New-York tribune., 1907-03-15
- relsrrnph . The Trihune J
tr0us

Pittsburg March 14.-Ten thousand iannlles
-,-.bin a radius Of twenty miles from the court
house al Pittsburg are homeless through the
eoods tonight. About 100000 workmen. whose
s.rlT- u-apes aggregate $4,000. are out Of en-
.ylovuent for the time. and conservative esti-
mate ~ the property loss during the day i
s1oOoOOo0 In addition TO these facts. seven
rersong TWO Americans and five Italians. Were
6rov,red during the day, which added TO the six
lost YESTERDAY. makes a total Of thirteen deaths
due 10 the food inside Of thirty-six hours
LIGHTS OFT IN LOWER CITY.
Al 10 o'clock tonight all the street lights In
the business and financial part of the city went
o,t the food having reached the wire conduits.
Fxfra police from the outlying districts have
been brought downtown and are patrolling the
streets to prevent lootng.
The present food is the worst remembered in
western Pennsylvania. The rivers showed 34S
feet at 1890 O'Clock tonight, which is more than
z foot higher than the great fOO0>of 1874, Which
cost scores OF lives and millions OF dollars. In
1882. or scventy-fve years ago. the rivers showed
fhirty-five feet OF water here.
Scores Of big plants in the Pittsburg district
are shut down tonight The Westinghouse
factories. which employ 1850 men. shut
down completely, and swiftly did the waters
come that thousands OF dollars worth OF blue
rrints were washed from the drafting tables,
whence the workmen fed. The value Of this
paper is great. An official Of the Westinghouse
Interests said this evening that sl000.0o0 would
scarcely cover the firms loss.
At least one-fourth Of 'he city Of McKeesport,
fourteen miles above Pittsburg. is under water,
and thousands there are homeless Mayor Cole
man called a meeting OF TIE City Council this
afternoon and took steps 10 relieve the suffering.
He turned several large ONCE buildings into
sleeping rooms for the destitute and appointed
the police as commissioners. He closed all sa
looms in the city and swore in one hundred citi-
zens IS special police. Two entire wards Of
Allegheny are under water from ten 70 twenty
feet and the police tonight are padding about
in skffs distributing food through second story
windows 10 those who were unable TO get 10 the
higher ground before the floods hemmed them
In.
The entire lower business part of I'ittsburg is
under water. Among the buildings put out Of
commission are four fine hotels and four thea
Tres The cellars and engine rooms Of the hotels
were flooded, shutting of heat, light and ele-
vator service IN the Alvin, Bijou, Gaiety and
Belasco theatres there is at least eight feet OF
water.
TROLLEY SERVICE SUSPENDED.
Trolley service between Pittsburg and Ale
gheny was suspended early to-day. and tonight
the scenes at the Union Station of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad are almost beyond description
Great pIacards announcing the opening OF a
special train service 10 Allegheny displayed
al through town. At the station thousands
OF peope-a chaotic mass OF humanity. shouting
and pushing in their efforts 10 board these
trains for Allegheny or the many suburbs ad-
5acent 10 the city.
Trolley. elevator and telephone service is de-
MIA onfg IN
town buildings are out Of commission. and
candle or gas light is being used.
Men are pumping water from the dynam-
room Of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany in The First National Bank Building. az
Wood street and Fifth avenue. the most centra
point Ct the business section. In this building
too are the Offices Of The Associated Press. and
early in the day the work OF gathering the news
Of the food was seriously hampered by thc
failure e The telephone service. All efforts 4
secure telephone connection was futile, and IL,
telephone company reported that ii would b
twenty-four hours before an adequate servicr
oould he obtained. The weather bureau vas ais,
handicapped By inability 10 reach outside sta
tons, especially along the YOughiogheny am
kizkiminetas rivers.
IN the suburbs whole families are compelled Il
crowd into upstairs rooms. where in many case
they scre without fuel and supplies till thes
were distributed by men in skiffs. Many house
Aave been undermined and the foundation
weakened. and are in danger OF collapsing.
Major J. W Arras. OF the United States On
cheering ONCE. said tonight:
II Is ;he most remarkable food that We hav
ever experienced. and / doubt il such condition
VII ever again prevail never before know
of The rivers 10 rise AZ the rate Of six inche
an hour after ihey had passed the thirty-one
foot stage II is a AIonongahela River rise
and :; IS fortunate that IL IS II the Alleghan
Continued on fourth page.