The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-06-08
$4,000 People Drowned and Many
Millions Of Property Destroyed in
COnemaugh Valley, Pa.
FLAMES ADD HORROR to THE FLOOD
Great Destruction in Maryland, W.
Virginia, Virginia and New York.
The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal
Destroyed.

The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal
Destroyed.
Many Lives Lost Along the Potomac.
/ DETAILS OF THE DISASTERS.
The most disastrous storms and floods perhaps
ever known in this country, occurred on Thursday
and Friday of last week, and extended over large
portion of the country east of the Mississippi
though the greatest destruction was il Western
Pennsylvania HeaSy rains had fallen Iaore or less
for a month but beginning on Wednesday night
aud continuing until Saturday morning there was
/ a succession of downpours that caused foods, with
consequent washouts, loss of railroad and road
bridges great damage 10 railroads and cmals. de-
sructen 10 crops. and in this instanci the almost
annibilation of several Penpsylyanf towns and
great destruction of life aud property in the Cone
maugh Valley. in Cambria county. in this valley
were two large dams and the heav, rains caused
them to break
The great flood which swept thrcdgh the Cone
maugh Valley proves TO have been even more terri
bic and disastrous than II at first represented
Although il is impossible to make accurate esii-
mate the latest information renders it probable that
the bursting of Conemaugh lake and reservoir, 10
which the calamity was largely due has resulted in
the loss Of 10000 lives and in the destruction Of
many millions Of dollars worth ofpruPeriy. Thaus-
ands Of people have been len homeless and desti-
tute.
Conemaugh lake :,nd reservoir was fourteen miles
above Johnstowu. It was the property Of number
Of wealthy gentlemen in PittSburg who constituted
a corporation called the South Fork Fishing and
Hunting Club. The sheet Of water situated in
the mountains from 30 20 500 feet above the level OF
Johnstown. was three miles in length, from one to
one aud a quarter miles in width and in some
places said to be 100 feet deep The original lake
had been qaadrupled in size BY artificial means
aud was held in check by dam from 700 to 1900 feet
wide. The dam - feet in thicsueSs AZ the base
with height ONO feet and breadth Of over %
feet at the top The great body Of water Ia the lske
had been swollen by the continuous rams, and
finally swept away the immense dam which had
been built TO restrain il and rushed IN mighty and
irresistible food upon the country below H. growing
IN volume and strength as Il joined the CoHcmaush
creek aud the already swollen streams along which
il poured. The course Of the food led it most
OF the way through narrow V shaped valley.
-Four miles below the &am and ten miles shove
Iohnstown lay the toxin VI south fork az The
( junction OF a small stream with Couemaugh creek
Il had a population Of about I.5oo Three miles BE-
low south Fork was Mineral Point cluster %
ofthcse towns was part Of Johnsown. CoBemaagh.
ten miles below the lake aud four miles above
JohnssoUn was the largest Vi lagc on tho cF,ck be
4 tween The reservoir aud Iohusiowu. Il il eflen
spoken ofas part Of Iohnsiown. though is railroad
station Is two thEec miles Up the ereck from the
I Johnstown siaiios The streets o. The two tawus
ran into each ether aud the space between the tvo
stations was well built up along the creek Part Of
the Cambria Iron and street Compauys work we're
At Conemaugh. and aye OF six thousand % the
vorkinsmen and their families lived thcrc. Re
tween C0nemaagh and Johusfown borough was a
string Of tenenents along the river which Was call
I cd wo1dvalc. Possibly 3o10 surkmcu lived In
them. Further down were tohusi8wn and %,
/ cluster Of sister towns. Cambria CRY and Cone
( maugh borough with a iotal population u about
Z soaoa JohnstoWn was ia the southwest par1 q
I Cambria county AZ the forks where ssony crcck snd
1 Conemaugh creek form the C0nemaash river Il
( was on the Pennsylvania Railroad. thirty -Hiae
miles southest OF Altoona and severity eight miles
east Of P!itshIrx- The people Of the town we've the
Z employees 81 the Cambria irnu and sfecl coaFauT.
