Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1902-03-07
HIGHEST POINT IN YEARS
ALLEGHENY RIVER FLOODS.
Fifty Thousand Men Temporarily
Idle by Forced Closing Down OF
MiIIs-PeOple Were Warned-Ahe-
sheny City a Modern Venice-F1re
Protection Unavailable.

| Pittsburg, Pa, March, 2.-The AL
legheny river marks show 1926 and
the river is still rising. The flood
marks of 1884 will. in all likelihood,
be passed, and 35 feet, the highest
point ever reached by the water here
lin 1892 may be equalled. 1t is GER
tain that the great damage done by
the 1884 food will be exceeded by
many thousands of dollars. reli-
able estimate of the money damage
can not be made at this time, but
| it will be very heavy Already So
900 men have been made temporar-
| lily idle by the forced closing down
of mills, factories and other indus
tries, and the number is likely to be
greatly increased by Monday. To
the timely warnings given by the
government weather bureau officials
to all interested may be credited the
lack of fatalities. In most instances
business men and other residents
were prepared, consequently no drown
ings or serious accidents have resulted
up TO the present.
The Allegheny is a modern Venice
and every sort of improvised water
craft is in service Every street in
the low lying districts of the city from
more or less water in it. In some
places it is from two to four feet deep,
forcing the householders either to
abandon their homes or move to the
upper floors. In numerous instances
families have taken their cook stoves
to the attic and have prepared to camp
out, as it were. until the waters sub
side. All of the railroad tracks except
the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chi
cago are submerged, and many factor
les have been closed down. The west
ern penitentiary is in particularly bad
shape. The water has flooded the
underground portion of the institution,
running much fine machinery, includ-
ing the air renovating and electric
lighting plants. The building is now
without heat and the only light in it
is from candles and lamps. A small
sized iceberg has been deposited in the
grounds and the warden's house has
been rendered untenantable
Pittsburg proper, from the Point to
Ninth street and as far back as Penn
avenue, everything is flooded. Skiffs |
and wagons are being used by resi-
dents to go to and from their homes. |
Few Pitt hIIrOnrc hou
seen the water so deep on these
streets. The Hotel Lincoln has two
feet OF water in it's basement while |
the Victoria and Boyer hotels are in
almost as bad shape Water sur
rounds the Anderson, but no particular |
damage has been done. The Duquesne
and the Alvin theaters were forced to
abandon their performances tonight
and business in the districts has been
suspended since noon. Every mill
along the Allegheny river as far as
Thirty-third street. in the Allegheny
valley, railroad tracks are submerged
and every cellar in the district has
water in it.
On the south side many of the mills
nave shut down, the plants of Jones &
l'aughlin and the Republic Steel COM
pany being the only extensive works
to escape. From Homestead to Nc
KEGS Rocks, the Pittsburg & Lake Erie
tracks are under water and the Pan
handle tracks are being used to get
trains in and out of the city.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
south side is literally swamped there
is not a drop of water available for
nome purposes or for fire fighting
should it become necessary. The Mon
ongahela Water company supplies this
section of the city and this evening the
Monongahela river took possession of
the company's plant, putting out the
fires under the boilers and forcing a
shutdown.