Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-06-06

| sand people lost between Conemaugh
borough and Cambria City.
OTHER DISTRESSED TOWNS.
PITTSBURGH. Pa, June 1.-Reports from
along the kiSkimiuetas river into which
the Conemaugh empties are most distress.
ing. The river near Saltsburgh is filed
with wreckage, and a number of persons
were noticed clinging to such timber as
would bear their weight At Blairsville
men are stationed on the bridges and
banks in the hope of rescuing some OF
those who were being carried down the
| stream.
The volume of water is unprecedented.
The iron bridge connecting Blairsville
with Blairsville Intersection has been
carried away and with it a train of heav-
lily loaded cars standing upon the bridge
to Eo!d it in place. This was the largest
ami strongest bridge on the West Penn
sylvania road 1t is thought that all of
the West Pennsylvania railroad bridges
will share a similar fate.
| All the towns in the Kiskimenatas val.
ley are expected to be submerged. Among
them are Livermore. Salisbury. Apollo,
Leechburg and Avonmore. having popu-
lations of from 5000 to 10 600 each The
inhabitants along tn, river have been
warned, but are almost panic-stricken al
the idea of their great loss of property,
which is inevitable.
Later reports from Coketown is to the
effe ct that the entire town is submerged
and a number of lives have been lost 81
that place.
THE FATAL RESERVOIR
PITTSBURGH. Pa, June LIN order
| to understand the nature of this
calamity it is necessary to describe
the location of the reservoir at Johnstown.
| 1t lies about two and one half miles north
| east OF Johnstown and is the site of the
| old reservoir which was one of the feeders
| of the Pennsylvania canal. 1t is the
property of a number of wealthy gen.
tlemen in Pittsburgh, who formed
them selves into corporation the title
OF which is the South Fork Fishing anG
Hunting Club. This sheet of water was
| formerly known as Conenaugh lake II
was from 200 to 800 feet above the level OF
John Jtown, being in the mountains. II
was about three and one half miles long
and from a mile to a mile and quarter
in width and in some places it was 100 feet
in depth 1t held more water than any Other
reservoir, natural or artificial, in the
| United States. 1t had been quadrupled
in size by artificial means and was held
in CHECK by a dam from 700 to 1000
feet wide, ninety feet in thickness al
The base and of the height of 110
feet The top had a breadth of over
twenty feet. Recognizing the menace
which the lake was to the region below. the
South Fork club had the dam inspected
once g month by the Pennsylvania rail
| o11o nd hair N
showed that nothing less than some con.
vulsion of nature would tear the barrier
away and loosen the weapon of death.
NARROWING SCENES.
| DERRY, Pa, June IA fool of death
swept down the Allegheny mountains
yesterday afternoon and last night al.
most the entire city of Johnstown was
swimming about in the rushing, angry
tide. Dead bodies were floating about in
every direction and almost every piece Of
movable timber was carrying from the
doomed city a corpse of humanity drift.
ing with the raging waters, God know.
| where.
At Derry a group of railway officials
were gathered who had come from
Bolivia, the end of the passable portion oil
the road westward. They had seen but q
small portion of the awful food but
enough to allow them to imagine the rest.
Down through the pack saddle came the
rushing waters. The wooded heights oil
the Alieghanies looked down in solemn
wonder at the scene of the most terrible
destruction that ever struck the romantic
valley of the Conemaugh. The water was
rising when the men left at six O'Clock al
the rate of five feet an hour
Clinging to improvised RATS, con.
structed in the death battle from floating
boards and timbers. were agonized men
women and children, their heartrendinf
shrieks for help striking horror to tn,
breasts of the onlookers Their cries wer,
of no avail Carrie | along at railway
speed on the breast of this rushing tor.
rent, no human ingenuity could devise
means of rescue.
With pallid cheeke and hair clinginl
wet and damp to her cheek, a mother wa.
seen grasping a floating timber, Will,
with her other arm she held her babe.
The tidal wave struck Bolivar just after
dark and in five minutes the Conemaugf
rose from six to forty feet, and the water:
spread out over the whole country. Soor
houses began floating down and clingins
to the debris were men, women and chill
dren shrieking for aid. A large number
of citizens at once gathered on the county
bridge and they were reinforced by &
number from Garfield, a town on the oppo
site side. They brought number of rope.
and these were thrown over into the boil
ing waters as unfortunates drifted by
Up the river there was sudden crash
and a section of the bridge was washed
away and foated down the stream, strik-
ing the tree and washing it away. AL
| three were thrown into the water anC
were drowned before the eyes of the hor'
rifed spectators just opposite the town o
Bolivar.
Early in the evening a woman with hel
two children were seen to pass under the
bridge at Bolivar clinging to the roof of {
coal house. A rope was lowered TO her bu
she shook her head and refused to deser
the children. Il was rumored that al
three were saved at Cokeville, a few mile:
below Bolivar.
A later report from Lockport says tha
the residents succeeded in rsscuing five
people from the fiood-tw~ women anC
three men. One man succeeded in getting
out If the water -naided. They were
kindly taken care of by the people of the
town.
A little girl passed under the bridge jus
before dark. She was kneelipg on part Of
a floor and had her hands clasped as if il
prayer. Every effort was made to save
her, but they all proved futile. rail.
reader who was standing by remarked
that the piteous appearance of the little
waif brought tears to his eyes.
There is absolutely no news from Johns
town. The little city is entirely cut of
from communication with the outside
world. The damage done is inestimable