Evening star., 1896-08-13
THIRTY ARE DROWNED
A Western Pennsylvania Town
Deluged by a Cloudburst.
DEVASTATION OF Pine CREEK VALLEY
Buildings Lodging on a Railway
Bridge Formed Dam.
WATER EIGHT FEET DEEP

PITTSBURG, Pa, August 13.-There was
a cIoudbUrst at De Haven, small town
near the Wildwood Oil field, about o'clock
this morning, and many are reported
drowned. Everything Is washed out be-
tween Sharpsbu-g and De Haven.
Reports from the Pine Creek valley indi-
cate that the loss of life from the cloud
burst will be very heavy.
At 1245 pm. thirty lives We're reported
lest The whole Pine Creek valley, eight
miles in length. is devastated.
At De Haven an entire family by the
name of PopletOr were drowned. How
many were in the family is not known.
Among the others who lost their lives
were Mrs Thomas Byrnes and Mrs.
Thompson. Three bodies have been re-
covered far.
At Etna the water rose so rapidly that
the employees at Spang. Chalfant Il Co.'S
iron mill We're compelled to swim out to
save their lives. The foundry of Walter
Watkins was also flooded and the work
men narrowly escaped drowning.
The town of De Haven has several hun
dred inhabitants, and is situated about siN
miles Forth of Allegheny City on the cid
Butler plank road. Pine creek. which
emptes into the Allegheny river at Sharps-
burg. runs through the town.
The creek has overfiowed its banks and
IS raging torrent. Houses and oil tanks
barns and outbuildings floating down
and have lodged against the Plttspurg and
Western railroad bridge at Etna. The
water is rising rapidly, and at IL o'clock
there was eight feet of water on the main
street of that place. The residents are
moving to the upper stories of their houses
o. seeking safety on the hills.
The DE Haven bridge has been washed
away, and the Pittsburg and Western
bridge at Sharpsburg is expected to go al
any time. The lowlands of Sharpsburg are
l. " he Is
rapidly.
The storm was the heaviest of the yea.
in this city. Within an hour there was
rainfall of two inches. Great damage is
reported from all parts of Pittsburg, but
10 fatalities. Every street car line was
ted up, and heavy washouts are reported
on number of the railroads entering
Hittsburg. The water is now falling d;
Sharpsburg and Etna, and no more danger
IS apprehended-
The water completely submerged Spang
& CEalfant'S mill at Etna. and rose
rapidly that the men who We're at work at
the time We're conn elled to swim for their
lives The men in the foundry of Walter,
Walker & Company had also great diff
Guilty in escaping. All work was suspended.
One of the peCuiarit:e3 of the storm in
Pine Greek, aside from it's severity. was
tFat ii was unaccompanied by thunder and
lightning. 1t came very quickly, and with
no warning " hatevcr. The heavy rain last-
ed for fully three hours
The cause of the storm can be directly al
tr.buted to the approach of the cool wave
from the northwest heavy fog, which
was mixed with smoke hung over the city
during the early morning. This was an in
diCation of approaching trouble
The total rainfall up until II O'Clock
amounted to 2.24 inches. In one hour the
guard at the weather bureau showed thai
the precipitation had amounted to l-So
irChes, which is not unusual for this year.
The heavy rains seem to keep well north
of fittsburg.
At the Leavis Island dam, the nearest
station to Pittsburg, at Il O'Clock, but 50
inches of rain had fallen.
There must have been three or four
Inches of rain at De Haven, while it lasteI,
to cause much damage. AS result of
the heavy rains there will be rapid rise
In the rivers, and to give the people timely
warning the weather bureau has arranged
TO receive pm reports from all the
weather stations
The storm IN Pittsburg and Allegheny
was one Df the most severe of the year.
The rainfall was very great, over two
Inches falling.
Wreck Caused by IA Washout.
OTIS. Ind, August ia bad wreck oc-
CURED on the Lake Shore road at 4 o'clock
this morning. one-half mile east of this
pCint. The eastbound special mall train
from Chicago. consisting of an engine
two postal cars, baggage car. one day
coach ard a Wagner sleeper, ran into a
washout seventy feet long and thirty feet
deep. The entire train, with the exception
of the day coach and the sleeper, plunged
into the big hole, and Engineer James
Griffin and Fireman Michael Roache We're
almost instantly killed. The day coach par
TALLY tOppled over into the abyss, but one
erd remained on the track, being held by
the coupling to the sleeper, which did not
leave the rails.
The passengers in the day coach escaped
by simply going through the sleeper, and
none of them received injuries. The mai!
clerks and trainmen also escaped injury.
a ri 1l,rfr
water caused the washout, and scooped out
the great hole in the earth at a culvert
directly beneath the tracks
Engineer Griffin evidently had no warn
ing OF the washout whatever, as he IN
quired. few moments before he died what
caused the wreck. Both of the unfortu-
nate engineers legs were severed from the
body All Lake Shore trains are baine
sent via Michigan City and Chesterton
and thence over the Michigan Central
tracks. SO that the delay to traffic will not
be great.
The Monon road has an eighty-foot wash
out, mile south of this place and a mill
dam on the north side of the road has iI,sf
burst. and 1t looks as if the Monon bridge
On the north side will go down
Six Bodies Recovered.
Up to o'clock six bodies had been re-
covered. They We're Mrs. Popleton. Mrs.
Thompson, Mrs Robinson, Mrs. Thomas
Byrnes. Mrs. Aid. unknown man
Ten persons. including little daughter
OF Mrs. Popleton. We're rescued from the
creek. Two members of the Pcpleton fam
lily are still m ss.ng. and are believed to
be drowned Reports of the total loss of
life runs from ten 10 thirty. Pine creek.
which Is usually forty feet wide was from
oIe-half TO three-quarters of a mile wide
Dozens of bridges were washed away and
all the towns along the valley are under
water. Dispatches from WestmoreIand
county state that Claridge Jeanett and
Irwin are inundated. At Claridge the water
rCse to the second floors and the occupants
Were rescued with difficulty