South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1889-06-28
5ohnstown by Night

The following description of Johns
xo.n, "a, amer night, 10 taken from M,
"neeling Intel ligencer:
ien wheeling ~ 4 10 p. m and srriv
% ~ Johnstow n 81 10 p. IA. We STONE
81 ne vest ecd Of the bridge, aw aiting IA,
osPsftere OF train that preceded N. Th,
Up W iuiy half IN hour, giving the pas.
ss.uges 5000 opportunity to get Cd and
Inc sight at once was appalling, The ..
eres OF debris above the bridge were burn !.
ing. Amid the lurid flames huudrsds a,
,ot. men, barred TO the waist, could be seen
climbing TO and fro over the drift c.rry;no
pans OF oil and throwing Il on the tangled
masses OF trees and houses, In which hun.
9rede OF fnman beings and thousa nds Of
oeao animals lie bu ried, 10 complete the a a.
etruction Of what remained from he ds.,h.
dealing Hood. The flames shot high into
me AR and cast . wild and wierd light on.
On tne surrounding country; sickenins
FUMES arose rom the burning fesh of man
and beast. and al combined to make the
scene one OF horror indescribabls.
10 passing on to the depot, the school
house the only building spared by the msr.
IL nooo. . most notable feature. A.
Ioee. senonnded By acres Of debr u. /,
stands intact. WhAi mere fitting monumens
TO he great free school system OF orr con \.
Try could b erecsed1
All aieeg the line through the valley ..
lectrtc light stations have bean sstahIishes
70 furnish light to the vast army OF vork.
nen Engaged in rebuilding the rosd. An
through the valley hundreds of freight, pas
senger. coAi cars aud locomotives, can be
seen s'rewn about a. box Of matches scat.
t1ed % the wind. We made Q short stop
a. Consmaugh, where ssw one Of the sur.
vivorel who informed me that the aood
came like mighty moving mountain, ITO
ieet high, aid 10 an instant all was svept
before 1t. From here forty-seven locomo.
uves were carried away b the rush of the
waters. some being washed . distances Of
three miles and half. Nothing bot q vast
pea OF rock remains where once this thriv.
ing village stood.
A abort distance east of the
Conemaugh one of the most remar K.
able features of the force of the food
can be seen. 1t was here that road
bed for four tIacks was blasted out of
solid rock for distance OF several
hundred feet, but the food cut It
away to q depth Of sixty five feet
and back TO the face of the rocky
heights above the track. From
Conemaugh We move on slowly and
safely until we come to the erea,
viaduct, pronounced by ell to have
been one OF the most substantial
pieces Of masonry on the road and
one of the most historic points.
Nothing but few stones of the
west pier remain to mark the spot
where this once grand structure
stood. We pass over It on q trestle
bridge, the marvel of all railroad
engineering, IS feet high and about
600 feet long. Talk about the
matohless enterprise OF the Penn,
sylvania railroad, it must be seen 10
be realized. Pullman sleeping and
dining cars are scattered all through
the valley which are being used for
the comfort of the thousan ds of men
engaged in reconstructing tie road.
Some say IL is q souless corporation
but in passing all along tho line the
truth stands out In bold relief that
they have not been unmindfnl of the
comfort OF the hornyhanded laborer.