The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-01-23
FLOODS ABOUT PITTSBURG.
THE ALLEGHANF AND MONoE-
 GAHELA OUT OF BOUNDS.

Dangerous Ice Gorge Formth g-Ofeae
 Damage to River craft-Many Thous-
 ands of Tons of Coal Go 10 the Bottom in Barges and Heavy Losses Are sus-
 fained by CompA mics.
 Pittsburg, Pa. Jan. 22-(MidnighD.- Lulled into a sense of security in the early evening by the rapidity with which the Alleghany was carrying the ice and water from the upper streams into the Ohio, Pittsburg went to sleep tonight with the belief that the warn- ings of danger from the rivers had been exaggerated, but at this hour new danger has arisen. The Monongahela has broken loose. Huge masses of ice. less broken than that which came rush ing down the sister stream all day, are choking the harbor. Both rivers are steadily rising, the Alleghany being already three feet higher than her con sort stream, and as a consequence a dangerous ice gorge is now forming be- tween the Wabash and Snlithfield bridges, just above the confluence of the two rivers.
 From all points the streams are still rising. The worst is to come and the flood will not have reached it's height x<
 Business men. mill owners. residents land 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 their homes until Hate Sunday night Forecaster Ridge- way, in statement issued at il o'clock tonight, could give no hope of subsid- ence.
 Early in the day, owing to the viz orous warning sent out in regard to the danger from the Alleghany, all of the coal barges and steamboats were sent into the Monongahela to gain the better protection of the pools and con- sequently stiller water. Already a barge containing 10000 bushels of coal has been sunk and the whole fleet, with nearly 725,000 bushels on board, is like ly to go down. The ice is ranming it with terrific force and the steamboats and tugs are powerless now to go to 1 the rescue, if the fleet is torn from its moorings.
 {. Another barge containing about 25,- 900 bushels of coal, passed at Lock No. I 1 with the ice shortly after o'clock to- night and is still somewhere in the harbor damned in the ice, but the riv- ermen are unable to tell where the barge is or whom she belongs to. l At midnight the marks showed twen- ty-eight feet Of water In the Alleghany at Herr's Island and 25.S feet of water in the Monongahela at Market street. The Allegheny was flowing at six miles an hour, and the Monongahela, backed up by the stronger rush of the other river, at but two miles.
 At o'clock tonight the ice, eighteen inches thick from pool No. 2, reached the harbor and is now piling up where l shipping is thickest. It is this ice that is causing the danger that is now men acing the twin cities.
 i A test was made at Il o'clock to- night. An iron rod was showed down through the ice and the gorge was found to be twenty-five feet in depth. Such an occurrence as this has never happened before.
 Tonight the model barges Maine Chester and Mississippi broke from their moorings and swept out into the ice-laden stream, apparently to certain destruction. They were loaded with railroad iron valued at $1S0,O00. After a hard and gallant struggle they were brought under control by tugs and landed at the head of Brunot's Island. The transportation department of the Monongahela River Consolidated Coal and Coke company are advised from l Sisterville that the Hornet, No. 2, has sunk in twentyfour feet of water and would probably be total loss. The crew escaped. The boat was valued at about $10,00O. The officials of the coal ' combine refuse to give out any inforlna- tion regarding their losses. but one of the men connected with the company asserted that the flood has been more disastrous to them than any other since it's organization.
 News of the sinking of the Volunteer at Browns station reached the local headquarters of the coal combine to- lnight. The officers and crew escaped. The Volunteer was valued at $15,O00. 1 The A. R. Budd Coal company. the Dilworth Coal company, Second Pool Coal company, and other concerns are suffering from the flood.
 It is stated by river men that the losses by ice will amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. This coupled with the losses sustained by railroads, busi- ness houses manufacturers, street car companies, government works, and res idents will likely put the loss above the $1, 1000, ,000 mark.
 At midnight the Pittsburg and Vest ern railroad is out of business and the Baltimore and Ohio system is sending it's trains to Youngstown over the Lake Erie. The Alleghany river is over Duquesne way at Barker place and be- fore morning will be over the highway at Fourth and Fifth streets.
 Waterbury Yaie Men Banquet.