The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-04
ERIE STORM KILLS
25;; MILLIONS LOSS
ClOudburst Floods City and
Washes Away Dozens Of
Buildings.
CITY LEFT IN DARKNESS
Communication Is Crippled
Many Rescued From Their
Homes in Boats.

ERIE. Pa. Aug 3.-Twenty-hve per-
sons, including Assistant Fire CHIEF
Michael Duerner. are dead in the worst
food in the history OF Erie that started
with a cloudburst about 6 O'Clock to-
night
II is impossible TO give an estimate
OF the damage that is done. but IL wil
reach millions. The city is in dark
ness and the telephone service IL
knocked out A few telegraph wires are
working and furnish Erie's only com
munication with the outside world Al
trains are held up.
The only body recovered as yet is that
OF John Higgins, who was swept away
with his home. Scores of people are en-
trapped in their homes and with the
rising rapidly there Is but little chance
to save them. Mayor Stern is heading
the rescue work with Theodore Eioh-
horn and Frank Pelow. members of city
Council md Police Chief Delzel An un-
verified rumor has come in that Chief
Delzel has met his death. but this is
not given much credit.
The storm broke about 4 o'clock this
afternoon and at 6 O'Clock there was a
cloudburst An hour afterward dams to
the south gave way and the water tore
down Mill Creek "A stream on the eastern
side of the city. II is impossible To get
through the Hooded district. and what
..talA l.s tN.as Sah NJ
Five hundred food sufferers are being
cared for at the National Guard armory.
AS many more are IN the CITY MIS-
sion and every hospital 10 filled. With
the flood still raging and no way OF tell
! ing how great the damage VIII De.
move has been made 10 raise money Tor
the aid Of the sufferers.
Rescued by Row boats.
Police and fremen In rowboats res
cued many persons who lived along the
I banks OF the creek as their homes were
swept from their foundations. Many
persons are missing and it is believed
that fully twenty have been drowned.
Among the victims rs Assistant Fire
Chief Duerner. who met his death while
! trying to rescue a family from the sec-
ond story of their home.
At the beginning of the cloudburs, the
lighting and traction plants were put out
OF commission. The entire city was
plunged into darkness. This added to
the difficulty the fremen and police ex-
perenced in rescuing victims.
Late tonight the rain still was falling
and IL was feared that more damage
would be done TO downtown property
II was feared some of the older struc-
lures would be undermined and would
collapse.
1t has rained for three days in this
section of the State. The downpour has
been steady and "A great volume OF water
has passed through Mill Creek. At 6
o'clock tonight all traffic was stopped
and pedestrians were driven from the
streets when the clouds opened up and
emptied themselves In one grand deluge.
II was impossible TO walk streets in
the heaP downpour. This continued
for fully iifteen minutes and then the
steady rain of the previous three days
was continued.
Then Mill Creek rose rapidly. Police
and tremen were sent out to warn the
families occupying the houses along its
banks in the residence section, but the
| work was slow ard not all were warned
This necessitated the Communicating of
boats and the rescue of the marooned
people.
Al, the available boats have been
taken over by the police and firemen. 4
supply of carbide lamps and oil torches
has been obtained and the rescuers are
making a systematic search through the
flooded districts. Only the residence sec
| tions on the outskirts of the city which
are Oh high ground were not damaged
hNs N oh Tf
homeless people are being given shelter
| In these homes.