St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-06-01
FROM AN EYE WITNESS.
JOhnstOwn's Destruction Com
plete and the Loss of Life
Awful .-t.-...

plcte and the Loss oil Lie
Awful.
PITrsBURG, Pa, May SIS. j. Her
ron, solicitor for the Times, left Johns
town at o'clock this afternoon and has
just arrived in the city. Mr.. Heron
tells graphic story of the disaster that
fell on the mountain city. All of
yesterday afternoon and last night
rain poured down in torrents. The little
mountain streams swelled into floods,
pouring their waters into the Cone
maugh river that passes directly through
the center of the city. Soon the banks
of the river overflOwed and the streets
through the city began to disappear be-
meath the rapidly increasing current.
Houses and bridges from above the city
were swept away by the flood and added
largely to the damage further down.
The water rose so rapidly that many
people could not escape from their
homes and ran to the upper stories,
from which they were rescued by men
riding horses and mules. The scenes
were
MOST THRILLING.
Joseph Ross. teamster, had in charge
a pair Of mules. He mounted one of
them to aid some people. The mule
fell into an excavation, carrying Ross
with it and he was drowned. When l
left it looked as though the people were
HON eless. They were gathered on the
mountain sides looking sadly at their
bo,,os Lo;,r ooIad n1uov Tho cu,oon
ing away of four Or five large bridges
added greatly to the loss OF the town.
Twelve carloads of iron were
run out onto the Cambria bridge
in an attempt to save that struc-
ture. The waters gathered strength
and swept bridge, cars and iron away as
if they were straws. But one bridge
remains and it is badly damaged. Lum-
ber was swept down with the flood in
vast quantities. 1t is estimated that
100000 OF more feet passed through
the town this morning. The railroad
depots were thrOnged with victims of
the flood who were rescued in skiffS.
Piano boxes and RATS were used for this
purpose. All trains on the PennSylva-
MIA and Baltimore & Ohio railroads are
discontinued, the tracks being SUBJ
merged for miles. At o'clock this aft
ernoOn the water was still rising. and
the people were panic-stricken. There
is no doubt but that the loss of life will
be heavy. Three citizens of Pittsburg
are known to have been drowned. They
occupied house just below the dam.
short distance above Johnstown. Their
names are Thomas Fallon, James Tight
and a telegraph operator, name un-
known. Reports from along the Kis-
kimlnetas river, into which the Cone
maugh river empties, are
DISTRESSING. sA
The river near Saltsburgis filled with
wreckage, and a number of persons
were noticed clinging to such timbers
as would bear their weight. At Blairs-
Vile men are stationed OH the bridges
and banks in the hope of rescuing some
of those who were being carried down
the stream. The volume of water is
unprecedented. The iron bridge con-
Getting Blairsville with Blairsville
Intersection has been carried away,
and with it train OF heavily loaded
cars standing upon the bridge to hold
it in place. This was the largest and
strongest bridge on the West Pennsyl-
vania road. 1t is thought that all the
West Pennsylvania railroad bridges
will share a similar fate. All of the
towns in the Kiskiminetas valley are
expected to be. submerged. Among
them are Llvermore, Salisbury, Apollo,
Leechburg and Avonmore, having pop
ulations of from 5000 to 10000 each.
The inhabitants all along the river have
been warned, but are almost panic
stricken at the idea of their great loss
of property, which is inevitable. Late
reports from CoketOwn are to the effect
that the entire town is submerged and
number OF lives have been lost at that
-1o