The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-09-22
Disastrous Floods.

The American record Of fatal foundations
begins with the flooding of 900 houses in
New Orleans, ON May II, 1S49, and great pri
vaiion ard loss of life. On June 4, 1862,
there was Il great food in The Lehigh and
Delaware Rivers. All the dams on the Lee
high between Maurh Chunk and White Haven
gave way. and the water rushed on, carrying
before it bridges and buildings. At least 100
lives were lost, and many of the bodies were
never recovered. The memorable Mill River
disaster. near Northampton, Mass, May lG,
1874, resulted in the destruction of four
villages and The loss of over 200 lives. This
was the first great disaster of its kind in this
country. Eureka, New, was swept by water
spout IN July of the same year. and about
thirty persons persisted.
A raincIoud broke with terrible violence
over Ptlsburg and Allegheny City about eight
o clock Sunday evening, July 26, 1874, and,
so far as loss Of life was concerned, resulted in
the greatest calamity that had visited the city
up to that time. There was wind, but a
steady downpouring of immense volumes of
water. Pittsburg itself escaped with great loss
of property only, but, in addition to immense
properly losses in Allegheny City, 900 of her
inhabitants in the low-lying districts were over
whelmed and drowned in the torrents that
poured down through the ravines and creeks
that scanned the Seventh, Tenth and Eleventh
wards. of the city, and swept an entire settle
nent in the Valley Of Butchers Run down
into the Allegheny.
When the rain began falling but little APP
prehension was entertained, but those who
lived near the head of tine valley stated that
suddenly it seemed as if the heavens opened
and the water came down rs If discharged
from immense pipes. The valley was at once
filed with raging torrent, and frame dwell
ings. stables. stores aud slaughter houses were
swept like driftwood down TO the river. Many
little children had already been put to bed for
the night and grown people were preparing
for repose, for the evening had been stormy,
and all of them were overtaken in ptchy dark
ness. Only little could be done in the way of
rescue. for every man had himself to look
after, and that night only sixty bodies of the
dead we're recovered. But by evening of the
next day 216 had been taken from the banks
of the rivers where they were stranded by the
receding floods, ard for nearly week after
wards corpses were found.
What was probably the most widespread
and devastating inundation that ever occurred
in America visited the Mississippi Valley in
February, 1882, when that mighty river burst
all bounds, and spread over the country on
both sides from st. Louis to the Gulf OF Mexl-
co, making in some places an inland sea over
hundred miles wide. But the loss Of life
was trivial in comparison with that at Johns
town, although the destruction of property
was very great.
The Johnstown disaster occurred in the
afternoon of May 81, 1889. About ten miles
above Johnstown dam across South Fork
Creek, little above its junction with Cone.
maugh Creek, gave way, and the water rushed
down the narrow valley with the speed Of a
race horse, sweeping away most of the villages
Familiarity known as Johnstown City, having
a total population of $4,000. The wreckage
was checked by u stone bridge, and piled high.
Many houses containing imprisoned families
were hurled upon the mass. which caught fire
from an overturned stove, and hundreds of
men, woman and children, pinned in the
wreckage, were burned to death. The loss
Of life in the valley reached n total OF $500.
Ninety-nnc entire families were destroyed.