Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-06
AFTER THE GREAT FLOOD.
A SACRAMENTO GIRL at THE :scENE
OF THE TERRIBLE DISASTER.
How the People Conduct Themselves
Under Trying Circumstance
The Relief Fund.
SEwIcKLY, Pa, June &c, 1889.

EDS. REcoRD-UNIoN: Yesterday party
of thirty-four of US started for Johnstown
and the neighboring country that was the
recent scene Of so much sorrow. The ex-
cursion was sort of professional one,
inasmuch as it was organized for the bene-
Mt of some newspaper men, Who very
kindly made up party TO accompany the
knights of the pen, and, being among the
invited, gladly ayailed myself Of the
opportunity. Our party had a car, and we
left Pittsburg at 8 a. N. on the regular
express. We started out full of wonder
and sympathy, hardly knowing just what
we did expect to see All kinds of pictures
have been in circulation, but even though
you can form some idea of the place, vet
pictures are by no means the reality. The
idea that we we're soon to look upon so
much destruction filed US with awe. We
went first to South Fork, the upper end of
the stricken country and three miles from
the broken dam. Arriving at South Fork.
we could find but two dirt wagons in
which to convey our crowd to the historical
spot. These coLveyances were soon filed
with straw, and as many as could piled in,
and the rest of Us walked On and on we
trudged, up Hill and down dale, through a
beautiful, rolling country, and finally came
in sight of
THE MEMORABLE DAN
And erstwhile lake. Feeling the greatest
interest IN the damaged section, l resolved
myself into an amateur photographer for
the time being, and made the most of my
opportunity. The little river running
peacefully along was utterly unconscious
oil the late great grievance. The nice,
20. lySl' ~ w. - 'l'G' NOV 10 VHiy d
dam yara 5,aat cnriGsfias 70 NJ TLa dn,
was ninety foot Liab ord as ,,,, - -
tbn e5ge NJ tbe nraci,;co a,,5 IoaoI -,
into the treat bola whore onco bod 49,
sh;ninT sheet NJ wotay ,va stood j., y,,Cr,.
der,npt
On the onnosite side from, nc and come
way bevopj we conld SEQ the eIsaanr cInb-
bonses. Some Of them wore huiit ot d, cost
of thousands Of dollars At Tho i'm. he
dam commenced tn olive yya,r tho yocb+ he
- longino 10 the elub 1,a,,,lar, ~, ,,,,,1,
the lake with n nlaser.a pa:tv 7, Ia
noored safely and in a feIy minutes nos
hiob and drv many feet .,h,,.a tba ,r,tor
and Is now surrounded e,t;roly b,, dr1
land. as the Conemaugh river i tbc o-,Iy,
water around Wa vent nv, 4, rlooa our, 4
nv a Soutb ForI, pertlama, Who told re
eighty feet Of his land had heer CARRIED
away bv the ru-bfnr- ,vata, TJ;s LC,so
looked rs .bougb il had baer b,iIt on 10
edra of a daclaVitv and ! now totaIIg Ja-
void of anv yard We returned an the
other side Of the river crossipg ON the re-
mains or d., o,co s,l;5 HID ", -,
on down the land the river arcroarbsS
rrop hen If
RACED 50 FAST AVN rrprors
All alone the lime of march tho
SIGHTS wore d,aolf,l - taLoId L,,t ~ -
ciTcunstana. IA tEose Thai met ,1- g,,1s %
we inprraved an M / nbnsto,rn Ar2 o'olocI-
we had our car attached 10 the 5c,or,r,os
da.i2u train and came on baC!, this ,Tsy
foward The Inflated cifv Fr.;-b. ~
yyav ont on tho hillside c,rria5 fLe-o I,,
the current Toro,notiyss n;Iad o., t,,,' Is
each otber and L,riad IN in 10 -
Whole trains If coaches ti5nad oyer Side.
wise and even in that Unsatisfactory con
ditiou we're being used far shelter /,
spite of dire calamity tbe-a are c,,aer
sightsa that meet the aye-ro,lsine, a sense
of the ridiculons in enita of feeI;nos - he
coptrarv--7rfI. we co,ild no. holm hT,. sn,;Ie
For instance on a car yzgv ont IN the mid
die of the road YVES b1ga sion sAsto-
House" Close inspection proyed i 10 he
2 Temporary resturant and Il raalIv made
quite presentable dinina-roarn under the
circumstances. In another car WINS
Adams Express Company; in another the
railroad depot and 50 on illustrating the
fact that Necessity is the mother Of in
ventionn-a cuaipt and primitive littIa
town. but all sufficient for the time being.
,,.-...-.-
-, Vt Mn
were az work al! along the road, and Ii
dia seem almost incredible that IN so snort
frsn ,rsstIs oya ~, o ~ 49,, os il,
seemed very frail affair. but We knew they
were good and strong.
One Of the strangest sights was the cen
ter portion of bridge apparently sus-
pended in mid-air. and on either side for
hundreds Of feet there wasn't any sion
that bridge had ever been there. An
along were all sorts of things 1vino on the
grp1nd-clo,hinc. carpets. and everything
Imaginable. As we neared Jobnstown the
destruction seemed more conplete Where
had been bo-oughs and vilares there was
nothing left. They were literally razed 10
The ground and the remains swept swev
in the food In some rIaces the rronnd
was smooth AZ glass showing with what
terrible force the water cams down from
the hills. Then aoain. 20 the roadbad
wound around and the debris fonnd oh.
str,ctions in tho wav Il niIaJ bigb
and made . mass of w-aci,,Ga HorSes
that were not DESTROYED We tnrnad
sideways and bottom side mn vitbo1i
mercy On~ bnrons If rrrio.itv sn-aIy
r,re66ni,atad for tho more w We COW w. ~
NO. We r,pted 70 SOC ~ ~ 800
we had -e.rbeJ Tobns+eTy, a3d .,'9 aa .,t-ie
sLower was I.II;nr ." ''''' . s'4'''
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