Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-06-03
FROM YOUNGSTOWN.
FRANK J. HBARNB, OF THE RIVERSIDE
Al MILL, RETURNS HOME.
BE Was in the Inflated City During the
FlOOd-Thirty Niles on
Foot

L ~
of the Riverside Iron Works, reached the
city from Jamestown, about noon yester-
day. His arrival soon became known to
many of his friends, and during the alter
noon and evening numerous messages OF
congratulatiou at bis fortunate escape
passed over the telephone wires to Mr..
Hearne, at his residence in Leatherwood.
Mr.. Hearne's business called him to
Johnstown, and he started from Pitts
burg at 800 o'clock on Friday morning, on
the Pennsylvania Railroad. Upon MS
arrival there he saw that the COnemaugh
river was greatly swollen, and when he
left the railroad station he saw thai the
lower part of the city was then standing
several feet in the water.
Mr.. Hearne hurriedly completed his
business and FASTENED to the station 70
catch west bound train for PIttsburg and
and thence home. There he ascerteined
that the trains for tire east were all de-
tanned. Those from the west were coming
in az usual, but rather late He concluded
to 20 to hotel, and jumped into an omnl-
bus for that purpose. He asked the driver
if he would bring him back again. In re-
ply the man said that he mad to go through
three feet of water, and that would be his
last trip. Therefore Mr.. Hearne con-
cluded to remain at the station, although
he hadn't taken either breakfast or dinner
The water from the river was rising
steadily at noon. At o'clock in the al
ternoon a warning about the dam was tel
egraphed from Conemaugh, which is three
miles from JOhnstOwn and nine miles
from the dam. Little attention was paid
to the warning however. The passenger
depot was crowded with people, and some
boys who wanted to get seats raised a
startling cry about the dam. The people
rushed ont of the depot and when they re-
turned in a few minutes found their seats
occupied.
This was about 8 O'Clock. An hour
later the dam actually broke. In fifteen
minutes the water rose fifteen feet. But
the people in the railroad station were
safe, for 1t stood on high ground, and they
stood there as spectators of a most awful
tragedy.
Mr.. Hearne witnessed the scenes much
as they are described in the telegraphic
columns of the REGISTER. IL is his
opinion, however, that the loss of life has
not been as great as heretofore estimated.
Some of the indescribsbly sad incidents of
which Mr.. Hearne WAS helpless spectator
we're touching in the extreme. In the
morning he happened to notice a gentle
man leave his hOme--s very handsome one
H. 4 har
farewell to his wife, daughter and young
son. Five hours later, after the dam had
broken, the angry waters came down
against this very house, and before the
eyes of the husband and father, who could
give them no aid, crushed its brick walls
like an egg-shell. This was bat one OF the
numerous incidents of which Mr.. Hearne
tells.
From the railroad station Mr.. Hearne
with others went to Prospect Hill, from
which was had safe view of the resistless
food. a number of houses were perched
up on the hillside, but they were ell resi-
dences, and no stores were accessible.
There were 1000 people gathered there,
and they were to be fed. Freight cars,
which at first furnished -four, coffee and
other necessaries, were afterwards looted by
CONSCIOUSNESS thieves, men and women. The
formation of a committee to preserve Or
der was imperative, therefore, aud rs the
press report states, Mr.. Hearne was q
member of it. The committees prompt
action had marked and restraining in.
fuence on the mob element.
Mr.. Hearne got his first meal of the day
at abOut o'clock in the evening. He
spent the night in q cottage on the hill
side, and at 800 the next morning arose
and breakfasted. Two hours later with
one companion he started toward tele-
graph Office.
The natural route would have been
westward on the Pennsylvania Company's
tracks. This, however, was impracticsble
because there were breaks on the track.
They concluded to follow the north side of
the river. For long distance they
did so, but as the bridges, fifteen or six
teen in number, we're all down, they were
unable to get acrosss, and a creek, I'M
bridged, also compelled them to make a
detour. Their objective point was Bolivar,
station on the Pennsylvania railroad,
twenty-three miles from Johnstown By
the circuitous route they were compelled
to take, the distance increased to thirty
miles and this Mr.. Hearne and companion
on foot covered in twelve hours, and soon
afterwards he was enroute for Wheeling.