The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-12-31

An the nfkNWNXSN UA&kWpNNW WONoE traffic throughout the region,
 Though there was 10 official eS- tlmate Of damage, lt was believed that time lost ln war industries and other businesses through trAnSpors tatlon delays and work Stoppages caused hy lack Of power might boost the loss Go nearly $l,00o, 900,
 Highway blockadeS and mounting destruction prompted Gov, Geverett Saltonstall Of Massachusetts Co or. der civilian defense workers on the alert Co aid tn any emergency
 The Red CroSS was MohllRed in many sections and ll>N first evNcua~ tons from homes occurred tt Fitch. burg and LNnenberg where a total of 60 families were moved % public buildings and private homes after the esht and power failure there,
 Con NunicalionS tn many parts of the StEs were cut off when trees Snapp d wires Adn the state Police radio offered the only means ol contracting other towns, Railroads reported only slight delays, how ever.
 A threat of floods as result of the four.day sleet and rain storms was believed averted with forecast of falling temperatures today aud to- night,
 River At Crest
 Pittsburgh, Dec, Sl,-tUp) After driving more than $500 persons from thelr homes and forcing i'm. portant industrial plants to eurtail or suspend operations, flood waters rolled to a crest in Pittsburgh today and sped down the Ohio valley,
 The weather bureau reported that the rampaging Allegheny and Mon. ongahela rivers reached their great, est hetght--S6,6 teet---which Is il,6 feet above flood level--at a, m, and began a slow recession of or,s. tenth Of a foot an hour, At . a, m, the stage stood at Se,l feet,
 The crest was the highest since the St patrtck'S day flood of i9S6 when the rivers rose to A6 feet and caused damage Of more than $ls0, 100000,
 More trouble was anticipated as the crest moves on down the Ohio, past Wheeling, W, Va; NIronton O. Cincinnati, O.; Louisville, Ky,, and into the Mississippi at Cairo III,
 Many thousands were forced to eraeuate their homes in the Wheel. ing area when the Ohio rose to "a teet-l3 feet above flood level--thiS morning and Surged toward a crest of Ss heet expected by noon, Wa, plants in the district were hard hit
 Wheeling Island, in the Ohio, was entirely Inundated and 7,S00 of its 10000 population were homeless Others remained in their homes al. though the water rsached the see- ond floors of some dwellings, The coast guard station at Cleveland sent six lifehoatS and two portable radio tranSmitters manned by SC men to wheeling,
 A Verona, Pa, man, Charles Lane 70, died from a heart attack appar. entiy due to overeXertion while TO. moving goods from the basement oi Q tavern where he worked.
 Gas Main On Fire
 A big gas main broke and caugh, fire at Green Hill, w, Va, 10 mile, east of New Martlnsville, throwinl up tower Of flame that lightee the countryside for miles,
 The upper Ohio river passed floot stage last night at some points ir Ohio. forcing thousands of familie, to flee from their homes and crip. bling more war plants,
 The Jones and Laughlin Stee Corporation had to close It's works here, The Neville Island Shipyard, and the Dravo Corporation wer, shut down and all employees sen home,
 Several departments of the Eas Pittsburgh Works of the Westing. house Electric and Manufacturinl Company had to be closed. Turtlt Creek overflowed and forced tn, company to move machinery tt higher ground,
 The Ohio River flooded the Am. bridge Shipyards of the American Bridge Company. Operations at tht Wood Works, McKeesport, and tn, vandergrift plant and Mingo June. ton, O., workers of the Carnegie, Illinois Steel Corporation were cur tailed,
 The Castanea Paper Compan, mill, the only industry in Johnson burg, had to shut down when 1t, engines were flooded, and the Penn sylvania railroad, fearing that 1 temporary bridge at Johnsonburi might collapse detoured eastbount trains, Highways between Johnson burg and Kane and between Ridg way and St, Marys were closed.
 Republic Steel Closed
 The flooded Mahoning River closet the Republic Steel Corporation plan at Youngstown, O., and Q shortag, of gas, caused by breaks in lines forced the closing of the Carnegie Illinois Steel Corporations soakinl pits and McDonald strip mills.
 Highways, some flooded i2 fee deep in Ohio, prevented many work CTS from going to their jobs. | AHS aHlGIACuu tCu SAVSo oCt ul emergency centers throughout tn area in city and county buildings churches, schools, fire stations, club and private homes.
 Feeding centers were eStablishin in the suffering communities 0 Etna, Sharpsburg, McKeesport, Nc Kees Rock, Freeport, Oakmont am the Lower Allegheny section o Pittsburgh. Some 250 cots were sen to McKeesport,
 Forty homes were flooded and sev eral industrial plants closed i Ridgeway, northwestern Pennsyl vania. where the Clarion River an Elk Creek ran wild,
 Weather bureau officials saw n erospects of a second crest on tn Allegheny and Monongahela River' and after the present crest passe'