E their families and small storckerper- Thrce-
Quarters OF the populasion lived In small frame
7 tenenent houses on the fats by the rlveg srgBnd
the works Of the Cambria Compsny. The Cambria
Company oN as almost al The land. and the husi-
ness and professional Tnea and the superfueudenis
Of the company lived the hsIls away sp from he
creeks The creeks bccoIae the CangmaHgh river
+ right al The end Of fhe toRu. near where tho BIG
I stone Pennsylvania Railroad bridge essssos ihc
I river
I For more than year. IL IS said. there bad BEEN
I fears Of disaster Of this character. The faanda-
lions q the daui were considered shsky csFy last
spring. and increasing eakhgss were Imported from
time % time The people is IS stalled. we're warned
I Of The hreak in umo 70 have made their escape but
{ a.. ft.-
water began pouring into 1ahustawu about enc
O'Clock Friday afternoon aud the faIbvossne struck
I Il little later, and til then was The cxteai -
I the danger Appreciated Those who bad time 8od
( 70 the high grounds hat hundreds % people wcEe
caught 10 the fats and were barred bsneaih Alliug
walls CT we're washed away ia their RAD fame
houses which were soon % p.eocs iH the herre
tide wrecked against the railroad bridge, where
much OF the debris Lodged and piled up O. great
height
The moSt awful cnlrsluaton Of the awful night
! was The roasting o. hundred or morC persons in
midaood The ruin Of houses. old buildings and
other structures which swept against the miiFoad
I bridge caught fire. There were crowds 81 tAEn,
women and children the wreck. and their screams
4 were soon added % Ghc awful chorus Of hoFroF
They were literally roasted the Hood. S0ou amer
the fire burned itself ont Others lhroNn agains
the mass There were some any pcople 10 sight
when the ruins suddenly parted, broke % and
swept under the bridge into pitchy darkness
There were three stages divisions IN the fsteful
course Of the disasier-the food caused by heavy
rains the breaking Of huge lumbcr boom on stony
creek. and most destructive 81 all the giving way
OF the ConeInaugh lake elnbaakmen:. The food
due to the storm appears 10 have been aiuiosi a. il
height al about / o'clock on Friday afternoon.
Then the lumber boom Stony Creek torn
away and the enormous mass Of loes, hurled down
the stream and OVER the submerged district % the
doomed city, tors away The houses though they
had been built Of cards. While this work of de-
siruction was still going there came down The
valley OF Conemaugh creek, almost without warn
ing. towering mass Of rushing water rom The
burst embankment at Conemaugh lake, which
swept with resisiless force over the remaining
houses, aud buried them under fathoms Of water
or carried them az once down the stream
Prom Jamestown the food swept down The
Conemaugh river sheridan sang Hollow twelve
miles below Johnstown, Niueveh. Loekpor and
Bolivar ali Of which were Inundated.
The Potomac river was higher than ever before 10
the memory of the Oldest inhsbtanL The Chesa j
peake and Ohio Canal Was badly wrecked and F
buildings ct various points were washed away In I
Washington city the destruction to property was I
very great, especially sio1g the water front where
many wharves and buildings demolished 4
Travel over the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad a.
Washington was interrupted. and ii was necessary 4
to use boats in order 10 reach the DEPOT in th city
Many of the business streets were submerged and .
stores and other buildings damaged.
At Harper's Ferry the food was very disastrous T
The railroad bridge over the Shenandoah 4
washed away and the Potomac river bridge az one /
time was IN serious danger. It saved by hold 1
ing II down with loaded cars. Three men were
drowned at Harper's Ferry. In Frederick county 4
the damage to crops and bridges very great +
Frederick city sud Hagerstown are cut OF, except
from local ps,iuss on railroad. The Cumberland I
Valley ruilr ad bridge. below WiIliamsport, was t
destroyed aud the damage TO bridges, roads and .
buildings in Washington county is unprecedented. +
Theodore Wolf Of Willamspou aged Is and Joseph 1
Creager. OF Leitersburg aged 81, were drowned. In
Howard county number OF min dams were swept I
away The damage to the wheat crop was not very 4
great but many cornfelds were ruined Several
serious landslides occurred on the B. 4 o. about
fifteen miles east Of Oakland.
The food in the Appomattox river was very disas-
trous. IN Petersburg Va. the loss by the destruc-
ton Of bridges and the flooding Of houses is esti-
mated at S200O0l. Two men were drlwued in /
Petersburg The James river commenced receding
at Lynehburg Saturday morning and the same day
the lower part OF Richmond flooded Great
damage to the crops in the Shenandoah and Kappa
hammock Valleys is also reported.
Telegraph dispatches told Of the most terrible
,b.,frg q, fI,oyr