Evening star., 1942-05-23
Cause
Huge Losses in
Pennsylvania
Damage in Millions;
z Die, Six Missing;
Steel Plant Slowed


Streams swollen by recent rains
rampaged through Eastern
Pennsylvania today, causing mil
lions of dollars damage, loss Of
life, and compelling the vast war
material producing plant of the
Bethlehem Steel Corp. at Bethle-
hem to suspend operations tenn
porarily.
Two women died of heart attacks.
In the Borough of Honesdale. iso-
lated with transportation and COM
munications cut. residents reported
houses collapsed and at least six
persons are missing and feared
drowned.
The Lehigh River at Bethlehem
overfowed and disabled the power
plant of the sprawling 4-mile long
Bethlehem Steel plant, Navy in
spectors stationed there said.
How soon operations could be re-
stored to normal was a matter OF
conjecture. City officials called an
emergency meeting to plan AL aid
possible" to the management.
Six Feared Drowned.
At Honesdale six persons were
missing and believed drowned after
the Lackawaxen River, fed by recent
rains, burst through the Seeleyville
Dam 3 miles above there and sent
a 6-foot wall of water rushing
through the streets just before day
break.
Telephone company officials re-
ported several houses were toppled
over by the flood and it was be-
lieved those missing were trapped
in their sleep. Communication with
the town was difficult.
Residents reported only four or
five houses" remaining on Delaware
street in Honesdale where there had
been IS.
Most of the occupants Of these
houses were evacuated last evening
but several may have stayed in the
buildings" one said.
Screams Heard as House Falls.
Marian Bussa, Honesdale corre-
spondent for the Scranton Times, re-
ported that she saw house collapse
and there were people in 1t" be-
cause she heard them scream"
G. Albert Stewart. State secretary
of forests and waters, ordered Dis
trict Engineer Richard Bailey OF
Wilkes-Barre to the Honesdale dis
trict to get rehabilitation work un-
der way.
A woman died in Montoursville.
Lycoming County. of heart attack
after her home was surrounded by
water. At PottStown, near Philadel-
phia, a 63-year-old widow collapsed
and died of heart disease while try
ing to remove articles from the
flooded cellar of her house.
The Federal-State Flood Fore
casting Service at Harrisburg said
only small tributaries were at dan
gerous levels and that the bigger
streams were not expected to reach
damaging proportions.
Most of the rampaging creeks
crested by dawn and were receding
slowly.
Heavy Damage Reported.
Reports from the anthracite coun-
ties, particularly hard hit, indicated
property damage would be hundreds
of thousands of dollars.
Several collieries were forced to
shut down as steadily climbing
streams endangered underground
workings. Sixteen miners fled to
safety after surface waters flooded
mine near Hazleton.
The Schuylkill, Lehigh and Lack
wanna Rivers and scores of tribu-
taries rolled over their banks under
the impetus of recent rains, some of
them up to 10 feet above flood stage.
At Williamsport the Susquehanna
shot up Is feet to within feet of
flood stage, and Mayor Leo c. Will
Hanson ordered a general alarm
sounded by the fire department to
warn residents of the danger of
backwater.
Diiuscs SWept away.
Small bridges, retaining walls and
small buildings throughout the re-
gion were swept away. A number
of automobiles were abandoned by
owners caught by swiftly rising wa
tiers.
Six freight trains were stopped
by a washout at Clarks Summit
near Scranton. More than $50 per-
sons were removed from homes in
endangered areas and quartered in
Scranton hotels.
AT Dickson City, Lackawanna
County. an unidentified boy fell into
swollen creek and was swept
quarter mile downstream before res
cuers reached him.
French Naval Unit
Sighted by British, |