Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-06-02

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love told at Belware. a woman and TWO
children were floating down the stream:
The mother caught rope and tried to hold
IL and her babe 1t was impossible, and,
with look of anguish, she relinqulshed |
her hold and sank with her two little ones |
clasped in the grasp that soon proved one |
of death.
EXPLANATION OF THE FLOOD.
A ride over the mountain road gives one
a good idea of the cause of the waterspout.
| Every creek was rushing river and every
| rivulet raging torrent.
The ground is watersoaked, and when
| the immense mountain district that drains
I into the Conemaugh above the South
Fork is taken into consideration, the terri
| BILE body of water that must have accumu-
lated can be realized, and gathering as 1t
did within few minutes, it came against
the breast of the South Fork dam with
! irresistible force.
The frightened natives along the Cone
maueh describe the flood as something
awful. The first came almost without
] warning, and the torrent came roaring
down the mountain passes in one huge
wave several feet in hight. After the first
swell the water continued to rise at fear
full rate.
The first shock is over and all prepare
tons are being made for the relief of the
| homeless and the recovery of the bodies of
those who went down in the flood.
SOME OF THE VICTIMS.
New FLORENCE pa. J. June 1st.-9 P. NJ
i 1t is now thought the property loss in the
vicinity of Johnstown to be about SILL
000, 600. G. w. Hoppenstall of Lincoln
avenue, in the east end of Pittsburg, dis
tinguished himself by his bravery yester-
day afternoon. He was messenger on the
mail train which had 10 turn back at Sang
Hollow. AS the train passed point where
the water was full OF struggling people, a
woman and child foated in near the shore.
The train was stopped and Hoppenstall
jumped into the water and in two trips
| saved both the mother and child.
Of the dead nearly sixty have been ident-
| flied, among whom were James Mcmillan,
the Superintendent of the Cambria Iron
Companys store, and his wife, four chill
dren and daughter-in-l law. John P. Linton,
a leading lawyer, his wife and five children.
| Mrs. Thomas Kirlen and two children.
John Nolan and seven of his family. DIR.
J George Wagner, wife and three children.
Frank 2. Bowman, wife and two children.
| Mrs. Richard Worthington and seven
| children. Pearson Fisher, wife and six
children.
HEARTRENDING SCENES.
Just before reaching Sang Hollow, the
end of the main line of the Pennsylvania
Railroad is signal tower, and the men in
| 1t told stories of what they saw so piteous
| that | could not listen to bali of it. Here
are some little odds and ends of the hap
penings they told me of: A beautiful girl
came down on the roof of building which
was swung in near the tower. She screamed
| to the operators to save her, and one brave
| fellow walked as far into the river as be
could and shouted to her to guide herself
into shore with bit of plank. She was
| plucky girl and stood upon her frail sup
| port in evident obedience to the command
of the operator. She made two or three
| bold strokes and actually stopped the
course of the raft for an instant, then it
swerved and went out from under her.
She tried to swim ashore, but in a few sec
onds she was lost in the swirling water.
| Something hit her, for she lay quietly on
her back, with her face pallid and express
| siOnless.
| BORNE ON THE WINGS OF DEATH.
Two men on a tiny raft shot by in the
strongest part of the current. They
crouched, stolidly looking at the shores, |
while between them, dressed in white and
kneeling with her face turned heavenward, |
was little girl or years old. When |
| she came opposite the tower she turned her
| face to the operator and he was so close he |
could see the big tears on her cheeks and |
her pallor was deathlike. The helpless |
men on the shore shouted 10 her to keep |
up her courage, and she resumed her de- |
vout attitude and disappeared under trees |
OF the projecting point a short distance be- |
! low. I'VE could not see her come out |
! again" said the operator, land that was
all of it."
| do you see that fringe of trees?" said |
the operator, pointing to place where the
| little girl had gone out of sight We'll |
we saw scores of children swept in there. |
! believe that when the time comes they will
| find almost 100 bodies of little children in
| tn ere among those bushes"
RoBB1NG THE DEAD.
Men and women in dozens, in pairs and
singly, children, boys, big and little, and |
wee babies We're there, in among the awful |
confusion, drowning, grasping, struggling |
and fighting desperately for lie.
Just above New Florence is the little |
town of Ninevah. 1t was here that l found |
the first charnel-house. Here were 100 |
dead, the larger portion of whom were |
women. Acre it was that the awful work |
of the freshet could be most forcibly real |
lied. What had been fertile farms looked |
like worn out briCkyards. Great trees had |
been twisted and torn like weeds, and the |
broken household goods of hundreds of |
houses line the shores for miles. Thieves, |
those who steal from the dead and unfor- |
tunate, have been busily at work robbing |
the trunks, boxes and articles of furniture, |
and there is nothing worth taking left ex- |
cept the lumber. Every now and then
CHASTITY OUTLINES
Could be seen in the water, being swept |
down stream. Two miles from this town |
is the tower of the Pennsylvania Railroad |
Company, and here it is that the greatest |
railroad in the world ends suddenly in the |
river. For more than 1000 feet the entire |
track is wiped out. The rails, ties and |
even the ballast of the north track is en- |
tirely washed away.
This is the nearest telegraphic point to |
Johnstown, and the delay in getting off |
news dispatches has been fairly madden |
ing. The Associated Press expedition was |
first in the field, and was ready with thou |
sands of words of specials, but no wires |
could be had from II A. NJ. until almost |
p. NJ.
No special trains could be hired, no loco |
motives were to be bought, and the situa-
ton can be appreciated.
PASSENGER TRAIN WRECKED AND LOST.
PITTsBURG, June LIST. - A Greensburg |
special says: The first section of the day |
express, which passed here at clock, was |
ldyluS DetWeeu Gang HOLLOW ana johns |
| town yesterday afternoon when the waters |
| came down. The flood cut one of the cars |
containing about fifty or sixty passengers |
loose and 1t was carried away and it is sup
posed the passengers persisted. Few of the |
occupants of the other cars it is thought |
escaped, but it is doubtful. S. NJ. Bell of |
Latrobe was the conductor, and he escaped |
| by assistance rendered him.
special train was chartered by the |
newspapers to carry provisions, medicines |
and clothing to the nearest possible point |
| to the Johnstown Railroad. The conductor |
who arrived in this city this morning said : |
! There is no telling how many lives were
lost We got as far as Bolivar, and l tell |
| you
IT WAS A TERRIBLE SIGHT.
| The body of boy was picked up by some
of us there, and there were seven bodies re-
covered altogether. | do not think any
one got into Johnstown, and it is my
! opinion they will not get in very soon No |
one who is not on the grounds has any idea |
of the damage done. 1t will be at least a |
week before the extent of this food is |
known, and then think many bodies will !
never be recovered"
A dispatch from Ninevah says There |
appears to be large number of people |
| lodged in the trees and rubbish along the |