The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-07-07
ONE PERSON DROWNED AND
 MANY HAVE CLOSE CALLS
Telegraph and Telephone Wires Are ] Down and Communication With
 Small Towns is Difficult to
 EstabIish-storm General


 sweeping away houses and barns and live stock. The sossi will reach into the hundreds of thousands. Telegraph and telephone wires are down and communi- cation with small towns in Wyoming, Niagara and cattatargus counties is diff ficult to establish. This city was not in the hands of the storm.
 A dispatch from Arcade says the flood at that place claimed one victim and did damage to the extent of $100,0O0. Min nie Loper who kept bakery on the bank of the Creek. was drowned. The downpour and the cloudburst above the village turned the creek into a torrent. The water rose rapidly and was sever- al feet deep on the lowlands before any one realized the danger. Miss Loper's bakeryshop was swept out into the street and fell apart. Miss Loper's body was re- covered.
 There were narrow escapes. At York shire, two miles below Arcade, the ap- breaches to the bridge were washed away but the bridge is standing. Miles of roadway are so gullied or buried in debris that they will have to be rebuilt.
 
 it is reported that two houses were wash ed away. From everywhere comes re- ports of live stock killed. The loss to in- dividuals will be very high and the loss to the town from the destruction of bridges and roadbeds will be high.
 Streams Out of Banks.
 Portage, N. Y. July G. The worst storm ever k1wn in this section is sweeping down the Genesee valley. Rain has fallen heavily for twenty-four hours. and at an early hour this morning a cloudburst sent the streams over their banks. The river is now a torrent mile wide. At 8 o'clock this morning every one living in the lower part of the town had to abandon their homes. Many farms have been laid waste and no field crops can be saved Houses and barns were swept down the river. The roadbed of the Pennsylvania Railroad is washed out in many places.
 Tremendous Downpour.
 Hornellsville, N Y, July GA tremen- dous dov npour of rain early today caused a serious flood in this vicinity. The lower part of the city was soon covered with water. Railroad traffic in both directions was completely tied up and not a train arrived in the city after 2 a. m. Three houses were undermined and carried away.
 Cloudburst at WeIIsvllIe.
 Welsville. N. Y, July 6.-Shortly after midnight Wellsville and vicinity were visited by cloudburst The water in all streams Is rising rapidly. Madison street was a raging flood all the way to the Erie tracks, which were soon covered with water and mud The waters on Main street was one foot deep Damage to property is estimated at s50,0OO. No trains are running. Two turnpike bridges were carried away, and crops in this vicinity suffered severely.
 Greatest Rain Storm in Years.
 Elmira, N. r., July e.-The greatest rainstorm In years visited this valley yes- terday and today, 3S of rain falling from o'clock Saturday morning to o'clock this evening. This afternoon a terrific hailstorm destroyed many tobacco crops south of the city, uprooted trees, over turned tobacco, barns and outhouses and accomplished much destruction of prop erty. The smaller streams overfiowed their banks and greatly interferred with railroad traffic.
 Four Feet Under Water.
 Pike, N. r., July 6-At daybreak Pike was under four feet of water Almost every bridge In Niagara and Allegheny Counties and in the southern part of Wy oming was washed away. It is .estimat ed that the damage in this town and im- mediate vicinity will amount to a quarter of a million dollars. Much stock was killed.
 Houses Surrounded by Water
 Batavia. N. T., July 6.-The heavy rains E. .l-- wanda Creek to degree never before known, even in the worst spring freshets. A torrential downpour fell at midnight, making the situation perilous for persons living near the river. At 3:3O D. m. the flood came over the banks of the creek, which are 50 feet high. Hundreds of acres of farm lands are under water, and the damage will be heavy. Scores of houses on West and South Main streets were en- tirely surrounded by water and rowboats were plying in the thoroughfs at o'clock tonight Both the Erie Railroad and the Attica branch of the railroad are under water Batavia and Attica arc badly washed out Several barns ard houses were struck by lightning and burned.
 Railroad Tracks Washed Out.
 Lockpcrt. N r.. July 1.-Two miles of the New York Central tracks on the Nl- agara Falls Rochester branch zero washed out by the flood today. An east bound special freight train ran upon ne weakened roadbed and was derailhd. Many cars were wrecked and others are embedded in the mud up to the axles Bridges east of Middleport were dis lodged by the torrent and miles of fences were swept away.
 s1oo,ooo Loss at Warsaw. Warsaw N. Y. July 6.--The loss from the floods in this city will reach $10t00o Oatka creek flowing through the center of the village, burst it's bounds and made a channel through the principal streets The water wrecked houses and barns, many of which were swept bodily down stream together with an immense amount of debris brought down from the srz~ rounding hills. The electric light plant under water ard the village is in dark