Morning journal and courier., 1889-06-08
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS. THE CONBHAUGH DAM. Its Plan Of Construction And
 Poor Material.
 THE ARREST OF k HORSE THIEF. Ten Million Dollar Loss At
 Seattle. TOWN TO BE REBUILT OF STONE. | An Earthquake Shakes Upl
 Massachusetts.
TOWN TO BE REBUILT OF STONE.
THE CoNEmAUGH DAM.

The Examination Completed - The Plan of Construction Unworthy the Name Of EnEfneering-The Govern0r Denies Reports-The Bodies of Rev.
 AIonzo P. D1Iler. Wife and Child Recovered.
 JoHNsrowN. June "A. W. Wellington, with F. P. Burke, associate editor of the Engineering News of New York, have just completed an examination of the dam which caused the great disaster here. Mir. Yelling ton states that the dam was in every respect of very inferior construction and of kind wholly unwarranted by good engineering practices of thirty years ago. Both the original and reconstructed dams were of earth only, with no heart wall, but only rip- rapped on ths stopes. The original dam, however, was made in rammed and watered layers which still showed distinctly in the wrecked dam. The new end greatly added to it's stability, but it was to all appearance simply dumped in like an ordinary railroad fill, or if rammed showed no evidence of good effect from it. Much of the old part is standing intact while adjacent parts of the new work are wholly carried off. There was no central wall or puddle or masonry either in the new or old dam. It has been the prac- tice of engineers for thirty or forty years to use one or the other in building high dams of earth.
 It is doubtful if there is single dam or reservoir in any other part of the United States of over fifty feet high which lacks the central wall. The reconstructed dam also bears marks of great ignorance or carelessness in having been made nearly two feet lower in the middle than at the ends. It should rather have crowned in the middle which would have concentrated the overflow if it should occur at the ends instead of in the centre. Had the break began at the ends the cut of the water would have been so gradual that little or no harm might have resulted. Had the dam been at once cut at the ends when the water began running over the center the sudden breaking of the dam would have been at least greatly diminished possibly prolonged so that little harm would have resulted. The crest of the old dam had not been raised in the recon struction of 1881. The old overflow channel through the rock still remains, but owing to the sag of the crest in the middle of the dam only 51s feet of water in it instead of seven feet was necessary to run water over the crest. And the rock spillway, narrow at best, had been further contracted by close grating to prevent the escape of fish, capped by a good sized timber and in some slight degree by a trestle foot bridge. The original discharge pipes at the foot of the dam had been permanently closed when reconstructed and while 8 minor matter compared to the others mentioned, further reduced the possi ble rate of maximum discharge. The net effect of all these differences of oondi- tion was that the dam as it stood was not much safer against excessive flood, apart from its inferior construction, than the original dam would have been with a crest only 31s to feet high above the bottom of the rock spillwsy instead of feet. It is inn possible to say if the riprapping of the new part of the dam was as good as the old or not sL | I-1l- HI large amount of the old riprspping and slope walls still remain intact and is of excellent quality. It does not appear that there was any great amount of leakage through the dam before it broke. Destruction came from water flowing over the top.
 THE GOVERNOR DENIES REPORTS.
 HARRISBURG, June 7.-Referring to reports of disagreement between the National oom- mittee in charge of the direction of affairs St Johnstown and Governor Beaver, the gover- nor says:
 have been so much absorbed day and night at work of affording relief to the flood sufferers and receiving funds that have not been able to read the newspapers and did not know until the subject was called to my att tention today that such reports were being circulated in various ways. There is not the slightest foundation for such a rumor. We have been in constant communication since Monday last, and all they have done has been most cordially endorsed by me.
 BLASTED IN A LAST AVERAGE.
 JeHNsTowN, June 7.-The body of Rev. Alonzo P. Diller, rector of the Johnstown Episcopal church, and those of his wife and child were recovered to-day under circum- stances both sad and strange. Four Episoo- pal clergymen, who had been sent here by Bishop Whitelaw, were working about the ruins near Lincoln street when they came upon the body of their late broth CT. Clasped in one arm was the body of the babe and in the other his wife whose arms were about his neck. They were removed in this position and will be so buried to- morrow. The Episcopal clergymen will off,