Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-06-01
WATERSPOUT.
Death and Devastation are in
It's Track.
CLEAN SWEEP OF TOWNS.
Hundreds of the Inhabitants
are Drowned.
DEAD BODIES BY THE DOZEN
All Communication With the Scene
of the Disaster Broken Off.
Damage Incalculable.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
DERRY, Pa, May 13.-A food of death
swept down the Allegheny mountains
this afternoon, and tonight almost the en-
tire city of Johnstown is swimming
about in rushing angry tide. Dead
bodies are floating about in every direc-
ton, and almost every piece of movable
timber is carrying from the doomed city
a corps of humanity, drifting with the
raging waters, God knows where.
The disaster overlook Johnstown about
6 O'Clock this evening. AS the train
bearing the Associated Press correspond
ents rushed eastward, the reports at
each stop grew more appalling. At
Derry group of railway officials had
gathered who had come from Bolivar
the end of the passable portion Of the
road westward. They had seen but a
small portion of the awful flood. but
enough to allow them to imagine the
rest.
THE RUSH OF RAGING WATERS.
Down through the "Pack Saddle"
came the rushing waters. The wooded
heights of Allegheny looked down in SOL
emn won der at scene of the most ter
rible destruction that ever struck the 70.
mantle valley of Conemaugh. The water
was rising when the men left at 6 o'clock
at the rate of five feet an hour.
Clinging to improvised RATS constructed
in the death battle from floating
boards and timbers, were agonized men,
women and children, their heartrending
shrieks for help striking horror to the
breasts of the on-lookers. Their cri es
we're of no avail. Carried along at rail-
| way speed on the breast of the rushing
torrent, no human ingenuity could de-
wise means of rescue.
With psllid checks and hair clinging
wet and dampto her cheek, a mother
was seen grasping a floating timber,
while with her other arm held her babe.
A special train pulled in at Bolivar at
II 80 and the train men were there no.
titled that further progress was impossi.
BILE. The greatest excitement prevailed
at this place, and parties of citizens are
out all the time, endeavoring to save the
poor unfortunates that are being hurled
to eternity in the rushing torrents.
REsCUING THE PERIsHING.
The tidal wave struck Bolivar Just
after dark, and in five minutes the
| Conemaugh rose from six to forty feet,
and the waters spread out over the
whole country. Soon houses began
floating down and, clinging to the debris
were men, women and children Shrek
ing for aid. A large number of citizens
at once gathered on the county bridge,
and they were reinforced by a number
from Garfield, town on the opposite side.
They brought number of ropes, and
these were thrown over into the boiling
waters. as persons drifted by, in their
efforts to save some poor being. For
half an hour all efforts were fruitless.
At last, when the rescuers were about
giving up hope, little boy astride
a shingle roof managed to catch
hold of one of the ropes. He caught
| it under his left arm, and was thrown
| violently against the abutment, but man.
aged to keep hold and was pulled on the
bridge amid the cheers of the onlookers
The boys name is Edward Hessler, aged
16. At midnight your correspondent Sc
cured an interview with him. His story
of the frightful calamity is as follows;
A RESCUED BOYS STORY.
"With my father l was spending the
day at my grandfather's house in Gam
bria City. In the house at the time were
Theodore, Edward and John Kintz and
John Kintz Jr., Miss Mary Kintz, Mrs.
Mary Kintz, wife of John Jr., Miss
Treacy Kintz, Mrs. Smith, John Hirsch
and four children, my father and
myself. Shortly after O'Clock
there was noise of roaring waters and
screams of the people. We looked out
OF the door and saw persons running.
My father told US to never mind, as the
waters would not rise further; but we
soon saw houses swept away and then
ran up to the floors above. The house
was three stories, and we were
at last forced to the top one.
In my fright 1 jumped on
bed it was an old-fashioned one, with
heavy posts. The water kept rising and
my bed was soon afoat. Gradually it
was lifted up. The air in the room grew
close and the house was moving. Still
the bed kept rising. At last the posts
pushed against the plaster. 1t yielded
and section of the roof gave
way. Then suddenly 1 found N.Y.
self on the roof and was be-
ing carried down the stream. After
little, this roof commenced to part,
and I was afraid l was going to be
drowned, but just then another house
with a shingle roof foated by, and l
managed to crawl on it, and floated down
until, nearly dead with cold, 1 was
saved. After l was freed from the
house did not see my father. My
grandfather was on a tree, but he must
have been drowned. as the water was
rising fast. John Kintz, Jr., was also
on tree. Miss Mary Kintz and Mrs.
Mary KintZ l saw drown. Miss Smith
was also drowned. John Kirsch was in
tree, but the four children were
drowned. The scenes were terrible,
Live bodiessand corpses were floating
down with me and away from me. II
would see person shrek and then he
would disappear. All along the line
were people who were trying to save us,
but they could do nothing, and only a
few more were caught"
This boys story is but one incident.
1t shows what happened to one family.
God only knows what has happened to
the hundreds who were in the path of
the rushing waters. 1t is impossible to
get anything in the way of news save
meagre details.
STORY OF AN EYEWITNESS.
An eyewitness at Bolivar Block Sta
tion tells story of unparalleled terror
ism which occurred at the lower bridge
which crosses the Conemaugh at this
point. a young man with two women
s,o,o .aox. oo,,,ipo Iamr A.