Gilpin observer., 1901-09-05
CLEVELAND FLOOD.
CITY SUFFERS DAMAGE EsTlMA-
TED AT ONE MILLION.
Rcucoo Arc Wrecked and Ct-co ITS Made
Raging Torrcrts-Lifc Saving Crews
Ascist In Wcrk CT Reccuc--Traino
and ctrcct Cars ct S.1rc.ot,.i.

Raging Torrcrts-Lifc Saving Crews
Aecist In Work CT Reccuc-. Trairo
and ctrcct Cars at s.en:otl..
Cleveland, Sept. with the brca:.;-
ing OF dawn yesterday morning the
citizens OF Cleveland awoke to look
upon {. scere Of unparalleled devasra-
ton and destruction caused By rag
ing food. While the entire city was
more or less affected, the great volume
of raging water vented it's anger over
miles of the eastern portion of tne city
ard caused an amount of damage ap-
proxincated at s1,000,O00. The appall-
ing overflow was caused by G terrific
rain that commenced to fall shortly
after o'clock, turned into Q perfect
cloudburst between the hours of and
5 and then continued with great force
until nearly 10 o'clock. The storm,
according to the weather officials, was
the heaviest that ever SWEPT over
Cleveland since the establishment of
the government bureau in this city
over 40 years ago. That no lives were
lose is nothing short of a miracle, as
many stories of thrilling escapes from
the water on several of the principal
residence streets of the city are told.
The surging waters spread over an
area nearly eight miles long and near
ly mile wide. This extended from
Langdon Hills avenue to East Cleve-
land back to East Madison avenue.
Great volumes of water poured over
from Doan and Giddings brooks down
Quincy street. swamped Vienna street.
on East Prospect street. rushed like
mill race down Lincoln avenue to
Euclid avenue and then on to Glen
Park place, where houses were under
mined as though built on straw and
almost incredible damage doLe to
streets and property.
SweeIs All in Its Course.
Over a large share of this exclusive
residence territory the water rushed
with terrific force, varying in depth
from enc to six feet. Culverts, tres
ties and bridges were torn down and
for hours nothing seemed capable of
steInming of the tide of destruction.
Hundreds of residents who were i'm
prisoned in their beautiful homes like
stranded islanders were almost panic
SltiChei, eAptStlub " DS CdIeu upOu
to wade out into the swirling waters
at almost every minute. Danger sig
nails We're flashed about the city as
speedily as the disabled telephone sys-
TEN would allow and the work of res
cue commenced. Row boats piled
back and forth, assisting whole fam
lilies from perilous positions. but these
proved inadequate and it was found
necessary to so 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 hurried
to the scene of destruction.
The torrent surged with awful force
for hours in Deering street from Fair
mount to the boulevard and over n
dozen families were penned in like
rats in trap, with water five and six
feet deep surrounding their homes. At
this point the life saving crew worked
valiantly and assisted by squads of
firemen and policemen finally sue
ceeded in landing the terror-stricken
people in places of safety The fear
was greatly enhanced by the momen-
tary expectation that the great Shaker
Heights dam would break loose and
belch forth terrible destruction.
Bodies Washed From Graves.
Shortly before noon the torrent sue
ceeded in undermining score of
graves in st. Joseph's cemetery. and
the bodies were seen being tossed
about in the waters.
Through Glenview the flood was ter
ribly destructive. Many houses are
swamped, culverts torn out and streets
turned into seething quagmires. The
loss in the village is estimated at $780,
900. The street railways will suffer
an immense loss.
The damage to the railways. which
will also be great. cannot be even es.
timated until the large force of track
hands. sent out on emergency calls.
can be heard from. The mail service
from the east was completely tied up
from 10 n. m. until o'clock last night,
when n train got through on the Lage
Shore. But the vast amount of dam.
age falls upon the householders with.
IN the flooded district