Year: 1874

crying for their children, and equally
anxious children looking for their
parents. Willing hands there were
found to search the debris for bodies,
and as they were brought to light crowds
would gather around looking for some
relation or dear friend AS the body was
recognized some one would have it
taken and properly cared for. There was
no business done to-day; all was turmoil
and excitement.


The portion swept by the flood in AL
legheny City was thickly settled, mostly
by German families, and was in the
Spring Garden Run and Butchers Run
district. In Pittsburgh the Saw-mill Run
district suffered worst The following,
taken from the Chronicle, will give an
idea of the extent of the flood:


"In Temperanceville and the region of
Saw mill Run the elements made sad
havoc in the uncomfortable fury of the
storm and flood. The fierce torrents of
rain that descended in the evening swelled
every little tributary to Sawmill Run in
to boiling stream, and the aggregate ac
emulation of waterrushed with mad and
irresistible fury down the valley, sweep
ing everything before it.


"The track of the destructive flood is
this morning marked by the wrecks of
dwellings, bridges, immense heaps of
stones, large piles of food-wood, torn
and ragged sides of the hills where the
waters surged and gnawed into their
very vitals. Among the heaps of rub
bish and wrecks that strew the whole
region seven lifeless bodies have already
been found, and from twenty-five to
thirty persons are missing Groups of
c+o
the disaster. Others were excitedly pass
ing up and down the streets, while still
others were noticed sitting with lstless
eyes and stolid faces brooding over the
destruction which one fearful night had
brought of all their earthly possessions.
At the foot of Carson street the cellars
to the houses on the east side were gen.
orally filed with water, and the occu-
pants were busily occupied until about
midnight saving their property. The
loss, however, was insignificant in COM
parison with the wholesale destruction
of property. AT the point where the
Main street bridge crossed the run, the
water expended it's force with great fury.
Not only this bridge, but the iron bridge
short distance above, was swept away,
and hardly a vestige remains. The
manner in which the iron bridge
was torn to pieces was almost mar
velous. One portion of it was carried
down the stream for perhaps 500 yards,
and flung high up on the bank; another
portion was buried beneath tons of rub
bish, only small portion of it protrud-
ing. The greater portion of the bridge,
however, has entirely disappeared. One
of the solid abutments was wiped out,
there remaining only five of the immense
stones of which it was composed.
Stones from two to three feet in thick
ness by five feet in length were torn
from the abutment and carried down the
stream like so many pieces of cork. All
the five bridges crossing Saw-mill Run
were swept away, and hardly enough re-
mains of some of them to define their To-
cation. The trestle-works crossing the
stream were also involved in the general
destruction.


The devastation along the line of
Butchers and Saw-mill Runs was almost
beyond description. The work of de-
struction commenced at point about
two miles north of Ohio street. This
valley proper commences at a point just
above the line of North avenue, where
Spring Garden Run and Butchers Run
unite and flow into an immense sewer



above Sycamore street. The Butchers
Run Valley at it's mouth is probably be-
tween 400 and 500 feet wide, and at the
point where the work of destruction
commenced it is no more than $50 feet
wide. Between North avenue and
this northerly point numerous ravines
empty into Butchers Run Valley. Along
this route the houses were built directly
over the natural water-cOurSe, culverts
being made and used in part as founda-
tions for dwelling-houses. The line of
destruction followed the water-cOurse to
the river, and involved an immense num-
Der of houses that were not on the line
of the culvert.


"When the rain commenced falling but
little apprehension was entertained, but
those who lived near the head of the
valley state that suddenly it seemed as if
the heavens. were literally opened, and
the water came down as if discharged
from immense pipes. The volume was
so large that the narrow valley was
filled with raging torrent The force
OF the water was irresistible. The frame
dwellings, stables and slaughter-houses
gave way like pipe-stems, and the debris
from the wrecks were swept down along
the line of the plankroad, the weight
Oelng augmented every moment. In the
district lying west of Chestnut street
and north of a line parallel with North
avenue the waters rose to height of
fully twenty feet in some places. Oc-
cupants of dwellings were unable
to escape in time to save their
lives, and in many instances the
force of the water rent the structures
into splinters 1t is impossible at
the present writing to give an adequate
idea of the destruction wrought. An
area of twenty miles square has been in
undated. An immense number of houses
are swept away and there is probable
loss of over 200 lives At last accounts
the loss of property had not been consid-
cred, so great was the excitement over
the terrible loss of life, but it will prob
ably exceed $3,000,000."


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