Gilpin observer., 1901-04-25
RIVERS RECEDING.
FLOOD DAMAGE IN PITTSsURe DIS
TRlCT is NEARLY $3,ooo,ooo.
City is Deluged and Scores of Factories
Are Compelled to stop All Work--Fifty
Thousand workinginen Force. Into
IdIeness-- Railroad Service Crippled.


Pittsburg. April 22.-Pittsburg and
Allegheny are slowly emerging from
the muri;y flood. The rivers are reced-
ing nearly foot an hour. The high
est point reached at Davis Island dam
was 25.S feet at 3 IL. M. which means
2S feet ut the junction of the Allegheny
and Monongahela rivers. The water
remained stationary until about 3 p.
IN. when it began to fall. Conservative
estimates of the total damage in this
district is between $2,OOO,O00 and 3d.
100000. Fifty thousand workers are
suffering from enforced idleness.
While there have been greater floods
at this point, there was never one that
caused so much financial loss and dis
comfort. This was due to the denscr
population caused by the recent rapid
growth of the two cities and to the
fact that all the manufacturing plants
OH the river banks We're in active op-
grafton. most Of them working night
and day until the rising water put ont
the fires, and drove the workers to
iigher ground.
The loss to the railroads entering
wrecked bridges. heavy snow and the
interference with traffic is roughly es-
timated at $1,0o0,G00.
On the Fort Wayne tho worst trouble
was snow blockade between Salem
and Massillon. The same trouble tied
up the Cleveland tracks of the Pitts
burg and Lake Erie, five trains having
heen blocked at Window for % hours
This snowfall aid not extend east of
New Castle, but at Youngstown It was
two feet deep and the drifts In the cut.
north Of that city We're up to locomo-
tive headlights. The wreck of m
Erie train blocked the road so that
deep drifts formed undisturhcd. Water
was two feet deem ON the Lake Erie
tracks mt, Sawmill Run. but trains got
through.
B!g laudslidcs occurred on tine Pitts
burg and Lake Erie, the baltimore ard
Ohio at Soho. on the Panhandle, on
the south side, the Bcssemer at several
points and the Allegheny near Frank
lin, Pa. The side at Soho was 100
feet long and it required Il hours
wcrl. to clear one track.
At Skoho. between Manaca and Ali
Gnippa. the Lake Eric received it's
most serious landslide. one hundred
feet of the west bound track WAS car
ried 80 feet dosyn the steep bank. the
whole face of the bank slippin. down
into the river.
The damage to telegraph poles and
lines along all the roads was ouor-
nous and it will take several days to
fully repair them.
Trains are now running on all roads
but no attention is paid to keeping
up to schedules.
The submerged districts in Pttsburg
and Allegheny today scene of alb
iect misery. Cellars. and in some in
stances. the. first floors of stores and
dwellings are covered with water.
Where the flood has subsided. it has
left behind Il greasy, yellow scum two
TO three inches deep. The residents
spent Sunday trying to restore their
homes 20 some degree Of decency and
comfort. The damage to furniture and
buildings in Allegheny is estimated Mt
about 100000. 1t will take two
months of hot summer weather 10
thoroughly dry out these houses. In
Pittsburg the loss to residences and
stores and goods and the cost of clean
ing up will amount 20 about 81. 800 900.