Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-05
lrnoM A STAFF ooRnrspoNDnNr. ]

IRON STAFF CORRESPONDENT
SOUTH FORK, June 4-About an hour ago /
stood at the top of the abuttment of the South
Fork lake and looked down into the abyss
created by the maddened waters which after
ward made their murderous onslaught upon
Johnstown, and changed district hourishing
with industries into place of unburied dead
There the vast area of mud and slime spread
itself out as far as the eye could reach. All
looked dead and dreary-chaotic, in fact
Here, then. was the seat of the Angel of Death
who. in his rapid fight down the Conemaugh,
had blown his breath of everlasting sleep into
thousands of happy households. Here, then,
was his cradle. and from the aspect overspread-
ing the scene like funeral cloak, the Angel
had apparently returned to the place of his
birth.
Death was seen in the dry rustling leaves
which still chung to the trees that lay strewed
in all directions. Death was marked upon
every big rock covering the land at least 80
feet deep. Death was presented to view by
millions OF young fish which covered the
gravel for miles, lying there dried up and with
their mouths wide open. Death seemed to be
the echo of each of our footsteps, and over
awed by the moldering aspect of the rapidly
decomposing objects. Now we instinctively
fore us.
The Cradle of Death.
A slow. but steady drizzling rain made the
streets cf Johnstown totally impossible yester-
day forenoon. As the many stories of death,
loss of friends, brother, mother, father sister,
had been so often told me that the very thought
of the awful scenes brought gu;p into my
throat, hurried out of town as quickly as a
pair of horses and buggy could carry me.
The driver was farmer from South Fork
valley who had told me such a story about the
bursted reservoir that 1 conclu ded to go and
see it. The road from Johnstown up along the
side of the hill brought US into gloriously
beautiful scenery, and at the top of the hill
turned around to have one more glance at the
devastated town; and in the next moment l
tried to forget it.
On and on the horses few through an avenue
of the most beautiful trees Beyond them on
each side vast forests stretched themselves
over the hills, ana the refreshing fragrance of
the soft verdant foliage removed the horrors of
the past at lest temporarily. As the wheels
rapidly advanced over the ground the beauties
of the surrounding country increased. The
rain had ceased and the sky began to clear up.
A blue speck suddenly pressed itself through
the feecy clouds. 1t grew and grew, and pres
emily it was made resplendent with the deep
orange-colored sun, which now loomed up in
the horizon. Gradually the buggy went again
on the down grade until at last the driver
stopped in front of pile Of logs and lumber,
Nov, we are near South Fork creek, and here
Is the place where we commence to get at the
rushed down from I the lake" said % the farmer. IA un
1--WE had better get out of the buggy and go
up to the breastworks."
The Farmers Story.
We are just at the place where the road
from Johnstown leads across the creek. It was
a magnihcently romantic spot. On either side
of the road stood a copse of beautiful hemlock
trees which seemed to have been planted there
as the pillars of gate to the plain beyond. We
went beyond; but sooner than day changes
into night in the tropics the entire scenery had
changed. We seemed to have entered upon
sea beech. Everything was covered with gravel
and sand and pebbles. This is some of the
ground washed out of the lake." said my COM
panion, with a sigh, land it covers some of the
: finest meadow land in this part Of the country
to a depth of ten feet, but let US go on and
turn to the right" So we did, and another ex-
traordinary sight struck US. There were trunks
of oak trees lying all over the ground before
u.s. with their bark entirely pealed from the
wood, and their branches stretched out to-
ward heaven as if to call the avenging angel to
deal retribution for the wrong committed
among them. We were standing in valley
which was about 800 yards wide. The hills on
each side were covered with most beautiful
wood lands, and the creek seemed to be run
ming through this valley like silvery streak
hill which lay directly behind us. The whole
was more like an immense hall with the
Front Wall Knocked Out.
Toward this opening we were bent, but moth
ing except the gravel underfoot, the rippling of
the creek, and the woods, and the sun
and the heavens above us were to be seen.
Slowly we advanced, and gradually the gravel
disappeared and we walked on big pebbles.
Then they grew, and we had large stones.
Then even they grew smaller, and we now
had to climb over gigantic stone, weighing
perhaps hundreds of tons, aud apparently defy
ing the strength of Hercules. While we
CROPPED and climbed among these large blocks
the guide remarked suddenly: 'sNow look up"
obeyed, and then for moment or two Istood
speechless Before me 1 looked into a mon
strous chasm-a Cyclopean gorge, whose very
jaws were yawning toward the woods as If they
were waiting to swallow a mountain, and true
enough a pretty good-sized mountain could
find plenty of room in this opening: and this
chasn, this opening, represented the aperture
through which the wild waves burst loose
feet deep and 100 feet wide. Silently and
breathless we stood and gazed into the big
hole Then our thoughts flew upon the wings
of imagination away to Johnstown, the field of
SO many deaths. Then they hurried on TO
Bolivar and Nineveh, to linger on the pale, dis
torted faces of the many women and children
whom we saw In their cofnnS. Here We were at
Tie Fountain Head
of all the trouble. The thought caused us to
recoil at the sight before us as if we were be-
ing stared at by a venomous snake. LET us
climb up the side of the breastworks," the
farmer at last broke in, and in 15 minutes we
had succeeded In making the ascent. There was
not drop of water to be seen in the lake. As
far as the eye could reach all was empty-noth-
ing but black mud from one end to the other.
Looking around we could see a wooden sign
stuck up in a tree: mo fishing or hunting on
these grounds under the penalty of 500 as pro-
yided for by act of Assembly" What bitter
irony upon the cold facts of stern reality.
Not far from the place where the dam of the
reservoir had burst stood wooden shanty with
20 Italians in it. The foreman called himself
lack Lowrie and when asked whether he had
been present at the time the accident occurred
he said: "Yes, have been here with my men
for several weeks working for the South Fork
Club"
sWill you kindly relate your experience of
last Friday?n
swell, I will tell you. On last Wednesday the
lake was all right. The water was still 10 feet
from the top of the dam, its usual height; but,
as everybody knows, on Thursday it began to
rain very hard. 1t kept on all day and all night
necessarily, and on Friday morning noticed
the water in the lake was rapidly rising. From
that time it continued to rise at the rate of 10
inches per hour. During the morning the peo-
,,Io from tho neiOhhnrh00d came rOund here in