The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-07-23
BROUGHT DEATH AND RUIN
4 CLOUDBURST IN OHIO WITH
 FEARFUL RESULTS.

The Loss of Life is Not Known but 1t Must be Enormous-Creek go Feet Wide Converted Info n Roaring Flood 2,ooO Feet in width-Impossible for Persons to Escape From Their Homes.
 Youngstown, O., July 22.-At seven o'clock tonight a terrific cloudburst struck this town, flooding the entire valley and causing great damage to property, both in the city and along the railway lines. Many people are supposed to be drowned. The entire country east and west for twenty miles was flooded, and the damage will be enormous, the railroads being the heav- 1 fest losers. The Erie railroad west of | Warren for five miles was entirely flooded out, and orders were issued to discontinue all trains. Many residences here were flooded, and the occupants were taken away by the police and fire departments. The Mahoning valley i electric lines were flooded out, and all | the bridges washed away.
 | The Catholic church at Niles was struck by lightning at the same hour and nearly destroyed by fire, while business houses and manufacturing concerns were flooded. Henry Myers, a tailor, while standing at his residence on NH street, was struck by lightning and killed instantly. He leaves g. fam fly. The excursion trains which left here this morning for Lake Erie are all l ciI Iot trtu 1,f n1 will probably not reach the city tonight On every railroad leading into the city comes reports of extensive washouts and bridges swept away, and railroad officials say the loss will be the heavi- est they have ever known.
 At 1:30 o'clock tonight came the first definite information of the damage done by the storm. Along Crab Creek, run ming into the city in the northeast along the Erie and Lake Shore railroads and emptying into the Mahoning river near the Lake Shore depot cloudburst oc- cured about ten miles. At 10 o'clock | the water swept down the valley into
 the city carrying everything that was not fastened down before 1t. The bed of the creek was not more than twenty
 feet wide, but the flood spread out to g. width of about 1000 feet. It rose quickly and in less than thirty minutes the water was up to the second stories of all the dwelling houses in the flooded i districts and was still rising It is a
 certainty at Il o'clock that none of the | people escaped from the houses.
 1 The whole district was in darkness except one small place where a lone electric light shone. Bremen, police and others were on hand quickly, but l were powerless to effect reescues. as
 not boat of any kind was to be had. The cries of the people in the houses wer heartrending to those who stood
 at the waters edge and were forced to retreat on account of the rising water. It Is almost a certainty that many people were drowned. One whole fam fly was heard crying for help from up- per windows when suddenly there was a granding noise as if the house was being moved from it's foundations and soon the cries from that place ceased. The intense darkness made 1t impossi-
 ble to see what was going on, but it is supposed that the house and it's occu-
 pants went down in the food Peo- l pie at the waters edge heard a man INiyiii5 AOI iSlp WHo was
 being carried down in the flood. The voice grew fainter and 1t is supposed the unfortunate man perished. Pitt full cries for help were heard in all di- rections but the people on the shore could do nothing. Police and f1remen went at once to another part of the city after boats. @
 Later-A number of families were rescued by volunteers. The water too, is rapidly receding