Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1904-01-28
ICE is PILlNG HIGH AND A VERY
DANGEROUS GORGE is
FORMED.
LOOKS BRIGHTER AT CLEVELAND
FALL IN TEMPERATURE LESsENs
PROBABILITY OF FURTHER
DANGER.

Plttsburg. Jan. a. - Lulled into s.!
sense or security in the early evening
by the rapidly with which the AlIe
enemy was carrying the ice and water
from the upper streams into the Ohio
Plttsburg went to sleep last nigh,
with the belief that the warnings =,
danger from the rivers had been ex.
aggerated. but at this hour a new
danger has arisen. The Monongahels
has broken loose. Huge masses q,
ice which came rushing down the ais.
ter stream all day, are choking tina
harbor. Both streams are steadily
rising, the Allegheny already being
three feet higher than her consot
stream, and as consequence a
Dangerous Ice Gorge
is now forming between the Wabash
and Smithfeld street bridges. ms,
above the confluence of the two Rivera
Business men, mill owners, resi-
dents and river men are included in
the list Of sufferers. The poor in some
OF the low lying sections Of the two
cities may be hemmed in in their
homes until Sunday night.
Early in the day. owing to the viz.
orous warnings sent out in regard to
the danger from Allegheny. all of the
coal barges and steamboats, we're sent
into the Monongahela to gain the bet.
ter protection Of the pools Already v
a barge containing 10000 bushels OF
coal has been sunk. and the whole
fleet, with nearly 275,O bushels on
board,
Is Likely to Go Down.
The ice is ramming with terrific forcs
and the steamboats, and tugs are pow.
erless now to go to the rescue if the
fleet is torn from it's mornings.
One river man said last night that
the extent OF the damage wrought by
the ice could not be estimated until
today, but it will mount high into the
hundreds Of thousands of dollars
This, coupled with the losses sus.
tanned by railroads, business houses,
manufacturers, street car companies,
GOV eminent works and residents,
probably viii put the loss above the
$1,000,000 mark
Worst Fears Realized.
The worst fears of the manufactur.
ers along the Pittsburg side Of the
Allegheny river from the Sharrsburg
bridge down were realized shortly at.
ter midnight, when the waters swept
over the banks in many places and
inundated the surrounding districts.
Every mill and factory between the
Allegheny Valley railroad tracks and
the river is more or less flooded, and
1t is estimated that in the nefghbor-
hood of $4,000 men will be idle until
Monday of Tuesday.
Situation Brighter in Ohio.
Cleveland, Jan. 24.-The food stuy,
alton in Cleveland and vicinity Is i
brighter at midnight because OF. a fall 4
in the temperature, which will lessen
the probability of a dangerous gorge. !
about ten miles up the Cuyahosa riv-
er, breaking and letting loose a great 4
mass of water held in check by it.
The three Great Lake vessels that
broke loose from their snaoorings yes,
tefday are still tightly wedged to-
gether, and there is no probability Of
their breaking away Of being moved
until the flood water has completed
running out into the lake. The entire
loss in Cleveland is estinrated at $500,
00O
Swept Away by Flood.
Ashtabula, Ohio, Jan. pa Yester
day three men with a horse and cut
ter, while driving across a stream
near Pierpont, this county, were swept
away by the flood. Dexter Smith was
drowned. George Hazeltine succeed
ed in getting out, but he may not re-
cover from his injuries. Joseph
Frick, the other occupant of the q
sleigh. was not seriously injured.
Families Driven From Their Homes.
Buffalo, N. Y, Jan. 24.-With a cofs's1
ttnuous fall of rain for nearly twenty
four hours, the immense quantity OF
snow throughout Western New York
was rapidly turned into water which
soon sent the rivers swirling out OF
bounds. flooding great areas.
| In Northern New York and places In
Canada where the temperature was
lower the rain turned into sleet and
snow, prostrating the telegraph and
telephone lines and demoral;zine rail-
| road traffic. Douglas creek has food.
ed the lower part of Dunkirk, driving
| fifty families from their homes.