Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1901-04-26
FINANCIAL LOSS ENORMOUS.
All Flood Records DrOken-ThOu-
sands Are Honaeless-TOwns COm-
pletely Subm~rged-Mnnuf n ufactur
Suder-Mills shut Down.


ter of widespread and disastrous storm.
For a radius oil l50 miles in western Penn
8, ,lyania, eastern Ohio and northern West
Virginia rain or snow has been falling al
most without intermission for three days.
Mountain streams have become torrents,
creeks are swollen and out OF their banks,
and the big rivers are oceans OF turbulent
water. Flood records, it is expected, will
be broken before the water subsidies. The
fina ncial loss can not be estimated. In ad-
dition to the hundreds Of thousands and
perhaps Of millions OF dollars it will cost to
put large manufacturing plants in commits
sion again, tens of thousands Of skilled
workmcn are thrown out Of employment
and lose their wages just at a time when all
the iron and steel mills are rushed with
orders.
Thousands Of people ac lying i'll the up
per rooms of their water soaked houses,
without heat, light or food. Where gas
fuel is used the pipes are flooded and cut
Off and what coal there may be is under
five to 10 feet OF water.
At Scoville, the home of the Pressed Steel
Car company, the town is completely sur
rounded by water. The workers and their
families constitute community Of several
thousand persons.
Wheeling, w. Va, fears the most disas-
trous flood in its history. The weatherwise
say the river vii, make new high record
a ,tas,, aty nC
the state are gushing down with resistlesa
force. Behind this comes the flood tide OK
the Ohio, fed by the Monongahela, ALE
gheny, Beaver and other tributaries. From
A. to so fest OF water is feared at Wheeling,
which means an immense loss OF property.
In many parts Of Pennsylvania and Ohio
probably the heaviest storm ever known at
this season Of the year has been raging for
two days. At Oil City the oil exchange
went out Of business temporarily because 1t
vas impossible 10 secure quotations from
New York, Pittsburg and other points. On
one railroad in Ohio passenger trains are
stalled and engines sent to their Assistance
wait with hope for a speedy turn OF the
weather. In the meantime the passengers
must depend on nearby farmers for suili'
cient food to keep them from starvation.
The big manufacturing plants in this city
have suffered severely. The cost OF repairs
is but a small item in comparison to the de-
lay in filling the orders with which all the
plants are crowded.
The iron mills along the rivers were early
afflicted and one by one were compelled To
shut down.
A widespread and disastrous flood has in
undated all the lowlands in western Penn
sylyania. eastern Ohio and northern West
Virginia. Streams, both kreat and small,
have passed the flood line and are still ris'
ing. Pittsburg is the center Of the storm
stricken district and the effects are prob
ably worst in its immediate vicinity. Rain
has been falling in and for many miles
around Pttsburg for 90 hours and all pre-
cipitation records are broken. Parkers
Landing, up the Allegheny, reports nearly
four inches, and Greensboro, on the Monon'
gahela river, over three inches. Down the
Ohio over four inches fell at Wood juno
ton and about three and a half inches at
Beaver. West and north Of Pittsburg heavy
falls of wet snow are reported. Up the Al
legheny river reports come OF two feet OF
snow on the level at many places. This had
the effect Of breaking down telegraph wires
and crippling railroad service. Mails are
either delayed for hours or not arriving at
all.
I Business, religious services. comfort and
health are at the mercy Of the storm Sew
era narrow escapes from death have been
reported and it is not improbable that when
the flood subsidies it may reveal a number
OF bodies.
4 Steam and electric railroad tracks are
washed down the hiilsides, and in some
cases the tracks have been moved Where
the snow and sleet prevailed telegraph
wires and poles went down under the bur
den and costly railroad and other bridges
have been washed away and their pier
Weakened.
/ At Carnegie. six miles south Of Pittsburg
everything is in a state Of panic. To add
7 to the excitement a number Of negroes go,
drunk on liquor being carried from the eel.
lars OF saloons. Chief OF Police Foster tried
+ TO arrest three Of them, when they attacked
him with razors, cutting him severely. The
! frebells were rung and the citizens turned
out. They suppressed the negroes and ar
rested three Of them.
| Later.
| Pittsburg. April 22.-The most wide
spread and destructive storm, from q
material point of view has passed. l,
has left zone OF ruin 200 miles In
diameter. Cities 10 miles from Pitts
burg were tied mp by one Of the wors,
storms ever seen here. While the
snow fell from IS inches to three fee,
deep. which is not extraordinary. the
snow was so wet that 1t clung In
weighty masses to shade and fruit
buried under thousands Of tons Of earth
trees and poles. bearing them TO earth.
It settled on steam and electric rails