The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-23
RIVERS IRE LINES OF
RUIN IN PENNSYLVANIA

PITTSBURG, Jan. 22.-To-night the gov
eminent forecaster made the announce
ment that the Allegheny river registered
4.5 feet, rising at the rate of s foot an
hour. He predicts that there will be thirty
feet of water at Pittsburg by daylight.
The river is full of heavy fee and is pass
ing rapidly. At the first rush of the ice
this morning the false work OF the Brilliant
bridge of the Pennsylvania Railroad
swept away. The bridge not dam
aged Many mills have their fly pits below
food level and have shut down. throwing
hundreds of men out of employment.
The Moaongahela river rose slowly all
day, the first rapid rise experienced there
being when the Allegheny caused the for
mer stream TO back up. The ice started
out OF the Youghiogheny river during the
afternoon and also from the third pool OF
the Monongahela.
One track of the Pennsylvania Railroad
at Roaring Run and at Avonmore is
washed out. The railroad bridge at Apollo
is unsafe ana abandoned. High water is
doing much damage to railroad property.
owing to the recent improvements. The
sixth pool ice at Brownsville began moving
out this evening with the river at l6 feet.
Reports from Fairmont. w Va. say that
at the headwaters of the Monongahela
river there has been almost a steady rain
for forty-eight hours, and that the ice in
the river. which is eighteen inches thick.
can be heard cracking.
At Connellsville the ice in the Youghi-
ogheny river broke up this morning. and
to-day the water has reached a high stage.
Along the line of the B. & O. Railroad con-
siderable damage already has been done.
The sudden thaw has caused several land
slides on the Pittsburg and Connells-
vile division of the Il. * q. Several
through trains have been run over the Lake
Erie road east from Pittsburg The noun
tain district is still full Of snow, and the
continued warm weather is filling the noun
tain streams up To their banks.
At Penn the conditions are almost as bad
as last July, when the valley was flooded.
Fifteen families have been driven from
their homes. Many mines about Green's
burg are so badly flooded that work has
been entirely suspended.
This morning the Kemkava dam broke.
letting loose thousands Of feet OF logs and
a great gorge OF ice. Traffic from nearby
towns Is cut OF. The water is still rising.
AT South Fork, near Jamestown. to-day.
an Ice gorge broke away and carried away
the abutments Of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road bridge over the COnemaugh. with two
cars. a Baltimore & Ohio freight train OF
eight cars went down into the Casselman
to-day.
The Big and Little Shenango. which meet
at Greenville, are higher than in many years.
gorge in this stream has backed tho
water over the town causing damage OF
thousands Of dollars. South Race and
Water streets are under water. Many fam
lies were taken from their homes IN boats.
while others have moved their household
10 the second floors. The Bessemer rail-
road shops ard the Hodge manufacturing
plant have been abandoned. Tonight these
plants are under tWO feet OF water and
much machinery has been ruined. The
entire Bessemer yards are Hooded. At
OsgOOd, two miles north. there are six feet
CT water Oh the Bessemer tracks. a county
bridge seventy-hve feet long at Hadiey
went out to-day with the piers.
Damage from the food at Sharon. Pa.
will reach several thousand dollars. The
Shenango river is still rising and the lower
parts OF town are under several feet OF
water. TWO piers were washed away from
the railroad bridge Of the Stewart Iron
Company, putting IL out OF commission.
That part Of Mercer known a. the nat''
Is completely submerged and families have
taken refuge IN the second stories
Both the NeshanOck and Snenango rivers
at New Castle have risen more than thirty
six inches since morning and are al flood
stage. with the water coming up rapidly.
The damage inflicted already will run into
the tens OF thousands The tin plate and
steel mills are closed and the main thor
oGghfares are impossible. The pOstOffice
is surrounded BY water. The paper mill
bridge was swept away this afternoon.
The county bridge at Moravia. one or the
longest in this vicinity has been carried
away by the Beaver river Ii was 40
feet long. The new Baltimore Ohio
bridge over the Shenango. near New Castle
of the Pennsylvania west OF Mahoning-
town will not bear traffic.