The Penn's Grove record., 1907-03-22
OHIO RIVER FLOOD
WORST IN HISTORY
Twenty Lives Lost and S50,0OO,-
600 Damage at Pittsburg.
MATER REACHES 80 FEET
Ten Square Miles of Territory Inun-
datcd-Fires Spread Terror and
Observation-Disclosures Checks
Flames-Looting Amid Suffering.

Wames-Looting Amid Suffering.
Pittsburg, Pa.-The food of 1907,
the most disastrous Pittsburg ever
saw, has caused a loss of $50,000,O00
and a score of lives. The crest of the
flood came when the rivers reached
36.6 feet, breaking all records.
Then the waters slowly began to
recede. But the danger had not
passed. All night the chiefs of the
Fire Department had been in sus-
pense for fear a fire would break out,
with no water to fight it. At s
O'Clock a. m. the expected happened.
A small blaze started on Mount Wash
ington and the firemen were power
less. The flood had put the city
water plant out of service, and soon
an entire block in Shiloh street, the
business part of Mount Washington,
was burning fiercely. The firemen
used chemical engines and bucket
brigades were formed, but the flames
continued to spread. Then dynamite
was resorted to and several buildings
were blown up. In that way the
flames were arrested after twenty
buildings had been destroyed with a
loss of half a million dollars.
Within the day other fires broke
out at various places, but fortunately
none of them was serious.
Early in the morning the street
car system was blocked completely.
There was no electric light, not a
telephone in service, and no water.
Every railroad entering Pittsburg,
except the Pennsylvania from the
east, was out of business.
The newspapers were badly Grip
pied and some were compelled to
print in the pressrooms of rivals sit
uated on higher ground.
Twenty lives were lost in the Pitts
burg district, two at Gloucester, Ohio,
four near Parkersburg, w. Va, and
sixteen neal Steubenville, Ohio.
Business vas practically suspend
ed, and reports of crime were many.
Valuable goods were stolen under
the eyes of the owners. Pickpockets
reaped rich harvests among the
crowds of sightseers until the police
issued an appeal for people to stay
at home.
Five men are thought to have lost
their lives in the Ohio River at Sc
wickley. Four well-dressed men
alighted from a train on the Pitts
burg and Lake Erie Railroad, which
was stalled at Lashiel's ferry, and
engaged James Greenway, a ferry
man, to take them across the Ohio
River, a mile wide at this point, to
Sewickley, where they could catch
a train. Greenway collected $40 from
the men and, after turning it over to
his wife put out in the raging torrent
in a yawl with the four men. With
in a few minutes cries for help came
out of the darkness. The party never
reached SeWickley. 1t is believed
their frail craft was crushed in the
heavy ice foes.
A city distressed is McKeesport.
Death rode on the wave in that IA
nous little steel town. Eleven lives
were lost. Paul Rice, while trying to
save his household goods, fell into
the Youghiogheny a n | was drowned.
A wharf boat broke from it's moor
ings, carrying Waterman Silas Gray
to death in the flood. The f%our-year-
old son of ]. B. Tomodolsky fell from
a porch into the water. Three Hun
garian children were drowned.
The relief corps of McKeesport re-
ported that $4,000 sufferers had ap-
piled for and received relief. There
is fear, however, of a bread and milk
famine.
There was much looting there.
Mayor Coleman gave orders that the
police should shoot any one found
looting without asking any questions.
Shoot, and let the Coroner ask ques-
tions-Ill answer him." was his curt
order.
1t was a day of suffering in Allie
gheny. All the city officials, under
the direction of Mayor Kirschler,
worked, taking people out of flooded
houses and providing retreats. Hun
dreds of persons are now without
food. Mayor Kirschler got all the
money in the Charities Department,
and sent boats through the streets
delivering food, coal and medicine
to the marooned ones. Supplies had
to be hoisted up to second and third
floors by ropes.
The ice gorges, from which so
much was feared, passed out without
doing much damage.