The released wall of water, gathering buildings, stacks of
lumber, hundreds of logs and a mass of debris in its van as a giant
battering ram, rolled like a giant hoop into the center of the thriving
milling town. It followed the course of the Shenango, which bisects the
city.

After the flood unsuccessfully rammed the double line of steel buildings
the torrent passed further to the center of the city. One pier of a
concrete bridge, erected two years before, which spans Silver and
Porter Streets, cracked off like a matchstick. The impact carried the
block of concrete, weighing several tons, for a distance of a quarter of
a mile.

Fire added to the terror of the flood when Wishart's planing mill, on
Railroad Street, was discovered to be in flames Tuesday afternoon. The
steamers of the fire companies could not be taken close enough to pump
water from the swollen Shenango. There was only one recourse--to take
the supply of drinking water in the city's reservoir or permit the fire
to burn and possibly jeopardize all the wooden buildings within a radius
of a mile. Sharonites actually cheered the firemen as they saw their
drinking water vanish.

PANIC IN NEW CASTLE

The flood waters of the Shenango caused great distress in New Castle and
near-by places. The water put the lighting plants and the city water
station out of commission. Fifteen hundred homes were submerged.
Thousands had to flee.

BEAVER RIVER AT FLOOD

The Beaver River rose high and the entire valley from the Ohio River
north was flooded. The towns of New Brighton, Fallston and Beaver Falls
suffered most, and there was some damage at Rochester. Traffic on the
railroads was suspended at daybreak, and not a trolley car was running
in the valley.

THE RISING ALLEGHENY AT WARREN

At Warren and points all down the length of the Allegheny River to
Pittsburgh, flood conditions were still more serious.

For Warren itself the worst was feared. Hourly the flood situation grew
worse. On Wednesday the water was rising at the rate of four inches an
hour. The river threatened to cut a new channel through the south side
of the city and scores of men were piling up sandbags to prevent this.

[Illustration: MAP SHOWING SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL CITIES AND TOWNS IN
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA THAT WERE FLOODED]

Captain U. G. Lyons assumed charge of the situation, and under his
direction a life raft composed of barrels was made and launched in the
Allegheny River. Thanks