The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-06-01
Terrible Loss of Life in a
Flood in the Valley of
the Conemaugh.
THE GREAT RAINS BURST A DAM
Torrents Descend on Pennsylvania
Towns and Destroy Them Ut
terly.

BOLIVAR, Pa, June /, 1885, "A disast
unparalleled in the history of Pennsyl-
vania occurred at Johnstown, on the
Conemaugh River, at five o'clock yester-
day afternoon. From all that can now
be learned the reservoir or dam at South
Fork, above the town, broke it's banks,
which had been overflowed by the heavy
rains of the last two days, and an i'm
mense volume of waterrushed down upon
the city, sweeping everything before it
and leaving death and destruction in its
wake.
A man rescued in the river here, who
was swept away from Johnstown, says
positively that not less than 500 lives are
probably lost in the Valley of the Cone
maugh. This point is twenty miles below
Johnstown, and the work of rescuing
men, women and children sweeping down
the river was pushed steadily forward all
last night.
A little after two O'Clock an engineer
of the Pennsylvania road saw three men
drown at the railroad bridge in Johns
town. At that time the water was fully
fifty feet deep.
At Lockport, about eighteen miles from
Johnstown, the scene of the disaster,
Eliel Berson, an old man, Mrs. Boyle,
Paddy Madden and two Hungarians were
rescued.
DESTRUCTION OF CAMBRIA CITY.
Mr.. Berson said:-'I live in Cambria
City. / think not less than 800 people
were lost. In the house with me on Chest
nut street were ten persons besides myself,
and feel sure they were all lost. Up to
four o'clock the water, which was seven
faa4 n ir,f ho oi1 aad of
airy. About four o'clock in the afternoon
the great rush came. In fifteen minutes
the water rose fully ten feet and in five
minutes am sure fifty houses came float
ing down the streets. There were people
in every one of them, and God only knows
how many were lost"
AS they were carried off the houses
were jammed together and against the
houses still standing, and in very few
minutes they were all battered to pieces
before they had been carried very far
The house was in was soon smashed to
pieces and | managed to jump on to
cellar door In few minutes / was
looked back where Cambria City stood
there was nothing but a great lake of
water 1t looked to me as if every house
had been razed or covered. The vast
sheet OF water was full of floating tim
bers, roofs of houses, RATS and other arti-
clGS. he SCENT WAS 10e
cries of the men, women and children
were fearful 1 passed Paddy Madden's
wife, my sons wife and man clinging to
the roof of house. / called to them and
bade them good bye. In short
time / was caught by the water
and turned under. Every once
in a while ! got into whirlpool and more
than once almost lost my grip on the eel
lar door. saw people in the water ahead
of me and all around ME. Many of them
were struck by the crashing timbers and
killed outright. They were SO badly hurt
that they fell into the water and drowned
at once"
Mrs Boyle was rescued at Lockport.
The poor woman was moaning and cry
ing and would not be comforted. Her
nine children and husband are supposed
to be drowned.
YORK IS THREATENED.
YORK, Pa, June 1, Thursday
evening rain began falling, and since then
there has been a succession of heavy and
long showers. All the streams in the
country are swollen, and fields, roads and
houses flooded, AT Bentzell's mill, on the
Little Conewago, the water reached O
height of sixteen feet above low water
mark The mill was flooded. The dam
contains large amount of saw logs
which were washed away.
At Spring Grove, on the west branch of
OauOrOuS, SOutHWeSI VI HtIc, tu6 SUfeam
has overhowed almost everything. Great
excitement prevails there, every one ex-
pecting the large dam to burst, which
would cause terrible damage Part of p.
H. Gladfelter's large paper mill is
flooded.
1t is raining hard yet and the water is
rising at the rate of ten inches an hour.
On the south branch of the stream it is
rapidly rising. All the farmers who were
in the city were compelled to remain here,
being unable to reach home. All this
immense body of water must pass the
city, and it cannot be estimated as to
have notified the people living in the
lower section of the city to prepare for
the worst.
The Cadorous in this city is about six
feet above low water mark and rapidly
rising. Should the situation become serf-
GUS the fire alarm bells will be rung.
At half-past one O'Clock in the morning
a general alarm sounded on the bells Of
the city.
THE WORK OF RESCUE
Sad Scenes Along the Line of the Tor-