Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-15
River Is Rising at the Rate of
aFoOt an Hour.
DANGER POINT AT IL TODAY
Many Ice Gorges Threaten to Break
at Any Moment.
CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE
Rain Is Still Falling on the Water
shed of the Allegheny-Freshet
Stage at Points Up Stream.

PITTSBURG Pa. February 13.-With
a stage of nineteen feet at o'clock TINS
morning and rising AT the rate of foot
an hour the Allegheny. Monongahela.
Ohio. Youghiogheny and kiskiminetas
rivers are slowly spreading over the low
lands of Pittsburg and western Pennsyl-
vania points today.
The danger mark of twenty-five feet
will he reached by noon. and the local
United States weather bureau predicts
stage of thirty feet by nightfall. Rain
continues to fall today.
The damage to river craft and property
located near the rivers is already heavy.
Large ice gorges in the Allegheny and
Youghiogheny rivers. above this city, are
momentarily expected to break. wrecking
and demolishing craft in its path. Some
alarm is also felt for number Of bridges.
Ohio Is Warned.
At Wheeling. ". Va. and Steubenville.
Ohio. a serious food is expected to occur,
but not before Sunday night. Word from
Steubenville today says that stage OF
forty feet will be reached there by Mon
day morning or sooner.
At some points the water has risen to
the ground floor of business houses and
dwellings People are busily engaged in
moving their effects to a place OF safety.
Several street car lines will be compelled
to abandon service in this city, owing to
the water covering the tracks.
All the small streams in towns sur
rounding Pittsburg are beyond their banks
and the water is rapidly rising Thou
sands of families at Sharpsburg. Etna.
Aspinwall. Charleroi. Oakdale McKees
Rocks and numerous other places have
been compelled to remove their household
goods to the upper floors. In some OF the
towns skiffs are being used as a means OF
transportation TO many homes.
Floods Upstream.
The towboat Robert Taylor. which was
wrecked last night at Coroapolis, is en-
tirely submerged today. and will be
total loss
The rainfall is especially heavy at the
headwaters of the Allegheny river. Colder
weather is expected tonight and, should
II occur. it is thought the record of last
years great food will not be reached.
The stage at this city. however. it is pre-
dieted. will bring the water up on
Penn avenue in the downtown dis
trict. This will be sufficient to cripple
several theaters and cause a suspension
in many stores and manufacturing plants.
Flood stages are reported from all
points above here. At Franklin Pa. TIE
water is seven feet above the danger
mark this morning. and rising. A similar
situation prevails at Johnstown. Freeport,
Warren Greensboro and other places
The Allegheny river is filled with float
ing ice and a large gorge. several miles
long. is slowly approaching the city from
Parker. Pa. on the Allegheny river, and
another from West Newton, Pa, on the
Youghiogheny river
Steel Mills Must Close.
Conditions here and in the surrounding
territory are rapidly becoming serious.
Thousands of families have been COM
pelled to move to the second floor of their
homes: trolley lines in some sections are
out of commission. several railroad lines
have been abandoned in part: cellars, are
Fl led with water: pavements in the lower
portion of the city have collapsed; sew
eral towbOats and barges have sunk: tele-
graph communication interrupted: thou
sands of men thrown out of employment
in the mines and manufacturing plants
along the river banks. and at Sprngdale.
near here, two valuable. government
dams in danger of demolition from heavy
ice gorges.
AS the water rises the serious proper
tions of the food increase. and il is ex
pected that majority of the steel and
iron mills will be forced to suspend opera
tionS
The men have only recently resumed
work after weeks of idleness. and great
hardship TO many families will result.
AT points below Pittsburg the food is
gradually getting worse. and a stage of
from forty to torty-three feet of water
Is predicted for Steubenville Ohio, by
tomorrow night.
Springfield Is Flooded.
Special Dispatch to The Star
SPRINGFIELD. Ohio, February 10
Eighteen houses in the lower district are
under water this morning as a result of
Buck creek overfiowing its banks during
the night.
The food is the worst in many years
The work of relieving the families started
at O'Clock this morning. when boats
were used. The police and citixens are at
work taking out people from the second
stories of their homes or delivering food
10 them. No street cars are running. the
power house being flooded. Traffic on the
Ohio electric road between Springfield and
Dayton is suspended. No trains are oper-
ated on the Sandusky division of the Big
Four and Detroit. Toledo and Ironton be-
cause of washouts.
Schuylkill Overfows.
READING. Pa, February l5.-As a re-
suit of heavy rains throughout the SchuyI-
k.ll valley during the last twenty four
anu the HlSitlnS SNOW the Scnuylkill
river today is overfowing its banks at
. many places. North of here the water is
running over the lowIa nds. In that sec
ton some OF the residents moved out of
their homes and others are preparing to
yacate The ice is breaking up. and trou-
BILE is feared IL any ice gorges are formed.
The tributaries OF the Schuylkill are al
ready bankful
Fields Are Inundated.
LIMA. Ohio. February 15.-Both Ottawa
and Auglaize rivers are out of their banks
in this city and families in the lowlands
are moving TO second stories
The wheat and oil fields I'm the western
part of the county are flooded by the
AugIaize Railway traffic Is seriously
delayed as result of the high water.
Kentucky Wet Once More.
LEXINGTON. Ky. February 15.-
streams throughout eastern Kentucky
are rising rapidly a result OF the four
days rain. and great damage is feared by