The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-08-05

filled all the lower rooms. Mrs. Wink
Ter called for assistance, but before !
could reach her the building CAV
way, and she was eDgulfed.
Still further southwark was tn
dwelling occupied by John Shearing
As SOON as the waters commences
rising Mr.. SheariDg moved bis fam
ilv, consisting of his wife and twil
BOYS, aged about four years, to tn
hillside, in what was supposed 70 b
a place Of safety. The children werI
sleeping soundly, but n of the lit
tie fellows was aroused by the storm
and rolled over an embankment int
the angry food below. His bod.
was recovered yesterday morning.
Near the Union of Madison avenu'
and East street, lived a family by th'
name of Conlon, and from this hous'
out Of six persons, n escaped alive
The names of those who were In the
house were Mrs. Mary Conlon, thu
mother of the family, about ffty-fvt
years of age; her son Neil, a young
man about twenty years of age, who
escaped alive. Archibald Arnold,
Young man who lived in the neighbor
hood. who came in with Neil Conlon
a few minutes before, and had taken
shelter until the storm was over; John
Rodgers, twenty-five years old;
Mary Comfy. nine years old, and
Theresa Comfy, eleven years old
The story of Neil Conlon, told TO
US while be was still suffering from
the injuries and excitement of the
disaster,) is truly thrilling, and we
give it as nearly as possible in his
own words:
Archibald Arnold and myself had
Just come in, and were putting the
horse in the stable when the rain
commenced. ! told him to- come in
to the house, and not to go home till
the rain was over. He said: "Oh, 1t
is not going to rain much" But be
came in, and when we got in the
water was coming in at the front
door, and we tried to keep the water
out by holding the doors shut, but we
couldn't. So when we found that
the water burst the doors open, we
went up stairs, where my mother aud
sister were; and while we were up
there, going from 4 room to an
other, trying to think how to save
our lives, the house was carried
away and fell to pieces, l seized hold
of my mother, and | saw Arnold
take one of my sisters. We were
swept down the street about three
squares, and while l was holding on
to my mother, a great log came down
and struck US, and separated us. /
heard my mother scream and heard
calling to me. Then l did
not know anything, and can't remem-
Der what happened to me until |
'ound myself on top of the pork
house (Harbaugh & Co.'s, nearly a
Of a mile below, and from
here l got over on the hill. We
nave found my mothers body and
ny sister Mary and Archibald Ar
My sister Theresa's body
md john Rodgers have not been
ound yet.
when / came to myself on top Of
be pork house | had not a stitch Of
clothing left on me except my shirt
)and around my neck. All the rest
If my clothes were gone. l think
.wo of my ribs are broken, and I am
-ery much bruised. None of our
,eople were drowned. They were
Tiled by the logs and stones which
we're washed down the run.
A short distance below was a
house in which there were six per-
sons, all of them young. The house
vas lifted up by the water and turn
ID over on its side. All of the in
mates, with the one exception, es-
,aped through the roof to the hill
side. Sarah Watson, a young girl,
who was in an upper room, which
was suddenly flooded, chung to a nail
in the wall until that broke, when
she was washed to the window
Here she caught hold of the window
sill and chung there, although the
house was overturned, until the food
went down, and she was rescued. A
short distance below the glue works,
were entirely destroyed, was a
small dwelling, occupied by August
and family, embracing his
wife and two children. The family
we're totally unware of the destruc-
ion which was sweeping down upon
hem. the building was carried
rom its foundations, ard the occu-
PANTS with it. Mrs. Rykoff, bruised
ind bleeding, was rescued from the
orient several squares distant, but
10Th of the children, one a little girl
lged three years, named Emma, and
aged one year, were drowned.
The body of little Emma was found
yesterday among some debris which
lad formed a gorge along the plank
Dad, about three hundred yards be-
ow the site occupied by the dwelling
# the family.
1t is noticeable that the violence of
he food, was such, that in nearly
very instance in which bodies have
zen recovered along Madison ave-
Tue, every particle of clothing was
tripped from their bodies. When a
imilar freak of the flood was nara
ed in Mr.. Charles Reade's novel,
Put Yourself in His place, the
1ea was generally rejected as i'm
robable and absurd. But the events
f Sunday night have shown that
can obtain such fearful force
5 to strip the bodies of its victims
erfectly naked. Another peculiari-
Y of a most horrible character, is that
II the bodies as soon as taken from
be water commenced to swell. This
!; probably the result of the bruises
hat were received, from the mass of
imbers and stones, that were borne
own the ravine like chips, and which
orbably, as suggested above, caused
be loss of lives that might otherwise
ave been saved.
The scenes at the different points
ihere search was being made for
ictims of the disaster were such as
D compel tears from the most stoical
Iere a mother and daughter, clam
ering over the immense piles of
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