The Brookhaven leader., 1889-06-06
Fifteen Hundred Lives Lost in the Val
les of the Conemaugh.

eI the COne"aukn'
BOLIVAR, Pa, June 1.-The water is
higher here than was ever known, and
two-story houses, barns, stables, whole
forests of trees, out-houses, smoke
houses, railroad bridges, county bridges,
RATS, inverted skiffs and driftwood by the
score, from all of which imploring hands
were held out to those on the banks, will
ing, but impotent to help, have foated
down the swollen torrent of the Cone
maugh. Information received is meager,
but for the most part accurate.
At Lockport, two miles east more than
twenty people have been taken from the
food. The first great rush of water
reached here at seven O'Clock last even
ing. This came from the bursted dam
above Johnstown. 1t came like a afrenzied
whirlpool, and before the people could
realize it they were in its grasp. Forum
ately, the people living on the low lying
ground escaped. At halt-past seven
O'Clock a great pile Of drift wood was
swept along, and from it shrek upon
shrek for "help, help for Gods sake, F"
came. The Mortified spectators on the
shore saw three women, to one of whom
were clinging two children, neither of
whom was apparently more than an in
FAINT. The rapidity of the current and the
position of the raft ON the stream, to-
gether with the lack of facilities for res
cuing, precluded the possibility of even
thinking of the matter, and the raft
passed out of sight, the screams of the
women and children blending in their
pleadings for aid long after the raft was
around the bend.
The stream then became thickly strewn
with men, women and children, clinging
to all sorts of temporary means of saliva
tiOn, and two men and q woman clung
madly 10 the tops of huge trees, the men
emulating the females in their shrieks for
help that it was not possible to give.
just at dark a lad was noticed clinging
to a log. James Curry secured long
line and ran to the river bank. The moose
of the lasso fell over the boys neck and
shoulders, and a moment later the
drenced, poverty stricken little fellow
was hauled to the bank. He was soon re-
stored, and stated that his name was Ed :
ward Harsten, thirteen years Of age. He
had lived with his father and grandfather
and mother in Cambria City, a part of
Johnstown. At four O'Clock their home
had been caught in the volume of water
let loose by the bursting of the dam 3.
They had all climbed upon a mass of
driftwood, and were carried along. Their
raft went to pieces against bridge pier,
and he had not seen his relatives since,
but tholght they were downed.
A man rescued in the ri yer here who
was swept away from Johnstown says
positively that no less than fifteen hum
dred lives are probably lost in the valley
of the Conemaugh. This point is twenty
miles below Johnstown, and the work of
rescuing men, women and children
sweeping down the river has been stead
lily forwarded all night
Mr.. Rhoades, agent at Blairsville In
tersection, saw a woman floating by on
the roof of house. With arms out
stretched. she called in the most piteous
tones to save her. "'Oh, my Godp she
cried, save, save, save me- l caught the
name of Lucy above the roar of the food.
Just ahead of the house we could plainly
see cradle floating with babe in it.
The child seemed to be sleeping, but more
than likely was dead"
A little after two O'Clock an engineer of
the Pennsylvania railroad saw three men
drown at the railroad bridge in Johns
town. At that time the water was fully
fifty feet deep.