Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-07-23
h...IERRIFIC CLOUDBURST
.Converted Bear Greek Into a
Raging Torrent.
MANY LIVES REPORTED LOST
And Heavy Damages Done to Railways and
! Other Property-Rescuers Work
. Brayely in the Dark.

: Youngstown, o., July eat o'clock
stenisht terrific clOudburst struck This
i. Vicinity covering a large territory and
sscauslng grea-i damage 10 property, es-
sspecially in railroad lines Many people
s.ara supposed to be drowned The entire
xcountry for twenty miles east is flooded
sand the damage is said to be enormous,
the Railways being the heaviest losers.
ssThe railroad wesi. of Warren for twenty
smiles. and eighteen miles north of Sha-
@ron was entirely flooded out ard ord rs
szwere issued to 6iscontinua all trains.
e1Many residences We're flooded out ard
1.-THE occupants were aiken away by TIA
@po1ice and fire departments. The Ma
shoning Valley electrical lines were flood
red out and all the bIids 5 washed away.
The Ca tholic church at Miles was struck
sby ligh.nsEg at ehe same hour and near
zly destroyed by fire. willie business houses
aid manufac JuT,ing cOLcernS were flooded
-put. HI nry Myers, a tailor, while seand-
zdng at his residence ON Mill street, was
sgstguck by lightning and killed instantly.
HE leaves a FAMILY Inc eXcur.Ion train
(which left here THIS morning for Lake
ssEEie are all sid cracked thirty miles out
-tiIJd Win probably rot reAcA the eJ.y to-
might.
: On every railroad leading into the city
scomes reports of extensive washouts and
ssbrdSeS swept away and railroad officials
SAY the loss will be the heaviest they
ahaxe. known. At 1880 tonight came the
first tangible evidence of the damage
stone by the storm along the Crab Tree
screek running from the northeast along
stha-Erie and Lake Shore roads and emp
aging into the Mahoning river near the
Lake Shore depot. cloudburst oc-
scurred ten miles out, the water did not
..cuIred ten miles out. The water did not
begin to rise much in the city until after
9 o'clock. About 10 O'Clock the water
game down the valley into the city and
s1ormed into a flood and sweeping every
thing that was not fastened down fast.
11he Bear creek was not more than
~twenty feet wide and the flood spread
over a width of about 1000 feet. 1t
spread over the valley and at the Lake
mills the water was up TO the second
STORY in all dwelling houses in the Hooded
feg'ion and still rising. 1t is certain
that none of the people escaped from
the houses. The whole place is in dark
sness, except for one spot where light
sshone. The police and fire departments
did all in their power but were unable
10 rescue nybody, as rot boat was to
BE had in that region. The cries OF the
Deople were audible to those who sto-d
son the waters edge. The latter We're
compelled to retreat slowly on account
of the gradually rising water.
= One whole family was heard cryir for
h9,p from upstairs, when suddenly ~ re
W
being moved from it's foundation, AMI
soon the cries from that place csas d.
The intense darkness made it impossible
II see what was going on, but 1t is sup
posed that the house ard its occupants
went down. People at the waters edge
heard a man crying for help who was
being apparently carried down by the
Hood. The voice gradually grew lower
and it is feared the unfortunate man
perisho1. Patiful cries were heard for
help, but the people could do nothing to
offer hslp. The police and firemen went
TO another part of the city for boats.
1t was midnight before the boats We're
gotten to the flooded Crab Tree creek dis
E'iets and the work started. The boats
Nere MANFRED by firemen, who vert TO
work with will, but could not make
Rapid progress on account of the swift
and Dangerous current. Nine of the in
mates were tai - vt ofssecond story
windows within a Il )ur ard many peonle
We're picked nm clinring to debris. Moth
ing more definite will be known as to the
loss of life until morning or even the
1a mes of the people that are in the flood,
and perhaps rot then.
At midnight the wSl.er commenced to
recede rapidly and the creek will likely
be back in it's natural course by morn
ing Thu Erie and Lake Shore Trains
including passenger ard excursion trains.
were caugfe and will not likely be mover
before daybreak as the officials refuse to
take chances as to loss of hfe. Loa ded
cars have been placed on the bridges with
the hope of keeping them as the Mahon-
n ~ ic h 10th md y-ic at,id