Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1889-06-06

Ntut ptiistSc, IpupSiy uiu bitouSucu.
Adjutant General Hastings telegraphs
that he does not think troops neces-
sary.
Tho Governor, although perceiving
no necessity for calling out troops, has
ordered n regiment ready at mo-
menta notice to march to tho sceno OF
disaster.
General Hastings also telegraphed
to the manager Of the Postal Telegraph
Company OF this city as follows: .'Bct-
ter inform Governor Beaver that this
mornings reports give tho number
lost at Johnstown at between 10000
and 10000. Tho greatest disorder
prevails. Tho place Is infested with
thieves and vandals who are robbing
tho dead and appropriating everything
they can lay their hands on. These
people are eating almost everything
In tho shape Of provisions sent here
for the flood sufferers"
JoHNsTowN, Pa, Juno 5,-About
II p. m. Thursday, May 80, the storm
burst upon the city of Johnstown and
continued until 1880 n, IN. Friday, At
u. IN. the torrent began TO pour into
the city from the creeks and rivers
Az 10 u. m. there was no outlet for tho
people. The first message from the
lake at South Fork was received at 10
q. m, Friday, that tho dam was weak
ening. But tho people, or the few
who heard the report, laughed TO scorn
this message, saying they had heard
such news before. Tho second came
at 80 u. m. II was to tho effect
that tho dam was likely 10 burst ut
any moment. At $3.50 tho final mos
sage was received, advising the peo-
pie to flee TO the mountains for their
lives, as the dam must surely burst
within tho hour. There was no such
warning to the people rs should
have been given, The messages were
held by fow officials about the rail-
road who neglected 10 sound tho alarm
until II was to late. Al that timo the
water had reached tho second story OF
some OF the dwellings, in tho lower part
of tho city. All bridges had been swept
away by the avalanche OF water thon
pouring through tho city. The warn
ings which wcro received In ample
timo for all to have escaped, were
sneercd ut and cast aside MS being an
old story. About $3.50 the whistles and
bells gave warning that the dam had
broken, but then II was too late. There
was u roaring sound and before the
people could realize the danger the
water was upon them In mass, carry
ing everything before II. Had thoy
taken warning in the morninf from the
would have boon saved.
JoHNsTowN, Pa, juno 5.--While
the total loss OF lifo ut Johnstown and
the surrounding country, boroughs OF
Cambria, Morrellyillo, kernville and
Conemaugh will never be known, yet
q fair attempt is now being made TO
ascertain II within reasonable fair
limit. This Is being done through u
bureau OF registration which was estab-
lished yesterday. Twcnty-eight agcn-
/ cies have been established within tho
| food districts, and all survivors have
and their families ut once. This was
begun at o'clock yesterday, and at 0
o'clock this morning $500 people had
registered. There were 20, 800 people
residing In Johnstown and the boroughs
named before the catastrophe. When
the work of registration Is finished
which may be tomorrow night, then II
will be known about how many per-
sons are missing. Tho work IL very
carefully and thoroughly done, special
care being taken to prevent duplica-
tons.
Superintendent Morgan, Of the Cam
bria Iron company, who is regarded as
an exceptionally lcvel-headod man, re-
turned today from tour OF the entire
| flooded district. He declared that only
about 10, 900 persons arc now alive,
where $1,000 lived and had their being
before the food. Adjutant General
Hastings maintains that the death list
may not exceed 5000 and OF this num-
Der he thinks 5000 bodies will never
be recovered. Mr.. McConnoughy, the
chief Of the bureau OF registration, said
today that no Is convinced that the
number who persisted is fully 10000
or more.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RESERVOIR.
Tn order TO understand the nature OF
this calamity, IL is necessary to describe
respective locations OF the reservoir ut
Johnstown.
II lies about two and half miles
northeast OF YOUNGSTOWN, aud Is the sito
OF tho old reservoir, which WINS one Of
tho feeders Of tho Pennsylvania canal
This sheet of water was formerly known
as Conemaugh lake. IL is from 600 to
300 feet above tho level of Johnstown,
being in tho mountains. Ii is about
three and half miles long and from q
mile TO n mile and n, quarter in width,
and in some plnces il is 100 feet in depth.
II holds more water than any other re-
sorvoir, natural or artificial In the
United States. 10 was held in check by
a dam roo 10 1000 feet wide. II Is ninety
feet in thickness nt tho base, and its
height is 10 feet. Tho top has O
breadth Of over twenty feet. Recognize
ing the menace which tho lake held 10
tho region below, tho South Fork club,
which owned the reservoir, had the dam
inspected once a month by Pennsyl-
vanin road engineer and their investiga-
ton showed that nothing less than some
convulsion OF nature would tear the bar
rier away and loosen tho weapon OF
death. The steady rains OF the past
forty eight hours increased the volume
OF water in oil tho small mountain
streams, which we're already swclled by
lesser rains earlier in the week. From
the best information obtained ut this
time, il is evident that something in the
nature Of cloud burst must have taken
place.
Fame a Thousand Years Hence
Time, A. ID. 28S9. Proprietor Of
waxworks and statuary show Ito deal
or in relics) Have you anything new
TO show me to dayp
Dealer (enthusiastically)-I have.