The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-01-25
PlVTSBURG FLOOD PASSING
DEsoLATToN IN THE CITY AND IN
 ALLEGHANK.

Biting Cold Adds to the Distress Which
 Exists in the Flooded Districts-HIen,
 Women and Children Fight for Fuel
 Given by the Aushorities-FuiIy a
 Third of fhe Homes in Wheeling
 Inundnted.
 Pittsburg. Jan. 24.-The flood of yes- terday has in a great measure passed this point, but portions of the two cities are still submerged and will not be freed from the water until after mid night. The Monongahela gauge at 8 o'clock tonight registered 23 feet and falling at the rate of about tenths of foot per hour.
 The biting cold weather that has pre- vailed all day augmented the distress which exists in the flooded sections.
 In Alleghany the gas supply was er- ratio and the distribution of coal by the city authorities in the poorer neighbor- hoods brought about riotous condi- ton. When the fuel was dumped in the streets. men, women and children fought for it's possession, requiring a strong guard of police to restore order.
 Desolation exists in all parts of the two cities, from which the water reced- ed to-day. Wreckage and huge cakes of ice strew the streets. A thick set ting of slimy mud, mingled with ice makes many districts unfit to walk through. Huge timbers, portions of doors, stairways, barrels, boxes, cans and other debris washed upon the street by the ficod. remain where the water left them. Street car service has been resumed between the two cities, but the cars are operating under diffi- culties in some of the lower lying por- tions of the roads.
 The big coal companies have been busy all day preparing their fleets for coal shipments to the south. There are thirty towboats in the harbor read to start, and it is estimated that fully 10,- 900, 1000 bushels of coal will have started by tomorrow noon.
 Wilkesbarre, Pa., Jan. 24.-Telephone advices received here tonight by the Associated Press state that an ice gorge has formed in the Susuuehanna river e.5 e,xo+ ero,., c,,,,J,,,..y &<, (s,.ao ssxy (, distance of thirty miles, the river is en- tirely blocked, and that the water is backed up as far as Nescopeck The ice is piled up against the bridge at Cata- wissa, and the Philadelphia and Read ing Railroad company has loaded its bridge at Ruperot down with coal cars Nearly the whole town Is submerged and on Water street the water comes up to the second story. The Pennsylva- mia railroad depot is surrounded by fa- i ter, and several houses have beer moved from their foundations, and the great majority of the farms are under water The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western railroad tracks between Cata. wissa and Upper LiIneridge, twenty-ont miles. are under water At Catawisss the electric light plant is under water and the town is in darkness. At Blooms burg the ice is damned up forty fee high and report received here at S:SI tonight says the large bridge over tht Suscuehanna at that place has beer moved five feet and is expected to col lapse at any moment. One third of tht town of Bloomsburg is submerged by the waters os the Susquehanna ant \ Fishing Creek The village of Espey 1 two miles north of Bloomsburg, is par tially submerged, and the water Ina! broken through out the lowlands to tn, l rounded by vast sheet of water. Tn, Columbia and Montour trolley track between Catawissa and Berwick are en. tirely under water. The trouble is caus ed by the ice from the upper reaches O the river being stopped by ice gorges that has blocked the river betweei Danville and Sudbury for the past si1 weeks Many families have been driver from their homes by the rush of waters and many had narrow escapes. Farm CTS in many instances had all thei, horses. cows. and other livestocl drowned.
 The river here tonight registered IT.. feet, fall of four feet from it's highes stage, and there is every indication tha the flood danger has passed at thi point for the time being, the river bein! clear of ice.
 Wheeling, W. Va, Jan. 24.--The cres os the flood swell was reached at o'clock this afternoon, when the stag was A fet inches. The forecast wa the most accurate in years, and ther was never more time for preparation
 As a result the damage here was kep
 down to the minimum. Nevertheless fully one third of the homes in the cit,
 were wholly or partially inundated, am
 the sharp fall in temperature with re
 sultant formation of ice, accompanie,
 by shutting off of natural gase in tn
 aooi districts. has caused 6 great dea
 of suffering.
 Private British Expedition Massacred
 London Ian 24-Tha foreign offic