Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1915-08-11
CLOUDByRST AT ERIE, .PENNA.
Fifty Lives Lost, With Grca6 Prop
erty Damage by Water.

| it's business streets running ]. erS of
water. Probably so lives lost, prop
erty damage estimated at three mil
lion dollars, scores of homes and
dozens of factories swept away, and
homeless hundreds were the offset
of an unprecedented storm which
struck Erie and the immediate vicin-
ity last night.
City officials were inclined to ac-
cept the Coroners estimate Of 80
dead. Rescue forces were augment
ed by civilian volunteers and preDa-
rations were madc to work by artif-
cial light during the night.
The immense piles OF wreckage
form barriers from 80 to rs feet
high in the mile course Of the flood
through the city's business section.
Some buildings were totally demol-
ished, while others were tossed vir-
tually intact upon the hills between
which he torrent rushed. Some
bodies were found a mile from the
spot where they were caught by the
rush of water.
eliminated i'm CloudburSt.
After almost an all-day rain a
| heavy thunder shower eliminated in
cloudburst. For an hour residents
along the course o. Mill creek.
through the east center of the city,
watched the slow rise of the stream,
due to a rainfall Of nearly three in
| CheS in six hours
At S.45 the Glenwood dam, three
miles above the city, burst, and a
huge wall of water swept down
through the city, carrying with it the
| homes Of those who had waited until
| the last minute to leave, and in seve-
raj cases the families still refused to
seek safety.
Four blocks on either side of the
stream, including State street, the
main business artery of the city,
were covered with depth Of from
6 inches to : feet.
The Loemhuis wagon works and
the Nelson machine shop. each occu-
pNing nearly half block, were the
largest structures to be swept away.
The Jarecki and Lowell wood work
ing plants, two Of the largest manuG
Factories in the city, were covered
with ID feet of water.
Early this morning gas mains all
over the city were cut off, and tele-
phone, street car and electric light
ing service were paralyzed.
Rcsuce Work PeriIous.
The charitable societies., the ar
mory, hotels and hastily-organized
shelter clubs gave refuge to hundreds
who saved only their lives and a few
meager belongings.
The darkness, the danger of bro
ken electric wires, and the 25-mile
current of the food made the work
OF rescue extremely perilous.
The narrow escape of Fire Chief
McMahon, with four firemen in
successful attempt to rescue three
women, led to the report Of their
death, but they jumped to safety
from second-story windows as the
house was washed away from under
them.
Only three serious accidents had
been reported at the hospitals up to
an early hour this morning Two
Would-be rescucrS were struck bv
hoating debris and sustained broken
legs, while a third was nearly drown
ed when the Fourteenth street bridge
was swept away.
The washing out of the main line
Of the New York Central and the
! PENNSYLVANIA railroads stalled a do
zen or more passenger trains here.
with no prospect Of their departure
for a couple of days.
One crowded train bound for New
York was brought to a Standstill on
the Viaduct forty feet over the path
OF A1ll creek, and those on board for
hours watched houses and house
hold goods swept down the torrent.
Stretches of Mill creek had been
covered over in several places and
homes and factories had been built
over the ordinarily quiet stream.
! Wreckage lodged in those culverts
and caused the water % back UP until
it spread far over each bank.
Early this morning as details Of
! the disaster began to collect the story
of Firemen Sherry and Bates stood
| out among the scores of horoic oote
Taking a girl frnm her home on the