Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1901-09-06
A RAGING TORRENT.
Sweeps Through Cleveland Streets
Causing Ruin.
C1oudburst Floods n Portion of the
City-The Damage to Property
Estimated mt S1,OOO,OOO
No Lives Lost.

breaking of dawn Sunday morning
the citizens of Cleveland awoke to
look upon scene of unparalleled
devastation and destruction caused
by raging flood. While the entire
city was more or less affected, the
great volume of raging water vented
its, anger over miles of the eastern
portion of the city and caused an
amount of damage approximated at
$l,000,00O. The appalling overflow was
caused by terrific rain that com
menced to fall shortly after two
o'clock, turned into a perfect cloud
burst between the hours of three
and five, and then continued with
great force until nearly ten o'clock.
The storm. according to the weather
officials, was the heaviest that ever
swept over Cleveland since the estab-
]ishment of the government bureau
in this city over 40 years ago.
No LOSS of Life.
That no lives were lost is nothing
snort of miracle, as the stories of
thriiling escapes from the water on
sevGYal of the principal resident
streets of the city are told. The
surging waters spread over an area in
the east end nearly eight miles long
and ~ miles wide. This extended
from Woodland Hills avenue to East
Cleveland and back to East Madison
avenue. Great volumes of water
poured over from Doan and Giddings
brooks down Quincy street, swamped
Vienna street, rushed over Cedar ave-
nue., back over on East Prospect
street, rushed like mill race down
Lincoln avenue to Euclid avenue, and
tnen on to Glen Park place. where
houses were undermined as though
built of straw, and almost incredible
damage done to streets and property.
swept Everything Before 1t.
Over large share of this eNclu-
sive residence territory the water
rushed with terrific force, varying in
depth from one TO six feet. Culverts,
trestles and bridges were torn down
and for hours nothing seemed ca
pable of stcmming the tide of de-
struction. Hundreds of residents who
were imprisoned in their beautiful
homes like stranded islanders were
almost panic-stricken, expecting TO
be called upon to wade out into the
swirling waters at almost every
minute. Danger signals were flashed
about the city as speedily as the dis
abled telephone system would allow
and the work of rescue commenced.
Rowboats piled back and forth as
sisting whole families from pcril"us
positions. but these proved pitifully
fAnnl
necessary to go to the extraordinary
precaution of calling on the life saw
ing crew from the river, a distance
of seven miles. The life boats were
quickly loaded on wagons and hur-
ried to the scene of destruction.
Rescued by Life-snvcrs.
The torrent surged with awful
force for hours in Deerng street
from Paramount to the boulevard
and over dozen families were
penned i'm like rats in n trap with
water five and six feet deep surround
ing their homes. At this point the
life saving crew worked valiantly
and, assisted by squads of firemen
and policemen, finally succeeded in
landing the terror-stricken people in
places of safety. The fear was great
ly enhanced by the momentary cN'
pectation that the great Shaker
Heights dam would break loose and
belch forth terrible destruction.
Cemetery Invaded.
Shortly before noon the torrent sue
ceeded in undermining sccre ot
graves in the st. Joseph cemetery, al
the corner of East Madison and Wood
land, and the bodies We're soon being
tossed about in the waters. Fully {
dozen of the corpses were washed in
to cutters and had not been recovered
at late hour.
Damage to Parks and boulevard.
The great flood boiled over the bank.
of Doan brook all along the boulevard
and caused damage that it will tax,
months to repair. Great jagged hole:
are torn in the beautiful driveway, anl
the look of ruin stretches in every di
rection. Gordon and Wade parks, OF
the East side, and Brookside park, OIL
the South side, where the water als1
did great damage as it leaped over tn,
banks of Big creek, are damaged to al
amount figured at 100000. Through
Glenville the overflow was terribly de
structive. Many houses are swamped
culverts torn out and several street
turned into seething quagmires. Th
loss in the village is also estimated q
100000.
street Railways suffer.
The street railways will suffer al
immense loss, extending in varying de
grees over every portion of the city
The Big Consolidated will have to re
build their tracks over different, ,part
of the inundated East end district, ant
the loss is placed at $4,000.
Heavy Loss by Fire.
Muskegon, Mich, Sept. 3.-Th
planing and shingle and sash factor.
of N. sMcGrath g. Son at Lake Sid
was burned Monday, together will
AI,o Gn;e1,al ctncl ncc esn nm. L.,