Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-03

Fifteen thousand strangers crowded Johns
town, the scene Of the disaster, yesterday, and
coo bodies have been collected. Several van
dals, caught removing jewelry from the dead
bodies Of women and children along the river,
were put to death by indignant citizens
Conemaugh lake and reservoir was IA miles
above Johnstown. 1t was the property of a
number Of wealthy gentlemen in Pittsburg.
who constituted corporation called the South
Fork Fishing and Hunting club The sheet of
water was situated in the mountains from 200
to 800 feet above the level of Johnstown, was
miles in length, from one to one and a-quarter
miles in width and 10 some places said to be 100
feet deep. The original lake had been quad
rupled in size by artificial means. and was held
In check by dam from 200 to 900 feet wide.
The dam was 80 feet in thickness at the base.
with a height of ITO feet and a breadth of over
20 feet at the top. The great body of water in
the lake had been swollen by the continuous
rains. and finally swept away the immense dam
which had been built to restrain Is and rushed
in mighty and irresistible food upon the
country below it, growing in volume and
strength as 1t joined the Conemaugh creek and
the already swollen streams along which it
poured.
THE COURSE OF THE FLOOD
led IL most Of the way through a narrow v
shaped valley. Four miles below the dam and
10 miles above Johnstown lay the town Of South
Fork, at the junction Of a small stream with
Conemaugh creek. 1t had population of
about l. 400 Three miles below South Fork
was Mineral Point. cluster of workingnnen' s
houses about half the size. Neither of these
towns was part of Johnstown. Conemsugh.
10 miles below the lake and miles above
Johnstown, was the largest village on the
creek between the reservoir and JohnstoWn
II is often spoken of as part of Johnstown.
though its railroad station is two or three miles
up the creek from the Johnstown station. The
streets of the two towns ran into each other.
and the space between the two stations was
web built up along the creek. Part of the
Cambria iron and steel company's works were
at Conemaugh, and five or six thousand of the
workingmen and their families lived there.
BETWEEN coNEMACGH AND JoHSsTowS BOROUGH
was a string of tenements along the river which
was called Woodvale. Possibly 5000 workmen
lived in them. Farther down were Johnstown
and its cluster of sister towns. Cambria City
and Conemaugh borough. with total popula-
ton of about $4,000. JOhnstown was in the
southwest part OF Cambria county. at the forks
where Stony creek and Conemaugh creek form
the Conemaugh river. 1t was on the Pennsyl-
vania railroad. 80 miles southwest of Altoona
and IS miles east of Pittsburg. The people of
the town were the employees of the Cambria
iron and steel company. their families and
small stOrekeepers. Three-Quarters of the
population lived in small frame tenement
houses on the flats by the river around the
works OF the Cambria company. The Cambria
company owns almost all the land. and the
business and professional men and the superin-
tendents of the company lived Oh the hills
away up from the creeks. The creeks become
the Conemaugh river right at the end of the
town. near where the big stone PENNSYLVANIA
railroad bridge crosses the river.
THREE STAGES OF THE DISASTER
There We're three stages or divisions in the
Hateful course of the disaster-the flood caused
by heavy rains, the breaking of huge lumber
boom on Stony creek. and. most destructive of
all. the giving way of the Conemaugh lake en-
bankment The flood due TO the storm appears
to have been almost at its height at about
O'Clock on Friday afternoon. Then the lumber
boom on Stony creek was torn away. and the
enormous mass OF logs. hurled down the stream
and over the submerged district of the doomed
city. tore away the houses as though thew had
been built Of cards While this work Of de-
struction was still going ON there came down
the valley OF Conemaugh creek. almost without
warning. towering mass of rushing water
from the burst embankment at COnemaugh
Jake, which swept with resistess force over the
remaining houses and buried them under
fathous of water or carried them at once down
the stream.
From Johnstown the food swept on down
the Conemaugh river 10 sheridan. Sang Hol-
low. II miles below Johnstown Nineveh Lock-
port, and Bolivar. all OF which were inundated.
GATHERING THE DEAD.
Six hundred bodies are now living in Johns
town and large number have already been
buried. -Four immense relief trains arrived
last night, and the survivors are being well
cared for. portion of the police force of
Pittsburg and Allegheny are on duty. and bet
ter order Is maintained than prevailed yester-
DAY. There is an absence of pillaging Com
muEication has been restored between Cambria
hu -Lr,I
work Of repairing the tracks between Sang
Hollow and Jobnstown Is going on rapidly
and trains will probably be running by to-
morrow morning. Not less than fifteen
thousand strangers are there. The hand
some brick high-school is damaged to
such an extent that 1t will have to be re-
built. The water attained the height of the
window-sills of the second floor. Its upper
stories formed refuge for many persons All
Saturday afternoon two little girls could be
seen at the windows frantically calling for
aid They have spent all the night and the
day in this building. cut of from all aid, with
out food and drinking water. Their condition
was lementable. Late in the evening the
children were removed TO higher ground and
properly cared for. number of persons
had been taken from this building earlier in
the day, but IN the excitement the children
were forgotten. Morren institute was a
beautiful building. and the old homestead of
the MOrreU family j. totally ruined The
water has weakened the walls and fouuda-
tiOns 70 such an extent that there is danger
Of its cOllapsing. Many families took refuge
In this building and were saved.
FAILING WALLS
Vow that the waters have receIled. there is
great danger from falling walls. All DAY long
the crashing of walls could be heard across the
river. Before daybreak this morning the sounds
could not but make one shudder at the very
thoughts OF the horrible deaths that awaited
many who had escaped tine devastating food.
Library hall was another Of the fine buildings
OF the many in the city that is DESTROYED
OF the Episcopal church. not vestige re-
mains. Where once il stood there is now a
placid lake. The parsonage is swept away and
the rector Of the church, Rev. Mr. Dillon, was
drowned. The church was one of the first
buildings TO fall 1t carried with il several of
the surrounding houses. Many OF them were
occupied. The victims were swept into the
comparatively still waters at the bridge. and
there met death either by fire or water.
ROBBISG THE DEAD
IL is difficult TO believe that men could be
fS-nd so base as to attempt to despoil the VIC
tins Of this awful flood, and yet such is the
fact party of thirteen Huagarians were
noticed stealthily picking their way along the
bsnks of the Couemaugh toward Sang Hollow
Suspicious of their purpose. several farmers
armed themselves and started IN pursuit Soor
their most horrible fears were realized. The
Htpgsrians we're out for plumber. Lying upor
zEhg