Daily Republican., 1889-06-13
PAUL REVERE OF THE VALLEY.
LErom the Nov York sum |

There is now in circulation in the news
papers wood-cut portrait of young
gentleman named John G.. Parkc, with a
briei sketch OF his alleged adventures at
the time of the breaking of the Cone
maugh dam. Mr.. Parke was civil en-
eineer employed BY the South Fork Fish
ing aud Hunting Club. The narrative
represents him as riding down the valley,
with the flood at his heels, warning the
people right and left. We quote from
the text that accompanies the wood.cut:
First discovering the impending break
In the South Fork dam, he jumped into
the saddle and started at brerkneck speed
down the valley shouting: "The dam! the
dam is breaking; run for your livGsn
Hundreds of people were saved by this
timely warning. Some Needed the note
of alarm. Others had heard It before,
doubted and waited until death overlook
them. Young Parke, who Is an excel.
lent civil engineer, climbed up into the
mountains when the water was almost
at his horses. heels and saw the deluge
pass"
II is proper TO say that there have been
stories OF other Paul Reveres IN the Cone.
mauyh Valley. These various heralds of
destruction are all more or lees shadowy,
and they seem to be resolving themselves
Into the single experience of Mr.. Parke.
The earlier versions of the ride down the
va ley had far more effective climax,
from the legendary point of view. they
represented the messenger on horseback
AS completing his mission, only to be
oyertaken and overwhelmed by the food
at last. But as Mr.. ParkG is still alive,
and has been seen and talked with by re-
pOrters and others, the present form of
the legend necessarily allows him to es.
cape by climbing into the mountains
"when the water was almost at his horse's
heels"
Mr.. Parke is the last person In the
world to hold responsible for the gro.
tesque perversou OF the truth IN the &C
count OF his exploit as quoted above. lie
has very moiestly and clearly told the
Pittsburg Commercial just what he did
on the day of the disaster. His services
were really valuable, hut not at ali ORA
mate In the performance.
The facts are these; Three hours and
a half before the dam broke Mr.. Parlse
became alarmed at the sltuation. ne
mounted his horse and rode down to the
village of South Fork the Arrest point
in the valley. Th;re he warned tn. peo-
Pile, and subsequently,, when the wnttr
came, only one man ia South Fork was
drowned, and he while attempting to fish
something from the flood, The telc-
graph tower ON the railroad was about u
mile beyond South Fork. Young Mr..
Parke went 10 further himself, but "seut
two men there to have MESSAGES sent to
JOhnstown aud o her points below" Mr
PArke continues
at was Just l. o'clock Uhcu the tcle-
graph messages were sent uur, SO that
the people Of Johnstown had more than
three hours waning AS | rode back to
tue dan | expected every momcut to
meet the lake coming down on ne; hut
the dam was still intact, although the
water b ID reached the top. At alout
o'clock | walked over the dam; at that
time the water was three inches dtcu on
It, and was gradually eating away the
earth ON the outer lace. then went up
to the club house and got dinner, and
when returned | saw th.t good deal
more of theOuter edge Of the dam had
crumbled away. The break to k place at
o clock.
Irstead of riding at breakneck speed
down the valley, chased by e "solid wall
of water thirty feet high" aid narrowly
escaping with his life by "ciimhag up
into the mountains" the Paul Revere Of
South Fork TO say that in his opinion the
dam was in danger, sent two men 10 Tie
telegraph office with a message 10 the
towns below, returned 10 the dam,
walked across its cre,t, and w.ich,d i
for two hours Or so, and went t) tho club
house and ate his dnner-all before the
dam actually broke and the flood OF
death and destruction began.
The tendency Of the human magma
ticn to dramatize ordinary incidents, and
to put into history noble, but purely dc
titlous ideals of heroic energy and self
sacrifice, is orcc more illustrated IN this
case. The poets have turned their atteu-
tion to Mr.. Parke. and they are already
sending us stirring verses, some OF them
with the dash ard ylgor Of Longitllow
and Buchanan Read aud Boyle o. Reilly's
lyric o, the milkman ct Mill River all
combined. Neyerthele $, 1t Is well that
the truth of story should he preserved, 4,
even at the sacrifice OF le.eada;y and
poetic sentiment.