The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-06-02
Miles ant niles of Railway Tracks
Washed Away. Bridges Gone
and Trains at a Standstill.
Tne Immense Works of the Cambria
Iron Company. Destroyed Entail
ing a Loss of Millions.
Floods in Maryland and West Virginia
Causing Loss of Life and Great
Damage To Property.


vania railroad, necessitating complete
suspension Of traffic. Bridges have been
washed away, heavy landslides and long
and deep washouts, with the fall of masses
of rock from tho mountain to the track be-
low are reported. A dispatch from VIII
Transport reports the lumber boom broke
at O'Clock this morning and the water
is rushing through the upper end OF the
town. At2 O'Clock this morning word was
received at Wflliamsport that the boom at
Lock Haven had broken and that place
was overfiOwed.
A dispatch received at p. m. says the
Pennsylvania railway people have sue
ceeded in getting temporary wire through
from Sang Hollow to the western end OF
the railroad bridge, which is west of Johns
town Debris is lodged against the bridge
and piled up to the distance of probably
forty feet, and is said TO be still burning.
Until the flames die out, so as to admit of
passage across the bridge, nothing can be
done towards repairing the heavy washout
between the bridge and Johnstown station.
The dispatch also says the Cambria Iron
company's plant on the north side of the
Couemaugh river at JOhnstown is COM
plete wreck. Until this dispatch was
received il was not thought here that
this portion of the plant had been seriously
jured. The plant is said to bevalued at
So 100000. a dispatch received at the
Pennsy lvania railway Office this afternoon
says considerable damage has been sus-
tanned by railroad property. Ii is feared
the bridge crossing the west branch of the
Sasquehanna, at Linden, will go. This
bridge was previously reported as being
ballasted with a heavily loaded freight
train. Additional information from the
Philadelphia & Erie branch is that the four
span bridge across the Juniata river,
at GrantsviIIe. has been carried
away. The water is still rising in
the Juniata between Gr4ntsville and Tus.
carora, distance of forty miles. Nothing
is known of the condition of the roadbed OF
bridges. OF twenty bridges south of Raj
ston on the northern Central branch five
are washed away and all the rest badly
damaged. The Cumberland Valley rail.
road lost the new iron bridge crossing the
Potomac river near Williamsport, Nd The
bridge across the Sinnemahoning creek Is
gone and the bridge over the same stream
at Keating is badly damaged. The rail
road yard and tracks at Emporium have
been badly washed out. At Williamsport
the west branch of the Susquehanna is said
to be thirty feet high. There are eight
inches of water on the floor of the railroad
station there. This would indicate nearly
the whole city is Overfiowed. At Harrisburg
the SusQuehsnna river is still rising. Al
SteeIton two and half feet of water flows
over the Pennsylvania railroad tracks and
the steel plant at that place is also sub
merged.
Information was received about II
O'Clock to- night at the office of the Penn
sylvanis railway company of frightful
disaster to two through trains from Pitts
burg which had been supposed TO be safe
at COnemaugh. Assistant Superintendent
Trump telegraphs from Blairsville juno.
ton that the day express eastbound from
Chicago to New York and the mail train
from Pittsburg boand east were put on
side tracks in the yards at Conemaugh
when the flooded condition of the main
tracks made it apparently unsafe to pro
ceed further. When the continued rise OF
water made the danger apparent the
frightened passengers fled from the two
trains TO the hills near by. Many
in their wild excitement threw them.
selves into the raging flood and were
drowned. When Supt. Trump reached
Couemaugh he Immediately gathered to
gether the remaining passengers of the two
trains and had them conveyed to Edens-
burg by wagon, a distance Of about ten
miles. T survivors are now at that
place. The conductors of the trains went
with the passengers to Edensburg and the
Pullman conductor, who is supposed to
have a list of those under his charge, is
there also. 1t was impossible to give the
names of any of those who lost their lives.
At Other Points,
HARRISBURG, June 1.-The great rain
storm has entailed heavy loss here. In the
east and south ends of the city the water
rose about the banks of Baxter creek,
swept away the bridges and reached the
first stories of the houses The mayor
conducted relief expedition which util-
lied all the boats to be had and while the
rain came down in torrents he and his as
sistants did good work. While thus en-
gagged the mayor and one of the officers
narrowly escaped drowning. The Susque-
hama river at this point Is eighteen feet
above low water mark, and rising every
hour. Independence island is CON-
pletely covered The tracks of the Penn
sylvanis south of here are under two feet of
water. Advices Just received from points
mp the river say the beautiful fsh houses
built by Harrisburg citizens alb ut ten
miles from here, were washed away, as
~
kind. The great embankments here have
caved in, culverts and sewers are demol-
ished and great trees were laid prone
At midnight the river is eight inches
4 fh.ra d..-i Inn h.. ~ he