The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-06-25
pITTSBURG RAvAGED BY WIND
AND RAIN.
FEW LIVES REPORTED LOST
Loss to Property Runs Into I'm
mense Sums-Lightning's
Strange Franks.

TlIISUuI6s june az AIIoDuA6 oAo
vicinity were visited today by one Of
the ~fiercest storms known since the
United States weather bureau has
been established. Within 48 minutes,
1.19 inches of rain fell and during
that time lightning and thunder was
almost continuous. The wind coon.
paning the storm was not high, ex-
cept in a contracted path a few hun
dren feet wide, which swept like a
tornado from McKee's Rocks, through
Allegheny, a portion of the east end
of Pittspurg, and on to Wilmerding
and Turtle Creek. Three lives were
lost:
JAMES HOWARD, aged Is years;
struck on head by live wire at Du-
quesne and instantly killed.
JAMES DUNN, aged 10 years; af-
ter saving the life of his brother Har-
ry, aged Z years, who had fallen into
the creek at Braddock, al carried
away by the waters and drowned.
CLAS MARCUS, an Italian, who
was working in a sewer at Center and
Euclid When the rain came
the sewer was a raging torrent in
a moment and Marcus was torn away
from his fellow Workmen and prob
ably carried through to the river.
Damage was done in the two cities
and suburbs east, but nothing like
correct figures a be given tonight.
Conservative estimates place the loss
at 5000, 000.
The tornado when it reached Allie
cheney struck the grandstand of the
ball park and carried away bodily $50
feet of that structure and moved from
it's foundation the entire stand. Great
beams, with portions of the roof of
the stand, were carried from 200 to
800 feet from the park, lodging on the
roofs of houses. In n instance two
of the beams ploughed through the
roof of a house in Robinson street,
going from the garnet to the first
floor, carrying away a portion of the
bed in which Mrs. Williamson was
asleep. It is a miracle that 40 lives
we're lost in Allegheny.
In Butchers run district the famous
flood of 1874 was outdone, except in
the loss of life. Fortunately today
the inhabitants of that district antici-
pated trouble and when the torrent
came, which clogged sewers and over
flowed streets and submerged houses,
all of the occupants had fled.
In Pittsburg, as is usual during
heavy rains, Fifth avenue and Forbes
street, in the southern district, were
completely blocked with great masses
of dirt and stones washed from the
hill and all street car service to and
from the east end was suspended for
about two hours.
Going eastward the storm carried
destruction in it's wake, doing damage
which will aggregate thousands oil
dollars. The Point Breeze Presby.
terrain church was struck by lightning
and the steeple, together with a por
ton of the roof of the edifice, were
wrecked. The Presbyterian church
at Williamsburg was also struck by
lightning, but the. damage done was
not very heavy.
At East Pittsburg Turtle creek was
higher than ever before known, but
the inhabitants along it's banks were
warned by a messenger engine going
over the route whistling and ringing
its bell, letting the people know OIL
the danger. The greater portion o.
the town of Turtle Creek is under
water tonight. The creek on it's ram
page flooded the great works of the
Westinghouse Electric and Manufac
turing company at West Pittsburg
So far as can be estimated at presen,
nc damage was done to the buildings
but machines, tools and work in pro
gress on the lower floor, which was
y Ny WoSOA, Wall NC AuJulCS
or less. The immediate result
will be delay in the completion Of
some Of the machinery, some of which
will have to be taken apart and re
built. Westinghouse officials expect
to have the works running within &
few days. They were not prepared
to give an estimate of the money val
! ne of the damage done, as the exac'
amount cannot be ascertained unit
the water has gone down.
To demonstrate the force Of the
wind, eight refrigerator cars were
blown from the Pennsylvania railroad
track at Stuart, turning them com
pletely over and blocking three Oh
four tracks for several hours. Re
ports from all the surrounding dis
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