The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-06-07

borough and Cambria City.
OTHER DISTRESSED TOWNS.
| PITTSBURGH. Pa, June 1.-Reports from
along the Kiskiminetas river into which
the Conemaugh empties are most distress.
ing. The river near Saltsburgh is filed
with wreckage and number of persons
were noticed clinging to such timber as
would bear their weight At Blairsville
men are stationed on the bridges and
banks in the hope of rescuing some of
those who were being carried down the
| stream.
The volume of water is unprecedented.
The iron bridge connecting Blairsvile
with Blairsville Intersection has been
carried away and with it a train of heav.
| lily loaded cars standing upon the bridge
to bod it in place. This was the largest
| sylvania road. 1t is thought that all of
the West Pennsylvania railroad bridges
| will share a similar fate
All the towns i'm the Kiskimenatas val.
ley are expected to be submerged. Among
them are Livermore. Salisbury. Apollo.
Leschburg and Avonmore. having popu.
lations of from 5000 to 10000 each The
inhabitants along thu river have been
warned. but are almost panic stricken al
the idea of their great loss of property,
which is inevitable.
Later reports from Coketown is to the
effect that the entire town is submerged
and a number Of lives have been lost u
that place.
| THE FATAL RESERVOIR
PITTSBURGH. Pa, June LIN order
! to understand the nature of this
4 10, - he
the location of the reservoir at Johnstown
| 1t lies about two and one half miles north.
east of Johnstown and is the site of the
| cd reservoir which was one of the feeders
of the Pennsylvania canal. 1t is the
property of a number of wealthy gen.
tlemen in Pittsburgh, who formed
them selves into corporation the title
OF which is the South Fork Fishing anC
Hunting Club. This sheet of water was
| formerly known as Conemaugh lake. II
was from 200 10 800 feet above the level OF
John town, being in the mountains. II
was about three and one half miles long
and from a mile to a mile and quarter
in width and in some places it was 100 feet
in depth, 1t held more water than any Other
reservoir, natural or artificial, in the
| United States. 1t had been quadrupled
"
in cheek by a dam from 100 to 1000
| feet wide, ninety feet in thickness al
The base and of the height of no
feet The top had a breadth of over
twenty feet Recognizing the menace
which the lake was to the region below, the
South Fork club had the dam inspected
once a month by the Pennsylvania rail-
road engineers, and their investigations
i chn cd hot 1o-c fhon
vulsion of nature would tear the barrier
away and loosen the weapon of death.
NARROWING SCENES.
DERRY, Pa, June IA fool of death
swept down the Allegheny mountains
yesterday afternoon and last night al.
most the entire city of Johnstown was
4 swimming about in the rushing, angry
| tide Dead bodies were floating about in
every direction and almost every piece OF
movable timber was carrying from the
doomed city a corpse of humanity drift.
| ing with the raging waters, God knows
| where.
At Derry group Of railway officials
| were gathered who had come from
Bolivia. the end of the passable portion OF
the road westward They had seen bat
small portion of the awful flood, but
enough to allow them to imagine the rest.
Down through the pack saddle came the
rushing waters. The wooded heights OF
the Alieshanies looked down in solemn
| wonder at the scene of the most terrible
destruction that ever struck the romantic
valley of the Conemaugh. The water was
rising when the men left at six O'Clock at
the rate of five feet an hour.
Clinging to improvised RATS, con.
a 81
| boards and timbers were agon zed men,
women and children, their heartrendine
shrieks for help striking horror to the
breasts of the oDlookers. Their cries were
of no avail Carrie along at railway
speed on the breast of this rushing tor
rent, no human ingenuity could devise q
means of rescue.
With paliid cheeke and hair clingine
| wet and d amp to her cheek, a mother was
seen grasping a floating timber. while
| with her other arm she held her babe.
The tidal wave struck Bolivar just after
dark and in five minutes the Conemaugh
| rose from six to forty feet and the waters
spread out over the whole country. Soon
| houses began floating down and clingine
to the debris were men. women and chill.
dren sh,ieking for aid. A large number
| bridge and they were reinforced by
number from Garfield, town on the oppo-
| site side. They brought number of ropes
and these were thrown over into the boil
ing waters as unfortunates drifted by.
Up the river there was a sudden crash
AMI section of the bridge was washed
away and fioated down the stream, strik-
ing the tree and washing it away. All
| hrn init hn nd
were drowned before the eyes of the hor.
rified spectators just opposite the town of
Bolivar.
Early in the evening woman with her
two children were seen to pass under the
bridge at Bolivar ciinging to the roof of
| coal house. A rope was lowered to her but
she shook her head and refused to desert
the children. 1t was rumored that all
three were saved at Cokeville, few miles
below Bolivar.
A later report from Lockport says that
the residents succeeded in rescung FIVE
people from the fiood-two women and
three men. One man succeeded in getting
cut Of the water unaided. They were
kind taken care of by the people of the
town.
A little girl passed under the bridge just
before dark. She was kneeling on part of
floor and had her hands clasped as if in
prayer. Every effort was made to save
her, but they all proved futile. A rail.
reader who was standing by remarked
that the piteous appearance of the little
waif brought tears to his eyes.
There is absolutely no news from Johns
town. The little city is entirely cut of
from communication with the outside
world The damage done is inestimable.
No one can tell its extent The Cambria
Iron Commands works are built on made