The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-06-06
DEVASTATION.
Thousands of Lives and Millions of
Dollars Worth of Property Destroy
ed by the Recent Rains.

town pa ON Friday last was caused in great
part by the bursting Of a lake near that city;
This lake was formerly the reservoir OF the ola
Pennsylvania Canal, and had been abandoned
f0r iat purpose and converted into 8 lake by
. hunting Club and they had erected large
hotel snd club house on its shores with boat
houses stean-vachts while Summer cottages
dotted its banks This lake was eight miles
.ong by about two and one-half miles vide,
and was II miles up the Conemaugh from
sohnstown. Ithad been strengthened by COM
petent Engineers, who had only recently de-
clared il perfectly safe. But the terrible rain
storms Of last week filled it TO Oyerfiowing,
and II burst its barriers as though they were
made OF paper, the water running down the
narrow gorge Of the C0nemaugh River like an
avalanche sweeping houses and other obstruc-
tions before IL like grain before moving ma
chine.
To make The calamity still more horrible a
stone bridge across the Conemaugh at the lower
end Of the city stopped the wreckage of houses
floating down the mad torrent piling 1t 30 feet
high. This mass took fire and cremated hun
dFeds of bodies so that nothing tangible can be
formed of the real number of persons who have
persisted until the excitement subsidies and a
count Of those who escaped can be made; then
1t may be possible to come near TO the actual
loss Of life, which, however, will never be
really known. The fire is still burning.
The destruction OF property is incalculabie.
Fifteen hundred houses were washed away
with ali their contents, and dispatch states
that the Cambria Iron Co.'S plant, on the North
side Of the Conemaugh River, at Johnstown,
is q complete wreck. Until this dispatch was
received il was not thought that this portion of
the plant HAD been seriously injured. 1t was
known that the portion of the plant located on
the south bank of the river was washed away,
and this was thought to be the extent OF the
damage to the property of that immense c0rpo-
ration. The plant is said to be valued at S.
000000 The awful torrent came down the
narrow defle between the mountains dis
%ance Of nine miles, and with fall of 300 feet
in that distance swept away the villages of
South Fork, Mineral Point, Woodvale and
C0nemaugh, leaving but one building standing,
q wooden mill, where but an hour before had
stood hundreds and dashed on with the roar Of
cataract and the speed of the wind upon the
fair city at the foothills.
large number OF the most prominent citi-
zens Of JohnstoEn are among the dead, and
several streets of the city were swept clean
Cinder, Market, Main, Locust and Washington
streets suffered the most, and are bare of all
buildings and their inhabitants seem 10 have
fed into the streets az the first warning of
danger and thus rushed TO their deaths, for
those who remained in their houses had an op-
p0rtunity TO fee TO the upper stories. Where
the houses were frame they were floated from
their foundations, and many were saved.
Although warned 10 fee to the hillsides many
4
I'd about the mills and were enguifed in an
instant. To-day their bodies are strewn along
the Gonemaugh, kiskimInetas and Allegheny
Rivers, and are being caught as far down the
Ohio as Rochester Below the mills is Cam
bTia, a sub borough. in which district reside
probably 1000 people. The scenes here are but
q repetition of the other parts Of the food
washed town.
THE LOCATION AND SURROUNDINGS OF THE
PLACE.
Most important and prosperous of the many
little towns and villages of the busy manu-
featuring district of the Concmaugh River
Valley was JohnstOwn, seyenty-eight miles
east of Pittsburg. the southernmost point in the
valley, lying IN the fork of the Conemaugh
River. flowing from the northeast, and Stony
Creek, running from the southeast, and distant
from the C0nefnaugh Lake and reservoirs about
Ia miles. Its population consisted of some
$4,000 souls, and here was situated the extern
sive plant OF the Cambria Iron Co.'S works
and many fine buildings including High
School two Catholic Churches, an Episcopal
Church aud two large halls besides the homes
of the inhabitants To the northeast of Johns
teTn is a table land, stretching away toward
Conemaugh Lake. and the line of the Pennsyl-
Fania Railroad ran along the bank Of the river,
crossing and recrOssng it from CressOn, high
up in the Allegheny Mountains, to JohnstOwn,
passing through the villages Of East C0nenaugh,
Franklin. MoOdyale and COnemaugh At
JohnstoWn the railroad was met by branch
from the southeast along the course of Stony
Creek, aud with the river took turn 10 the
west and upon il was situated Cambria CITY
Sang Hollow, AIneEeh, Lockport, Bolivar and
Blairsville la the order named. Each of these
small places ranged in population from 500 to
$500 inhabitants, aggregating in popula-
ton some 5000. North and northwest of
JohnstOEn tower the mOuntains the greatest
II. IL ~rAgr.
Just below JohnStown, on the south side of
Stony Creek, were the homes of :, 900 working
men employed by The iron and steel works
across the creek. These were placed on the
lowest ground Of al. and of course could not
help being overwhelmed by the food, nor was
there any possible means of escape.
Increasing Horrors.
EVERY ACCOUNT BRINGS INCREASED CASUAL
TIES.
Developments OF every hour make il more
apparent that the loss of life at Johnst0wn will
never be fully known. All the estimates I'D
to the tine of going to press are very conserva-
tive, and over 1900 bodies have been found.
while the most skePtical concede that thou
sands Of bodies still lie under the debris at the
stone bridge, which ceased to burn on Tues
day, the fre-engines from Pittsburg having
been playing upon the burning mass for the
past two days.
The population Of JOhnstOwn, the surround
ing towns, and the part of the valley affected
by the food is, or was, from $4,000 TO $4,000
Associated Press representatives Monday inter
viewed numerous leading citizens of Johns
town who survived the flood and the concen-
sus Of opinion was that fully 80 per cent. of
the residents Of JOhnstoWn and Cambria had
been victims Of the continued disasters of fire
and water. If this be true the total loss OF
life in the entire valley cannot be less than
1000 or 5000, and possibly much greater.
OF the thousands who were Devoted by the
flames and whose ashes rest beneath the smok-
ing debris above JohnstoWn bridge 10 definite
information can ever be obtained As little
viii be learned Of the hundreds that sank be-
meath the current and were borne swiftly down
the COnemaugh only to be deposited hundreds
OF miles below on the banks aud In the drift
wood of the raging Ohio
The most conservative estimates place the
number OF lives lost at fully 5000 The pre-.
eaIlng impression is the loss will reach from,
5000 TO 10000. There are many widows and
orphans, and q great many wounded. The
property destroyed will reach $25, 009000 Thu
popular estimate is SA0000000 TO $4,000 600
Adj teen. Hastings Monday afternoon teIe
graphed President Harrison requesting that
Government pontoons be furnished to enable !
safe passageWay to be made across the field NJ
charred ruins above JOhnstOwn bridge for the
purpose OF prosecuting search for the dead
Late at night an answer was received from thu
President stating that pontoons would be al
nTIce faFpra FF7pd " fFa Gacratarxr 81 W.