Connellsville, PA Area Storm & Flood, May 1902

Cloudburst and Flood

Sweeps Away Breakneck Reservoir Monday Night and Deluged Valley Below

Damage Done P., McK, & C. Railway and Southwest Tracks.

Dutch Bottom Given a Bath

And a Bad Scare by Sudden Rise of Mountz Creek, the Damage Elsewhere

On Monday at midnight the worst rain storm that has visited the Yough region for a number of years swept the territory between Connellsville and Scottdale leaving much damage in its wake. On the west side of Chestnut Ridge, east of Moyer, the storm was worst. A cloudburst on the mountain side, inside of a few minutes swelled the little streams draining into the Breakneck reservoir of the Connellsville Water Company so that the breast strained and finally gave way entirely. The reservoir breast was swept away and the big body of water passed down the valley to the junction of White’s run and Mountz creek. It had too broad a territory to spread over, or some lives would have been lost. The farms and properties of William Bettle, Sherrick Wilson and David Lontz were inundated and left strewed with wreckage from points higher up. Five county bridges were carried away on White’s creek and Johnson run. Coming to the junction of White’s and Mountz creeks the water wrought havoc with the tracks of the Pittsburgh, McKeesport & Connellsville street railway and the Southwest railroad. The railroad track near Coalbrook was washed out, delaying traffic from Tuesday morning till late in the afternoon, and about 1,000 feet of the street car company’s track was washed out above the Point of Rock and Moyer.

The streams coming into Breakneck were normal on Monday evening. The violence of the storm waked the people living in the valley below and some of them took a look at the reservoir. They discovered it in bad shape and warning was given an hour before the first break occurred. Then the whole breast bulged out and upwards of 16,000,000 gallons of water, the reservoir’s capacity, rushed down the valley, in many places forming new channels for the creek. Many of the houses at Breakneck and further down were surrounded with water two and three feet deep. Fields in which wheat, oats and corn were planted were ruined. The reservoir breast was about 30 feet wide and about the same depth. The water was backed up between two hillsides upwards of 1,000 feet, the depth of water decreasing towards the upper end. The whole flood did not last over an hour.

Mountz creek above White’s creek was greatly swollen from the torrent of rain. When the flood from Breakneck struck it, the street railway track, county bridge and railroad track were washed out and swept away as though they were shingles. Coming down to Connellsville, Mountz creek flowed over that portion of the Second Ward known as Dutch Bottom. In some houses there were four and five feet of water. People living there were waked by the swish of the water and a panic ensued when their homes were discovered surrounded. Nearly every family there has a cow, pig or two and some chickens and ducks. To save these domestic animals housed in stables and coops nearby required heroic work. One well known resident there, his neighbors tell, rescued four ducks from a pen and placed them in an upstairs room while the coop of fine chickens drowned. The streets were rendered impassable and the old railroad bridge and trestle across Mountz creek was carried down stream.

The most inconvenience caused in Connellsville was suffered on account of the breakage in the gas main of the Fayette Gas Company over Mountz creek, near town. The break necessitated shutting off the supply from Connellsville, and people who use it in their stoves had to hunt up their friends and relations for breakfast, dinner and supper on Tuesday. The break was repaired by Wednesday morning.

Yesterday morning a committee of Council went over the flooded Second Ward district and noted the improvements that will have to be made at once on the streets and for the citizens whose places were damaged by the water. The Breakneck reservoir held a beautiful body of water, but has not been used for several years by the Connellsville Water Company. No announcement has been made that it will be repaired.

In the other country districts throughout the county the rain was heavy, but not much damage was reported except the washing away of small county bridges. Some roads too were badly washed. The Frick company barn at Lemont No. 1 was struck by lightning and one mule was killed by lightning in the pasture field.

The lightning and storm, accompanied by a heavy rainfall, which centered over Scottdale and vicinity Monday night, was one of the worst that section has ever felt. The electrical disturbance was marked by its great violence. The blaze of the lightning was almost continuous and lasted nearly three hours. The damage to light, telephone and telegraph wires was considerable. The entire section of electric light wire on Fitsburg Street went down. The washing away of the main of the Fayette Gas Company on Mountz creek, left the town without gas lights, and on Tuesday there were many who had to go without cooked meals. The big barn on the farm of Mrs. Sarah Shupe, near Scottdale, tenanted by William McWilliams, was struck and burned to the ground. The loss is $2,000 with no insurance. Two small houses occupied by foreigners in Swedetown, a suburb of Scottdale, were struck and burned. The Scottdale House, a four story building, was struck.

The Courier, Connellsville, PA 23 May 1902
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