfucc. shocl
!nx one 90 the laburcrs. an old man. int
INCONSISTENCIES also u youu.. man 10y ID
name of Pool. SON 10 CollcCc profcs~u
both ~ whom will probably die. The r,
suit of the storm In property damage ha
not all been i-ithcr,d I'm. hut 1t j. know
that all through Allegheny. the sout
side and the east end many houses wei
unroofcd, signs blown down and window
broken.
ut.avy Damages in the Suburbs.
Along the Pennsylvania railway towar
Hnncwood vhcrc many fine suburhl
mansions arc located. the splendid lawi
arr completely destroyed and the bcari
ful shade and ornamental trees ruined.
Is estimated that siUr0o will hardly COW
the loss in this locality alone. Ecpor
from outlying towns tell Of much damai
to houses and other property, but no liv
lost so far as known.
TWELVE suRuCK IN ALLEGHENY.
All In the Hospital and Considered In
Critical Condition.