The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-07-16
BY CLOTDBTRST
P-tt8burgand Allegheny Swept by
a Sudden Storm,
TEE LOSS A MILLION DOLLARS

In Pittsburg Alone Through Damage to
Houses, Bursting ofa Sewer and Demoli-
tion of Railway Traclss-The Cloudburst
Also Visits Ohio.
PITTsBURG, July 16.-A heavy rain
storm, which was practically a cloudburst,
ut about o'clock last night, did great
damage throughout this city and Ale
gheny. 1t is estimated that the loss will
reach S1,O0O0OO. The weather bureau
officials report In inches of rainfall dur
ing the fifty minutes which the storm
lasted, one inch of this amount falling in
the first twenty minutes of the storm The
storm coming so early in the evening
doubtless saved many lives, as very few
people had retired to bed. Many narrow
escapes are reported, but no lives are
thought to have been lost.
The storm came up very suddenly and
gave little warning. The water came down
in sheets and in few minutes the streets
were like running rivers. Every street car
line in the two cities except the Birming-
ham traction was blocked, and for hours
no travel was attempted.
At Forty-eighth street, Lawrenceville,
probably the most destruction was done
Every house on the north side of Butler
street, from Forty-eighth street east, was
flooded, many of them being entirely
ruined. Quite a number of families were
rendered homeless in this district The
immediate cause of the trouble at this
point was the giving way of the Allegheny
cemetery stone wall which abuts the
street. Just inside the wall which is ten
feet high, is the opening of a large sewer,
which drains what is called Cemetery run.
The sewers mouth soon clogged with logs
and rocks, and the water poured over its
opening against the wall, soon undermin-
ing it, When the wall gave way the flood
rushed down into the houses below, filling
them to a depth of four feet on the first
floor. For time the street, which forms
a sort of valley, was miniature lake. The
loss at this point will be many thousands
of dollars. The Citizens Traction line foI
nearly two miles was under water for a
long time, and much of it is ruined.
In Allegheny, Pcrrysville avenue was
flooded from one end to the other, under
mining the new street railway and rem
dering it an almost total loss Seven miles
of Sawmill Run plank road is destroyed
the planSs being carried away and the
roadbed ruined. The water came rushing
down Madison avenue and East street fouI
feet deep when the sewer on Compromise
street gave way. 1t plowed its way right
through houses in its track and deposited
boulders and gravel in front of the Twelfth
ward school house eight feet high. The
soap factory of George Harley & Son, OF
Madison avenue, has three feet of grave
on the ground floor, and $4,000 worth Of
soap was destroyed The house of Johr
Mueller, on Spring Hill near Royal street
was washed down the hill with three chill
dren in it. All were rescued, however, by
brave work of neighbors.
A landslide on Toboggan street carried
- with it into the streets below 1000 tons o
earth, rock and gravel. All the cellars OF
Howard street were flooded. This section
is in the famous Butchers Run district
; which was so disastrously flooded on Jul,
|. o6 1874