The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-01
CORPSES BY THE SCORE.
TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE CAUSED
BY A FRESHET.

Many Parts of the Country-Danger
on the Lakes.
PrrrsBuRG, May 31-A sudden freshet is
rep 7rted in The Nlrth Fork river east of
.Johnstown, Pa, in the Allegheny noun
tains. Two-thirds Of Johnstown is said to
be under water, and the railroad and tele-
graph lines are washed out. 1t is said that
the reservoir above wn broke about
o'clock this eve ing and an immense
volume of water rushed down to the
city. carrying with it death and
destruction. The houses with their occu-
pants were sweps away, and scores, prob
ably hundreds, of people drowned There
is no communication with Johrsto wa, but
a telegraph operator on the Pennsylvania
railroad tower at Long Hollow, twelve
miles tbs side of Johnstown, says at
least seventy-fve dead bodies have
floated past. The wires are all
down ard 10 trains are running east of
Blalrsvlie junction. which is ab tive ty-
five miles west Of Johns own. There is no
way t. G # to the scene of the disaster and
full pa ticulars can hardly be obtained to-
MIC t, although every effort is being made
TO the east before to morrow.
GROWING WORSE.
PIrTsBURG, May 81, 1l:30 P. M-The
latest information recei we'd from Johnstown
comes through Pennsylvania railroad Off
cials, who aver that 200 dead bodies We
been counted hoati down the stream at
Johnstown alone, while along the line many
additional lives have been lost. Il is as
serted that there are b t two hou ,es in
.johnstown ur per entire above the wa er
line A sreciai train bearing Pennsylvania
read officials and a large number of ne vs.
paper men has lef this city + + the scene
Ielegraphic communication is enti. ely cut
of.
FLEEING TO THE MOUNTAINS.
A special from Gree sburg says: ga re-
port h Just reached here that The greater
portion of Johustown has been flooded and
hundreds Of lives lost. Houses are floating
about and pe1Ple who are free are panic
stIicEen and are fe i e 10 the mountains
At a point near New Flo g ce eighty
five persons have been seen h)ating
dowl river OIL drifCwood. OAe re-
port comes that but two roofs Of houses in
John,taw can be seen. The Covetown d
New Florence bridges have been wasae
away, d all buildings al ng the Core
maugh river tween New F o ence and
oOuho0tNn hdN0 OCrh CdIllSu away. he
raiir al towers have been abandoned by
tie operators
CLINGING TO THE ROOFS.
Another special from Greensburg, Pa,
says: "JohnstOwn is couuleuely sub Merged
the loss of life is be e.ti mating.
HOUSES are going down Conema .gl rive
by the dozen and people can be Sc N cl ng
ing to the roofs. AT CakeJown, village f
several hundred ihabitants, th5 houses are
almost entirely covered, and a great
many d. ellings at Blairsville are sab
merged. Scarcely ling in the
vicinity of Sang Hollow caa be seen. The
bridges at Bolivar and Nineva, it is re-
ported, have give wa, and th 1t at Salts
burg. it Is feared, will bs carried away.
People here who have frie ds in the Fl )od ID
district are eagerly waiting for ews at tn
telegraph office. Great uneasiness prevails.
TIE river at Liverinore is rising and great
destruction will follow"
PRosTRArIoN OF THE WIRES.
BRADDoCKs, PA, MAJ 3l.-tEn route to
the seem of the disas-er). The telegraph
wire baing down for six or seven miles
below the immediate scene OF the disaster,
and being i'll unw0rkahle s'iape three miles
distant, it " as at least O'clock before an
outline Of the effec If the Jounsto wn tidal
wave could be learned.
The Sang Hoil W railroad operat II
officially reports that before dark they were
able t. count ll9 perso s clinginy to raj
mgs, WrecAage, or drowned and floating in
the current If this Information i,
to be credited tie damage in the
town proper must be in the atu e
OF clean sweep. As early as | o'clock al
alarm was sent to Johnstown tat there
was da ger from the dam The railroa
ofhrias ere notitis I'd in a very short
time began to carry people from the to n
10 place of safe y on regular trains aid
hastlly lmprovised rescuing trains.
DAM BURST.
The reservoir dam at S nth Fork, which
Is said TO have b rst with such terrible re-
suits, Is described by a gentleman ac-
quainted wi the locality to be an imme Sc
body of water forme ly used as a
water supply for the Pennsylvania
canal 1t has been owned for several
years by number of Pi6tsburg gentlemen
who used it as fijhi z grou ID. The gen.
ueman who gave this information aid that
IL Cne report of the bars ing Of the dam
was true he had no doubt that the damage
ana loss # life was fully as great as indI-
Gated in he dispatches.
HIGH WATER AT RICHMOND.
LYNcHBURG, VA, May 3l.--James river,
at thls point, is % feet above ordinary tide,
an an all communication is cut off On the
hlchnond and Allegheny road. On the
upper river there have been heavy rains for
sue pa It two days, aud three inches of rain
nas fallen since last night up to IL O'clock
Tonight The river is rising rapidly and
hluc damage has been done in tue lower
part OF the city. The water works are full
Vi water and the city is in dark ness.
RAN ALONG THE RIVER
HAGERSTOwN, Nd, Nav 31.-A terrific
STORM passed over the Potomac river dis
orlct of Washington unity yester iay
afternoon. 1t emed TO TO low the course
ol the river, leaving d struction in its track,
ana blowing do n buildings, trees and
FENCES, and running growing crops. Tee
SIaph and teleph ne wires are down and it
Is impossible to obtain particulars.
BIG BLOW ON THE LAKES.
CHICAGO, May 30.-Yester,iay and last
nlgh6 fierce ga ranged over Lakes On
IIlo I@Ilo and Erie, and portions of Lakes
huron and Michigan. All around The axes
vessels are reported wind-bound and driven
ashore. Al Chicago the wind reached a
Eei1cl'y of forty miles al hour, and anum-
uer OF vessels We forced to anchor out-
SIDE. At Port Huron white caps were
orlyen before "a gale of forty-e,ght mii-s
ana across the river at Sar-
Ala fleet Of big boats was bound
up afraid to move The storm is moving
eastward and Lake Michiga viii probably
oe free from unusual wind to-day Al
O'Clock last night u north wind was blow
ing at the following ports with the veloci "
gwen: Chicago 40 miles, Milwaukee AZ