The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1889-06-08
THE CONEMAUGH HORROR.
Cities and Villages Swept Away and Thou
sands OF Lives Lost.

Sltles anu villages swept Away anu Ahou-
sands OF Lives Lost.
| The most appalling disaster in the his
tory of the United States occurred on
Friday night last, filling the whole valley
of the Conemaugh in western Pennsyl-
vania with ruin and death. For more
than twenty four hours previous the
western portion of the state had been
visited by the most violent rain storm in
| fifty years. Every creek became rush
| ing river, and every rivulet raging tor
rent. The tiooG eliminated in an awful
catastrophe. The dam at the great res
ervolr eighteen miles northeast of Johns
town broke about ) O'Clock in the even
ing, adding its immense volume of water
TO the already flooded valley, forming an
/ irresistible wall of water which swept
everything before it. The food reached
Johnstown about O'clock. The roaring,
rushing torrent came dashing madly
down, bearing with it the most terrible
destruction that ever visited the roman
tic valley of the Conemaugh. The water
rose at the rate of five feet an hour.
Houses and buildings of every kind were
swept from their foundations and sent
/ spinning dow the river. Thousands of
shriel1ing, agonized wretches were over
whelmed with the waters and carried
away at railroad speed Oh the breast of
the torrent. Words fail to describe the
awful terrors Of the scene. When night
came on and darkness settled over the
mountains the horror of the scene in
creased. Above the roar of the waters
could be heard the piteous appeals OF the
unfortunates as they were swept down
the stream. Suddenly brilliant illumi-
nation lit up the sky, adding to the ter
ror that filled the whole country. The
light came from the burning wrecks of
buildings piled upon the Johnstown
bridge, where several hundred had taken
refuge from the flood only to meet death
in the flames.
In order to understand the nature of
the calamity and give an idea of the inn
mense volume OF water contained in the
reservoir 1t is necessary to give it's loca
ton and that of JohnstoWn. The reser-
voir lies about eighteen miles northeast
of JohnstoWn and is the site of the old
reservoir which was one Of the feeders
OF the Pennsylvania canal. 1t is 200 to
300 feet above the level Of Johnstown,
being in the mountains. 1t is about 315
miles long and from | to a miles wide,
and some places it is 100 feet in depth
1t holds more water than any other res
eryoir, natural or artificial, in the United
States. The lake has been quadrupled
in size by artificial means and was held
in check by a dam 100 to 100 feet wide
1t is ninety feet in thickness at the base
and the height is 10 feet The top has
breadth of over 30 feet. Recognizing
the menace which the lake had to the
the dam inspected once month by the
Pennsylvania railroad engineers, and
their investigation showed that nothing
less than some convulsiCn Of nature
would tear the barrier away and loosen
the weapon of death. Johnstown, the
center of the terrible disaster, is the
principal town in the route OF the great
flood. 1t is located in Cambria county,
on the Pennsylvania railroad, 70 miles
east OF pittsburg, and had, With it's sub
Conemaugh river flows through the
north part OF the town, and Stony creek
through the south part. Across the
Conemaugh river was built the massive
stone bridge which so successfully re-
sisted the flood. The Conemaugh runs
in a northwesterly direction at Johns
town for about ten miles and tnen sud
denly defects to the southwest and
again to the northwest. Tho towns
along the river that suffered most from
~ ! ,l,rir, Sto,fr 1! ciintV NrN
Florence. Conelnaugh Furnaces and boi-
war, the last named village being ABOUT
20 miles down the valley from johns
town.
The waters receded almost as rapidly
as they had risen, and 1T was only then
that the extent of the damage and ap-
palling loss of life became apparent. 1t
! is no exaggeration to say that there were
mourners in almost every family I'D The
valley. The loss of life as shown by the
latest estimates is between lO,OOO and
| 1900 persons.
| The coffin manufactures of Plttsburg
we're worked to their fullest capacity to
furnish collins for the victims One
train load of 1900 was sent out Sunday
morning and distributed at various
points along the river where the dead
had been collected.
The property loss will reach about
s3O.OOO.OOO. Johnstown is the most com
plete wreck that the imagination car
portray. Probably 1,50O houses have
been swept away from the face OF the
earth as completely as though they hae
never been erected. Main street from
end to end is piled from fifteen to twenty
feet high with debris, and in some IN
stances it is as high as the roofs CT tht
houses. This great mass Of wreckas.
fills the street from curb to curb. ant
frequently has crushed the fronts o
buildings in and filled the space with re
minders of the terrible calamity.
To increase the atfiiction that has Wis
tied the inhabitants of Johnstown, thos
who sought safety in fight to the hill
are now suffering from pneumonl
scourge which bids fair to add to tn
number of victims. Death has pursue'
them to their highest places and terro
will not die. Every little house on tn
hill land there are hundred or two c
| them) had thrown its doors open to re
: ceiye the bruised and half clad fugitive
l on the dark day of the deluge, and ever
> one is now crude hospital. Hall oi IN
women who had scaled the height WeT
i so overcome with fright that they has
:; been bed ridden ever since. There ha
been pneumonia on the hill, but only
S few isolated cases. Now, however. SCI
e eral fresh cases developed among th
9 food fugitives, and a local physician sa.
I the prospects for a scourge were all ts
S promising. The enfeebled condition
the patients, unhealthy atmosphere pc
:, vading the valley and the necessary clio:
t quarters in which the people are crowde
It render the spread of disease almost ce
q tain.
}, Human vultures in the shape of HUI
S rarians have infested Johnstown ar
It vicinity, plundering the dead bodies
is food victims, and in many instances M
e tiiated the bodies to secure finger al
Il ear rings. A number have been she
s. drowned and lynched by the indlsna
" citizens, who have in a measure 7
y strained these human ghouls. Tales
k indescribable horror come to light, al
sr deeds OF the vilest nature, perpetrated
1t the darkness of the night, are being u
covered. Saturday night party OF
t. Hungarians were noticed stealthily pic
q ing their way along the banks OF t
is Conemaugh towards Sang Hollow. Sc
- - - -, !, ~, al +borca1voc and STA