Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-20
F EARS OF A FLOOD.
Washes and Landslides in
Many Places.
ALLEGHENY rs RISING
PITTsBURG IN THRoEs OF AN
NUAL FLOOD.
Damage to Property Expected to Be
Minimized as Compared With
Former Years.

PITTSBURG, Pa, March 20.-The water
stage in the Allegheny river at 8 O'Clock
this morning was 25 feet and rapidly rising.
Preparations for a flood are being made
as stage of 80 or more feet is predicted
Pittsburg is in the throes of an annual
flood. Fortunately, however, damage
to property will be minimized compared
with former years, as the vast river inter-
ests, railroads and other business affected
by floods had ample warning. and prepara-
tions were made accordingly. Up to the
middle Of last week heavy SHOWS remained
in the upper 2JO miles Of the Allegheny val
ley and tributaries.
The high temperature of the past week
melted the snow under a warm rain yester-
day and caused flood conditions from the
headwaters to this city. Already the low
lands are submerged and mills and fac
tories On the river fronts have beeen forced
to suspend operations. The crest of the
fall and stage of 30 feet is expected.
The Allegheny is running like mill race
today, and, although practically clear Of
fce 1t is carrying great deal of timber
and debris. The ice for the greater part
ran out during the early hours of the morn
ing, and as far as can be learned no dam
age resulted from 1t.
BUFFALO, N. Y, March 20.-General
Superintendent r. L. O'Donnel of the Penn
sylvania railroad, today made the follow
ing statement of the flood conditions on
that road within his jurisdiction:
Owing to high water in the Allegheny
river our Chautauqua division between
Olean and Oil City was washed in several
places and slide came in at Carrol1ton,
N. Y, resulting in the interruption of traf-
fic between the points mentioned. The river
is now going down slowly and the line was
opened today for business. The Clermont
/ l. =. I.Atrv hea Ia nd
mont, Pa, has been washed in several
places and traffic is temporarily suspended.
While the Allegheny river is very high be-
tween Oil City: and Pittsburg, the traffic on
terrupted. The water in several other
places along our grand division is high, but
not hampering operations.
The conditions in and about Pittsburg are
much the same as exist every time the
rivers reach higher stage than twenty-five
feet. All the streets in the low-lying dis
tricts are under water, and the residents
have either fled to higher ground or are liv-
ing in the upper stories of their houses,
using skiffs to get to and from their homes.
The tracks of the Pittsburg and Western
and Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburg rail-
roads are under six feet of water, but this
has not seriously interfered with traffic. as
all trains are being run from the Baltimore
and Ohio station in this city.
The Pittsburg and Lake Erie tracks are
also partly submerged in the west end, but
so far the high water has not interfered
with the running of trains. Along the river
fronts all the mills are shut down. Among
the large plants affected are:
Carnegie's upper mills, Shoenbergerss steel
and wire plant, Park Brothers, Zug & Co..
Howe, Brown & Co., Monongahela Iron and
Steel Company, Lucy furnace and the Cruel
BILE Steel Company.
The situation at many places along the
Allegheny river is more serious. There is
not a train moving on the West Penn rail-
road between Freeport and Allegheny. The
tracks at many points are covered with FIVE
feet of water, and the flood is said to be the
greatest since 1865. Portions of Tarantum,
Freeport, Kitta,ining, Ford City, Harmar-
ville Sharpsburg, Etna, Natrona, Creigh-
ton, Kountz and Hite are submerged. The
residents have been compelled to remove to
the Upper floors of their homes and in many
cases have had to desert them entirely.
Provisions are being taken to many homes
in boats, and much suffering is reported
from the cold, the supply of natural gas
to the houses having been cut of by the
high water.
Nearly every manufacturing plant along
the Allegheny river has closed down, throw
ing tens of thousands of men out of work
temporarily.
There has been no serious damage to prop
erty reported except to the Pittsburg plate