The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-07-31
Twenty-Five Residences Said to Have
Been Swept Away and 200 Peo-
pie Are Homeless.
DESTRUCTIVE CLOUD BURSTS
CONTINUE THE WORK OF DEvAsTA.
TION IN OHIO TOWNS.
At Gloucester Fifteen People Report
ed to Have Lost Their Lives
Pittsburg Visited Again.

sTEUBENvII.LE o.. July ao.-A severe
storm like cloudburst occurred west of
this city this afternoon about o'clock,
and within a period Of thirty minutes a
mighty torrent OF water had spread DESC
lation along both Parmar's and Fishers
runs. In the lower part of this city. No
| lives were lost as there were persons along
the creeks who saw the water coming
down the valley who ran from house to
house warning the people. Everybody fled.
many wading knee-deep in water from
their homes to the hills which line the runs
on both sides. Two hundred people are
homeless tonight as result of the flood.
The damage will aggregate all of s200.OO0.
The water came down the creeks ten
feet high sweeping before the flood barns,
houses. bridges. trees and outbuildings.
The houses that were washed away and
completely wrecked were owned and oc-
cupied by the families of Mrs. Phillabaum,
Robert Ritchie, william Risdon, James
sBurgess. Andy Albaugh. Ben Wise. Grant
Strong, John Hart and Henry E. Bow
mans store
The houses of twenty-five others were
wrecked or damaged by the water and
muddy slime that settled over everything.
| The debris all gathered at the mouth of the
Panhandle culvert, and the water blocked
up in the lowlanos near by. where all the
houses were washed away. The culvert
was undermined and most of 1t swept
| away, and this undermined the track so
that it will be at least twenty-four hours
before the damage is repaired Trains have
not been running since o'clock this after
noon, and they will be detoured tonight
| and tomorrow. There is another culvert
washed out half mile further west on the
Panhandle.
On the same road at Gould's the track is
covered to a depth of four feet by slip
which is $50 feet in length. On the Wheel
ing & Lake Erie road washouts are re-
ported all along the road from here to
| Jewett. cuIvert over Wills creek was
washed out on the Cleveland G. Pittsburg
railroad. Big landslides are reported on the
Cleveland & Pittsburg road at Brilliant
Martins Ferry and Port Homer. Wills
| creek north of this city. was the highest
in its history to-day, and swept away
bridges and damaged ice ponds, and sew
eral houses were washed from their founda-
tions. During the flood on Parmar's run
William Bush and wife took refuge in a
cherry tree. Two bends of the Wheeling &
Lake Erie were washed away. The poor
people along the line of the flood have gone
bravely to work to collect together and re-
pair the damage done. Houses on Church
street. this city, and on Commercial street
were flooded by a hard rain last night.
Fifteen Victims at GIoucester.
ATHENS, o.. July 3O.-The most
destructive storm in the history
of the Sunday creek valley occurred
at Gloucester. mining town twelve
miles north of here. last night. which re-
suited in the almost total destruction of one
of the principal thoroughfares of the town
and doing damage in other places to the
extent of thousands of dollars. The storm
which came from the northwest, struck
the town without any warning whatever.
Buildings were toppled over, trees torn
from their roots. and the town to-day is a
scene OF desolation. 1t is said the list of
dead may reach fifteen. A livery stable
with six horses and sundry vehicles was
blown into the creek and swept away.
Nearly every building in the town is dam
aged. and many demolished. The
streets are filled with timber and all kinds
of debris. To add 20 the horror Sunday
creek is sweeping everything before it.
Several houses have been washed away
and two persons are reported drowned.
Several houses were mashed in pieces
and a number of others were wrenched
from their foundations. j. L. Doughery,
while in front of his store, was completely
buried under the board sidewalk. His back
was broken and he died later from his in
juries. He a prominent Mason and
Odd Fellow. The house occupied by James
McClelland and family of six was crushed
like an egg, but the occupants esca ped in
jury. The tornado lasted scarcely min
ute. but rain fell in torrents for half an
hour Thousands of dollars damage to
buildings and growing crops was the re-
suit. A mother heavy storm visited Glou-
cester this afternoon but no damage was
DONE
PittsburU Again Visfted