The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-06-13
STAUNTON. VIRGINIA. JUNE 10, 1889.
IN THE VALLEY OF DEATH.
Incidents and Scenes at Jamestown

Mr.. Franklin Ellis. of Troy. o.. Crane
| Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias fol
the State. arrived in Cincinnati, on Wed
pesday night the 5th. direct from Johns
town. Pa, where he went Monday to learr
the fate of his two brothers and their fam
lilies. Mr. Ellis account of the condition
of things and the adventures of his broth
ers is full of that interest with which the
account of an eye witness is fraught, as
reported by the Commercials Gazette
"Johnstown, - said he, was beautiful
| city. Its houses were supplied with nat.
ural gas Its wide streets were shaded
with great trees and the scenery of the
surrounding country was magnificent
| Now not trace of its former beauty re-
but the very lines of the streets are gone.
No trace of the town proper remains.
! Trees we're literally torn up by the roots.
and the holes thus made are filled with
sand.
"Signs of death are seen everywhere
amid the ruins. Farm wagons drive among
the debris. a coffin in the rear, while in the
| front seat, beside the driver, sits weeping
W imam or sad-faced man. A pile of de-
bris IS opened up. and mother clasping her
dead babe in her arms, a husband dead be-
side his dead wife or child will be found,
For miles down the river are strewn
household goods. furniture, bedding. era.
dies. carpets, clothing Pianos stand on
the river bank as if placed there ready for
the hand of the player. Dead horses, har-
messed to wagons. lie here and there, caus-
ing melancholy thoughts of the driver that
has been swept away to be never heard of
again.
They have turned great shed into a
morgue. It's a never ending par Drama OF
grief and sorrow. AS l stood there two old
women wandered through coming from OPP
posite directions towards each other along
the aisle and scanning the faces of the dead.
So eagerly bent were they On this that they
did not notice where they were going, and
struck against each other. They looked,
each cried out the others name, and they
fell into each other s arms.
Each had been seeking the other among
the dead to weep oyer the rude ending OF
lifelong friendship. While their cries OF
joy were still sounding. near them woman
peered into two dead faces, one of a man,
the other of child. She gave q loud cry
such as | shall never forget as long as l
live-so intense, so mournful was it-"My
God My husband my child ~
And she moaned and sobbed over them,
while the old women rejoiced in their own
safety. These scenes are enacted every mo-
ment in the day.
Il went there to look after the safety of
my two brothers, Samuel and Harvey, one
of whom lives there and the other was yis-
iting Mr.. John DeiDert. the banker whose
dead body was afterward found.
ION last Friday morning there were six
or eight feet of water in the streets OF
Johnstown-a rot unfrequent occurrence.
In Mr.. Deibert's house the water covered
the first floor, and in the afternoon the
family, consisting of my brother Harvey.
who IS assistant treasurer of the Cam
bria Iron Works, with his Office in Phila-
dephia, his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Deibert,
their daughter Sue and their. four grand-
children. were on the second floor laugh
ing and joking about their uncomfortable
plight and wondering when the water
would subside. Between 4 and j O'Clock
Mr.. Deibert looked out of the window and
Immediately cried out to the rest to run
wall of water coming. All the family ran
up stairs to the third floor. The house
stood the shock of the water very well I'M
til one of the Mogul engines, swept down
from the town of Conemaugh, struck it
and caused it to COLLAPSE. Tie third floor
settled to the second and there remained
All of the people in it were now floating in
water up to their shoulders.
"Mr. Deibert held his daughter Sue and
two OF his grandchildren. My brother
held his wife and one child in one arm and
Mrs Deibert and one child in the other
Mr. Deibert and his daughter were swept
away and to death. The others remained,
barely keeping above water and floating
about with something, they knew not what.
under their feet. a box Car drifted toward
them My brother placed his wife and the
two children in the car.
"Mrs. Deibert was wedged in between
two timbers, and he could not get her out.
An Irishman floated by on piece of tim
Der, and with his assistance she was finally
loosened and put in the box car They
foated about for several hours on the sur
face of the awful flood, until Mr.. Chan
dler's house was cached. All were helped
into the attic window. Their Clothes we've
literally torn from their backs.
MY brother S shoes, socks and almost
all of his trousers were gone. The wo-
men were nearly naked. Some clothing
| was finally obtained and when [ left them
they were sill left in grotesGue costumes.
At or S o'clock Saturday morning they
were taken out of the attic in a boat. and
taken over to Prospect Hill, where Mrs,
Deibert was put in the hospital. She may
possibly live.
MY brother, Samuel p. S. Ellis. for
| merly Assistant General Manager OF the
| Cambria Works, but now broker in
Pittsburg was in Pittsburg with his wife
at the time of the flood. Their four chill
| dred and the nurse were left in the house
at Johnstown. Friday morning they were
taken across to the house of their grand
parents, Mr.. and Mrs. Frazer When the
flood struck the house they fled from one
floor to another, and finally were on the
roof.
1.-The roof was knocked off and floated. in
for some distance before it was stopped
by the debris. This was near the Club
house, hotel owned by the Cambria Iron
Company. Some people then halIoo.d
across to Mr.. Frazer to cross over. With
the as sistanee of some men who came out
to help them, they were all transferred, the
passage being made Oh loose timbers and
pieces of houses floating Oh the surface.
My brother Samuel aud his wife arrived
in Jollnstown from Pittsaurg Saturday at
O'Clock. They could tind out nothing
about their children, sometimes hearing
that they were dead and again that they
were alive, Sunday morning they heard
that they were really alive, and Sunday af