Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-08-14
SIX LIVES
Known to Have Been Lost Near
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Twelve Persons Missing and Much
Damage to Property,
The Result of a Cloudburst and Electrical
Storm--The Darkness Was Extraordi-
nary, While the Thunder and Light
ming Was Simply Terrific.


time the business part of the city was
almost as dark as midnight, and not
few timid people were appalled,
at the unnatural spectacle. This
was followed by an electrical storm
quite as terrifying and by rainfall
which continued until noon, the rainfall
measuring 1.s5 inches. All over the
city sewers were filled to overfowing,
and accumulations of mud and debris
covered the streets. All of the traction
lines were brought to a standstill, but
aside from this no serious injury to life
or property has been reported.
At the hamlet of De Haven, on the
Pittsburgh & Western railroad, seven
miles from the city, six lives are known
to be lost, while IL persons are missing
and much damage to property was sus-
tanned. The family of Mr.. Appleton,
consisting of parents and five children,
were all lost except one child. The
disaster is the result of cloudburst
which came very suddenly about s
o'clock. The darkness was something
extraordinary, while the thunder and
lightning which accompanied the rain
was terrifying in the extreme. Pine
creek and other small streams in the
vicinity of De Haven quickly became
torrents, sweeping everything before
them. The Appleton residence was
completely wrecked, and with the
father mother ard four children was
carried with the wreckage into the
Allegheny river The body of one of
the children was recovered later, at
Sharpsburg.
The Pittsburgh and Western railway
bridge at Pine creek, as well as one or
two others, were swept away, while
portions of the tracks were washed
out in a number of places. Dwellings,
stables, fences and many domestic an
imals were carried off by the rushing
waters When the storm subsidized res
cuing forces organized. Fully a dozen
persons who were known to be in the
vicinity where the worst damage was
done can not be found, and it is very
probable that their names will go
toward swelling the list of fatalities.
Portions of Sharpsburg and Etna
were flooded and much damage to
property was done.
ht III oS SpcA Va Viz Sicu't
burst at De Haven has just been re-
ceived from representative of the
United Associated Press who was
sent to the scene. His report reduces
the list of fatalities to three, all of
which were women, and is as follows:
Mrs. James Poppleton, aged 60 years.
Mrs. James Robinson, aged "a years,
daughter of the first named; leaves
husband and two children.
Mrs. John Aud, widow, aged rs
years.
The cloudburst occurred at the juno
ton of Laurel Head and Pin creek,
where the residences of James Robin
son and Mrs. Auld were situated. The
home of Mrs Auld was carried from
the foundations and wrecked in the
torrent. The Robinson house was car
ried away at the same nom ent. Rob-
inson saved himself and two children
by jumping with them into the water
and wading out. The house was
wrecked when it came in collision with
the bridge, so yards below, and his
wife and mothcr-in-law We're thrown
into the stream and perished
Hc DOuN VI hulIcl SliCllCl, IL
of age, victim of Thursday mornings
storm, was taken from Pine creek near
Etna, late Thursday afternoon. The
nude body of a man, supposed to have
been drowned in the storm, was seen
floating in the drift in the Allegheny
river near Sharpsburg. Rescuers were
unable to recover the remains. This
makes five the total known loss of life.
A WASHOUT
! Causes the Wreck of Passenger Train
! Near Otis lnd.-Engineer and Fireman
Killed.
ELKHART, Ind, Aug ia passen
! ger train on the Lake Shore railway
was wrecked near Otis, Ind, ut !
o'clock Thursday morning by the wash
ing away of culvcrt. The engineer ant
fireman were killed, but the passengers
almost miraculously escaped fatal in
| juries. The train consisted of three
passenger coaches and two mail cars
An hour and ten minutes before
freight train had safely PASSED ovel
the point where the accident occurred
The theory of the railroad officials i
that cloud burst washed out the cul
vert.
Their idea seems to be verified by tn,
fact that the Louisville, New Alban,
and Chicago railroad, which has it
tracks only mile distant from tn
point of the accident, had trouble il
the operation of its trains during the
morning. There was nothing to war;
the engineer Of danger. The support
of the culvert had been weakened, bu
the rails were in place, When the trail
reached the fatal pitfall the engin
plunged downward with terrifi
force. The engineer, James Griffin, O
) Elkhart, and Fireman Michael Roach
went down with the engine and wer
crushed to death in the wreckage
There was no opportunity to jump o
make the slightest attempt to escap
the danger. The wreck occurred S
quickly that they could not realize hoy
it came about. just before he dice
Engineer Griffin asked feebly what wa
the trouble. All the cars were d.
Do f.n