Evening journal., 1902-03-31
PANIC BROKE Up
| EASTER SERVICE
Part Of Ceiling Fell Upon
the WOrShipperS
BY FIERCE STORM
Houses UnrOOiCd, Trees Blown Down.
EEand Telegraph and. Telephones
Wires Disabled

Pittsburg. Pa, March 3i.-Ono oil
the aercest wind storms ever known
in this section struck ,he city yester
day just before noon and did almost
incalculable damage to property and
injured many people, some of whom
may die from the effects of their
wounds. Scores of houses were un.
rooted. many trees were blown down,
mill stacks toppled over and tole-
graph and telephone wires were gen
erally disabled.
The most serious accident reported
last night was the unroolng of the
Knoxville Presbyterian Church, in
Knoxville. The church at the time
was filled with an Easter congregation
numbering about 500 persons While
the minister was in the midst of his
sermon a particularly strong gust of
wind blew over the large chimney and
lifted a portion of the roof off the
building The bricks from the chin
ney crashed through the roof and car
ried a huge piece of the hardwood
ceiling, measuring about 40 by 20 feet,
down upon the worshippers in the
pews.
An indescribable panic ensued and
a frantic rush was made for the doors
and windows The excitement was
soon quieted and the work Of rescue
begun. At least 40 persons we're
caught by the wreckage and more or
less hurt. OF this number five may
not recover The more seriously in.
jured are: Dr. r. j. Phillips, concus
sion of brain. may die; Curtis Ray
Mcknight, aged 4 years, internal in
juries. both legs crushed, probably
fatal; Clarence McNulty, internal in
juries, badly crushed. may die
Fletcher Byron, fracture at base OF
brain, serious; David Smith, arm
broken, head cut and badly battered
serious; Albert Schmidt, both arms
broken and head cut None Of the
others injured are seriously hurt.
Lightning Struck This one.
As Rev. ]. w. English, pastor of the
Robinson Run u. p Church, near Nc
Donald. was raising his arms to pro
nounce the benediction, Lightning
struck the church spire and it toppleC
upon the roof crushing it and injurinl
q number of worshippers, two of whom
will die.
The injured are: Robert Patterson
aged 10 years, skull fractured, viii
die; Leon Averill, aged II years, skull
fractured, will die,
The spire and part of the roof o
the u. p Church, at Mcdonald, wa
torn off and the building cousiderabl
damaged, but no one was injured Tn
Noblestown Presbyterian Church wa
also unroofed, but the cOngregatio
escaped injury.
The Forest Oil company had b'
tween 200 and 900 derricks blow
down I'm its Mcdonald region and col
siderable damage was sustained b
it's pipeage system. The offices OF tn
Monongahela Connecting Railroad, o
Second avenue, this city, were d.
stroyed by fire during the Afternoon
because no alarm could be turned
either by phone or telegraph. Th
Armstrong Cork company's plant o
Liberty avenue. between Twenty-iitt
and TWenty-sixth streets, was III
rooted and much damage done to tf
machinery and stock. More than 2,5(
panes Of glass in the Phipps Conserv
tory in Shenley Park were broken an
much of the gorgeous Easter flow'
display ruined. The Montana apaI
ment house, at Penn avenue and Fai
mount street, East End, and the Idal
building which adioins it, were pa
TALLY destroyed.
The tow boat Belle MCGOWAN WI
blown over into the Ohio river OPP
site Saw Mill Run and complete
wrecked. Her crew narrowly escape
drowning. but all were finally rescu'
by harbOr bos&s. The corrugated ir'
roof of the Union bridge at the Poi
was lifted from it's fastenings by Il
wind and parts of it carried a distan
of a mile. The Whittier school hou'
on Mount Washington, was unroof
and its walls badly twisted Jones
Mclaughlin has IA of their furna
stacks blown down, necessitating {
shut down of a portion Of their pla
for weeks.
At Greensburg, Pa, the damage W
considerable. Nearly 5000 feet of re
OF the Kelly & Jones Co. plant "
carried away and cast into a iish po
a third Of mile distant.