The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-06-04

was cngulfed by the flood, lay IN
close bound valley Of the Conemaugh,
below the junction Of the Conomaugh
river with the South Fork. on which
was a dam hundred feet high, which
made lake. the surface OF which was
three hundred feet above tho level OF
the town two miles below.
As the waters began to subside 1t was
found that hundreds OF people were
ciincing to trees for miles below the
town, but the work OF rescuing was
slow and difficult, and when Sunday
morning dawned the scene was one OF
d, spair and ruin as far as the eye could
ach.
When we estimate the tremendous
power Of the food OF waters, we can
understand that when the food had &C
cumulated above that dam, the sudden
break pr,cipitaled a vast mass of water
down the close gorge and swept the
- 900 people away with wave perhaps
fifty feet high. On tho western water
shed the rise Of water is more sudden
than i'm the east, the valleys being par
rover and tho mountains and bills
much more abrupt. It was like the
rush of Niagara down into the whirl-
pool.
Thouufortuna.e inhabitants had been
repeatedly warned Of the risk, but ap-
pcaf,d TO be as needless as the dwellers
on the sides Of a volcano.
Tue South Fork Reservoir was the
largest IN the United States and it con-
tanned millions Of tons Of water. When
tho dam bfoke, like crumbling sand.
building on even a rock that stood IN its
path presented az much resistance as
card house. The dread execution was
little more than the work Of an instant.
The flood passed over the town as II
would over pile Of shingles, covering
over or carrying with it everything
that stood IN its way. II bounded down
the valley, wreakiDg destruction and
death on every hand. Torrents that
poured down out Of the wilds Of the
mountains swelled its volume.
The wrecks Of the town were piled
up against railroad bridge in masses
fifty feet high. and the wreck
caught fire, and the demon Of flame
came to add its horrors to the holo-
caust where thousands Of men. women
and children strug yled and persisted
between ;he two destroying elements
tha. conlended in their dreadful rivalry
Of 4 struction.
The picture Of the place that was a
few days ago q city Of 1900 people
shows Only seven houses left from the
disaster, and still the awful calamity
il but half Telatel.
ALA. VI. on Sunday morning the
astimate reported at New York was
g 1000 lost people.
The lake which broke and did the
dreadful work was an area Of about
seven hundred acres, three quarters of
mic wide and two aud half miles
long. Ii was the property Of the South
Fork Hunting and Fishing Club.
The railroad bridge which spans the
river below the town stood finn, and
caused a dam that backed the flood up
against the town. while the vast log
boom in Stony creek, that empties
into the Conemaugh, at the town,
rushed down and battered the already
shaken houses.
The immense works Of the Cambria
Iron Company, employing seven thou
M men, went down before the tow
eripg wal OF water like piles OF
shingles and the baltering Of the mass
floating timbers from Stony creek al
Cnce began to destroy the roofs Of the
houses and break to pieces the piles Cf
wreck On which hundreds of SCI ga II
ing people chung with despairing eff OTIS
Cr the last Glance OF life.