Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-06-06

of cOTpSeS. \ Hungarian who was caught
cutting of lady's finger to get her ring
came near being lynched. Measures have
been taken to preserve order and will be
enforced so sternly that there is no chance
for any dangerous outbreak of ScOundrel-
ism. Great anxiety exists in regard to
the fate of some trains that were caught
in the floods. The names OF number OF
the dead who have been identified are pub
ished this morning. Relief Committees
in this city have done an enormous work.
and contributions are being made at many
points.
staff Cor. Pittsburgh Commercial-Gazette.
JOHNsTowN. Pa. June Now that
communications have been restored and
the site where Johnstown stood can be
explored. a clear idea can be formed of
the character and magnitude of the caty
clysm which has engulfed the city. At
every step horrors accumulate. and with
each new discovery comes fresh reasons
for expanding estimates of loss of life and
ruin of property.
The hills of this region are rocky and
sparsely wooded. StOrm-water drains off
almost as rapidly as from roof, filling the
ravines with impetuOuS torrents. The
AL the mountain streams. but few had
any fears of more than an ordinary flood
flooding cellars and damaging property in
low, exposed situtiOns.
At point nine miles from JOhnStOwn
by rail and sixteen miles by the winding
course of the river was the dam across the
South Fork of the COnemaugh river This
massive dam across the narrow valley was
10 feet high and 1909 feet long making
lake two and One-half miles long and 60
feet deep at the dam.
THE BREAKING OF THE DAM.
At this writing South Fork has not yet
been visited since the disaster. Reports
here vary as to the time it gave way, but
it seems to have been about half paSt2 in
the afternoon The immense volume of
water in the artificial lake went rushing
down a water course already brimming
Four miles below the dam is the town of
South Fork. with 200 inhabitants, at the
junction of the tributary with the Cone
maugh river. Four miles further down
was the village of Mineral Point. with
800 inhabitants, with most of the houses
on the river bottom: six miles lower down
was COnemaugh, with $500 inhabitants:
a mile below was WOOdvale. with 1900
people, and one mile further down was
.JOhnstown and its cluster of settlements
at the junction of Stony Creek with the
COnemaugh River Except where the
valley widens at COnemaugh, the stream
has a narrow channel. so that the hill of
water issuing from South Fork lake roll
ed down as in rapidly slOping trough
falling with irresistible force against all
obstacles, and rolling before it massive
stones. pOnderOus steel rails and structu-
raj iron, and huge wreck of frame build
ingS, lumber, trees, bridges and all man.
ner of debris, pent among which there
is sad reason to know were hundreds, per-
haps thousands, of human beings. At
fifteen minutes past 3 this terrible ava
lanche was hurled against the massive
stone viaduct by which the four tracks
of the Pennsylvania railroad cross the
COnemaugh just below JOhnStOwn.
AN OVERWHELMING DELUGE.
The viaduct was too well built to bulge
even under that tremendous impact. The
wreckage packed its arches, constructing
it into dam. and the refiuX of the mighty
waters rushed over the town. The site of
the town is bottom lands between Stony
creek and COnemaugh river and its area
of sixty acres is girt about by mountains,
and this area was suddenly converted into
an artificial lake, engulfed in whose depths
were the homes of 10,C00 people. And
then after this deluge, as if the stipend
Gus calamity should not lack any element
of horror, fire broke out in the wreckage
! heaped against the bridge, and the smoke
settled like pail over the valley of desc
latiOn
The force with which that mountain of
water came tearing down the mountain
side is simply inconceivable. The coal
tipple and rOund-houSe of the PennSyl-
vania railroad at COneniaugh, in which
were fOrty-one locomotives, were tossed
up like corks. The engines were disman-
tied and wrecked: some were turned over
on their Sides others had their tenders
torn away and rolled down the stream
The Gautier Steel Works. the buildings
of which were formed of very heavy iron
beams. iron roofs and sides, were swept
down along with other wreckage and is
lying in the mass of ruins now above the
viaduct.
NO TINE TO ESCAPE.
The sixteen miles of the river course
from South Fork lake to JOhnstOwn was
rapidly traversed by the avalanche of wa
ter. The descent is rapid The lake was
300 feet above the level of the COnemaugh
and the mass went with frightful velOc-
ity Messages were sent ahead to warn
the people to flee to the hills, and the whiS-
tie of the Cambria mills blew Shrill dan
ger signals. The people rushed into the
streets, the men in the mills fled to warn
their families. and all was panic and con-
fusion. when down came the wave, over
whelming the struggling people, tearing
apart their houses, whirling human be-
ingS around like chips.
THE WRECK TAKES FIRE.
The mass of wreckage packed against
the bridge covered acres. In it were To-
cOmOtiveS and tenders, cars of merchan-
disc, bridges, lumber, bedding, drift, and
no one can even approximate how many
human bodies. To add to the terror of
the forlorn OnlOOkerS on the hillSideS, the
mass took fire. Then began a scene Ian
guage is inadequate to depict. The flames,
fed on the splintered houses, fiared and
cracked in the wind. Every now and
then a barrel of oil or whisky would
burst and send the flames up with a roar,
adding fresh agony to the survivors, who
looked vainly trying to discover missing
friends.
Agonized cries and shrieks rent the air
as bodies were seen in the midst of the
fiery mass. To have them drowned was
bad enough, but to have them burned af-
ter they were dead, thus depriving their
friends of the sad consolation of decent
sepulchre, was unbearable.
Strong men broke down utterly with
grief, others were paralyzed with the sight
until sensation was benumbed and they
ioked and tested as if it were an every
day sight. They could no longer realize
the horrors of the scene.
THE AVALANCHE ARRESTED.
When the great wave had passed below
the bridge the damage was not so eXten-
sive, the viaduct having acted as break
water, upon which it had spent much of
its force, and its waters were largely stored
in the lake formed over the site of Johns
town.
THE DROWNED CITY.
In the great basin formed by the noun
tains around the town is where the chief
damage was done. In the district cover
o6 NV 4ha loEa- of yuatar p,ar, bo