The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1889-06-05


is scarcely one frame honse standing
in Cambria City. Every house is
said to have been washed away in
Conemaueh and MorreIlville. All
along the river between the Alleghe-
ny river anl Johnstown dead bodies
are being picked up. Trainmaster
Pitcairn has been working manfully
pulling out dead bodies at Nineveh.
In 10-a"re field 75 bodies were tax
en- out within half mile Of each
other. OF this number only five
were men, the rest being women and
children. Many beautiful young
girls, refined III feature and hand
somely dressed We're found, and
women and young mothers with
their hair matted with roots and
leaves are constantly being removed.
The wrecking crew who took out
these bodies are confident that $50
bodies are lying buried in the sand
under the debris on these low-lying
bottom lands. Some of the bodies
were horribly mangled and the fea-
tur es twisted and contorted as if
they had died in the most excrutia-
ting agony. Others are found lying
in stretched out positions with calm
faces. Many tear was dropped by
the men as they worked away remov
ing the bodies. An old lady, with
gray hair, was picked up alive, al
though nearly every bone i'll her
body was broken. Judging from
the number of women and children
found III the swamps Of NiLeveh, the
female portion of the population suf
fered most.
AN EYE WITNESS AT SANG HOLLOW.
Mr.. OConnor was at Sang Hollow,
a few miles west of Johnstown, when
the flood began He remained there
through the afternoon and night,
and states that there was fatal tree
on an island, against which a num-
Der of hoaters were dashed and IN
stantly killed. Their bodies were
almost tied in knot and doubled
over the tree by the force of the cur
rent. Mr.. O'Connor states that the
first man who came down had his
brains knocked out against this OBJ.
struction. In fact all those who hit
the tree met the same fate and were
instantly killed, sinking under the
pile of driftwood collected there
He could give no estimate of the
| number lost at this point, but ht
J makes the figures large.
Mr.. O'Connor says that he never
/ saw fuch an awful spectacle. Th'
: poor people in the raging flood criec
out in terror for aid that.never came
Gladly would the brave men stand
ing there upon the banks have help
ed them out, but this was impossible
e More than one brave man risked hi
/ life in trying to save those in tn
j, flood. Some details of their heroi
S acts are brought to light. In man
+ instances the fioaters displayed re
: markable courage and gave thei
: chances of rescue to friends wit
e them. Sons stood back for mother
S and were lost, while the parent
n were taken out. Many dear DO
o went down to watery grave that
e sister or father might be saved.
= It is believed that the lower pal
d of Johnstown the only building
e standing are the Cambria Iron Co.
lr store, the large brick school hous
and Mr.. McDowell's residence. I'll
frame houses have disappeared, an
e, nothing remains but the stone fou
l. dations or a piece wall.
D People can estimate the force
r the water by remembering that
rs carried heavy locomotives a consi
d erable distance and turned them u
le side down, where they are now lyil
N on their backs. Long trains of ca
IS were dera:led and carried great di
e. tances from the railroad.
" Every person one meets along Il
:. ,.oal no. ca,n.. hn,.,.il,l talo