Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-06-07

ing, and the same day the lower part OF
Richmond was Hooded. Great damage
to the crops in the Shenandoah and
Rappahannock Valleys is also reported.
Later dispatches say two spans Of
the Long bridge across the Potomac at
Washington. adjoining the Georgetown
draw. fell on Monday and were carried
away.
PIrTsBURG, PA, June 1.-The
raging storms that have prevailed
through Pennsylvania the past few
days have resulted in an appalling
loss Of lite. The scene Of terrible
disaster is at Johnstown, Pa, in
Gambrea county, on the Balti'
more and Ohio railroad and the
Uonemaugh river. Two and a half
miles northeast OF the town is a
reservoir owned by a rich fishing
club. 1t is the largest reservoir in
the United States, being three and
and half miles long and from one
to one and a half miles wide. It's
depth in some places ls 100 feet. 1t
holds more water than any other
reservoir, natural or artificial, IN
the United States. 1t was held in
check by a dam. 1t is 30 feet in
thickness at the base and the
height is 11O feet. The top has a
breadth of oyer 20 feet. 1t was in
spected Once a month by the Penn.
sylvanla railroad engineers, aud
their investigation shows that
nothing less than some convulsion
of nature would tear the barrier
away and loosen the weapon of
death. The steady rains OF the
past twenty.iour hours increased
the volume of water In all tue
mountain streams which were al.
ready swelled by the lesser rains
early IN the week.
THE NATURE OF A cL0UD.BURsT.
From the best information OBJ
tainable at this time it is evident
that something in the nature of
cloud.burst must have been the
elimination Of the Struggle of
water against the embankmeDt.
The difficulty of obtaining definite
information added tremendously to
the excitement and Apprehension.
The course of the torrent from the
broken dam at the foot Of the lake
TO JOhnstOwn is almost eighteen
miles, and with the exception of
at one point the water passed
through a narrow V shaped va!!oy
Four miles below the dam lay the
town Of South Fork, where the
South Fork itself empties into
Conemsugh river. 47
FEARFUL LOSS OF LIFE.
The town contained abont 1000
inhabitants. IL has not been heard
from, bat It is said that four-htths
Oft mas been swept away. Four
miles further down, on the Cone.
maugh river, was the town of Min.
eral Point. 1t had 800 inhabitants,
and 90 per cent. of the houses were
on a fat close to the river. Itseems
impossible at this time TO hope that
any OF them have escaped. Six
miles fnrther down was the town
of Conemaugh, and here alone was
there a Typographical possibility Of
the speradiug Of the food and the
breaking ofit force, 1t contained
2, 800 lnhabitants. and must be al
most devastated. Woodvale, with
1000 people, lay amlle below Cone
maugh Ia q fat, and one mile fur.
ther down we're Johnstown aud its
cluster of sister towns, Cambria
aud Conemanghbofough, with a
total population of $4,000, on made
grOund. Iy.l fslflH w -
y FOUR THOUSAND LIVES l'Sf'
II is thought that as mauy.as fouf
thousand lives are lost. Ae tne
rivers verge we're the p,el,ss !.
Iron. works OF the Casg 20 w oo0 :,
steel StS Vompanl their plant Be
WV ,lnVestfa are are many etnor
sides % sA' ssaA'sstriaI establishments, 4, !, ~ y
large ~ ~ OF the river, the damHse
tue Sic6 % cannot be estimated. ts -
- a "d dispatch from New FIorepcs' g
s.vs the country people Mc
soymine soy INTO the news centers ~
.sree numbers, telling stories OF
disasters slI along the river oanks
in seclnded places. John nc, !,
Car tneu q carpenter, who liVes ..
.Johnstown, left that place ABOUT
balf.past four yesterday, says tne
scene was undiscribable.
The people of Jobnstown 9au
been warned esrly in the morning
to moye TO the highlands, but tney l
did not heed the warning, altnousn
il was repeated 3 number OF Times