The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-28
DAMAGE BY H|GH WATER
LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY BY
FLOOD WATER AT PITTS
BURG
MANY FAMILIES ARE EvICTED
Hardship and Suffering Caused by
the Unusually Heavy and Sud-
den Rise in the MOnOnEa-
heIa and Allegheny.

P1TTSBURG, Pa, Nov. 27.-After three
days of incessant rain Il tlood unpre-
cedeuted for this season of the year and
quite unexpected in its fury, swept down
the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers
last night. In their mad rush the waters
ruined hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth of property, caused the loss of at
least three lives, temporarily threw out
of employment thousands of workmen
by the forced suspension of the many
industrial establishments lining the
banks of both streams and rendered
hundreds of families homeless. The
fatalities are:
FREDERICK KOPPMAN, aged sixty
six years, tripped and fell breaking his
neck, while removing goods from his
home
JOSEPH DAVIS
JOSEPH FI.OCKER, mill workers,
drowned by the capsizing of a s1ziff in the
Allegheny.
A November food is quite common, but
it rarely reaches the danger line and for
this reason the steady rains Of the past
few days caused no alarm. The pre-
cipitatiOn had been heavier than usual
in the mountains at the headWaters of
both rivers, however, and it was not
until late yesterday that the warning
was sent out that both streams were
getting beyond their banks and that
there was a dangerous food threatened.
The result was the fast rising waters
caught many wholly unprepared and
much valuable property that was tied
up for only a moderate stage was carried
away. The danger line is "a feet and
this was passed about 3 o'clock this
morning, and seven hours later, at 10 a.
M, the marks at Davis island dam regis
tered 25 feet and inches Both rivers
were stationary and it was thought that
the worst was over and before nightfall
the waters would be receding. The low
lands in Pittsburgh, Allegheny, South
E'ittsburg, Sharpsburg and McI<eespOrt
are inundated and nearly every plant
fronting the two rivers have been forced
to shut down. Hundreds of families in
these districts have either been driven
from their homes or are living in the
upper floors and using SkiffS. There
were many narrow escapes from drown
ing during the night and several men are
reported to the police as missing, but
the only known fatalities directly trace
able to the flood were those Of Koppman,
Flocker and Davis.
Davis and Flocker with three com
panions, attempted to row across the
Allegheny in skiff which became I'M
manageable and collided with a coal
boat. The men were thrown into the
river and Davis and Flocker drowned.
The others chung to the upturned boat
and were rescued after being carried two
miles down the river.
At Neville island, the four-span rail-
road bridge in course of construction was
swept away during the night. 1t was
being erected for the American Steel and
Wire company and was also to be used
for passenger traffic by the Pittsburg q
Lake Erie Railroad company.
Tt is reported that shanty boat with
three traders, whose names are I'M
known, broke from it's moorings near
Millvale. Pa, about daybreak and sunk
in the Allegheny river with all on board