The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-02
Fully 5000 Lives Lost by
the Bursting Of the Dam.
The People Forewarned but too
SkepticaI to Flee.

sons Roasted alive on houses That
Caught Fire While Floating Down
With the Torrent-A Train Swept
Away With Its Passengers.
GREENsBURG, Pa, June 1.-The reser-
yoir the bursting OF which created such
havoc at Johnstown, was formerly known
as Conemaugh Lake. 1t is from 200 to 800
feet above the level of Johustown, being in
the mountains. 1t is about three and a
half miles long and from a mile to one and
quarter miles in width and in some places
it is 100 feet in depth. 1t holds more water
than any other reservoir, natural or arti-
fcial, in the U tied States The lake has
been quadrupled in size by artificial means
and was held in check by dam from 700
to 1000 feet wide. 1t is 90 feet in thick
ness at the base and its hight is 40 feet The
top has breadth of over 20 feet. Recog.
nizing the men CO which the lake had to
the region below, the South Fork Club had
the dam inspected once q month by the
Pennsylvania railroads engineers, and their
investigation showed that nothing less than
some convulsion of nature would tear the
barrier away. The steady rains of the past
forty-eight hours increased the volume Of
water in all the small mountain streams,
which were already swollen by lesser rains
earlier in the week.
CLOUDBURST.
From the best Information obtainable it
is evident that something in the nature of
cloudburst must have been the elimination
of e struggle of the water against the
embankment. The course of the torrent
from the broken dam at the foot of the lake
at JOhnstown is almost eighteen miles, and
with the exception of one point, the water
passed through narrow syn shaped val
ley Four miles below the dam lay
the town Of South Fork, where the
South Fork itself empties into Conemaugh
river. The town contained about 1000 in
habitants. Four miles farther down on the
Conemaugh river, which runs parallel with
the main line of the Pennsylvania railroad.
was the town of Mineral Point. 1t had 800
Inhabitants, 80 per cent. of the houses being
on fiat and close to the river. Six miles
farther down was the town of Conemaugh,
and here alone was there a Typographical
possibility Of the spreading of the flood and
the breaking of its force. This town con-
tained 2, 800 inhabitants.
Woodvale, with 1900 people, lay a mile
below Conemaugh in a fat, and one mile
farther down were Johnstown and its clus-
ter Of sister towns, Cambria City and
Conemaughborougn with a total popula-
tion of 10000 On made ground, and
were the immense iron works of the Cam
bria Iron and Steel Company, who have
S5,OO0,000 invested in their plant. Besides
this there are many other large industrial
establishments on the bank OF the river.
WARNINGS UNHEEDED.
The calamity was as singular as fatal.
1t is very evident that many lives have
been lost by the foolish incredulity of the
people, who were heedless of the warnings
Of danger. For more than year there
were fears of an accident of lust such
character as the one that has happened.
The foundations Of the dam were
considered to be shaky early last
spring, and many increasing leakages
were reported from time tc, time according
to people who live in Johnstown and other
townso the line of the.river. Ample time
was given TO the Johnstown folks by @
railroad officials and by other gentleman Of
standing and reputation. In dozens, yes
hundreds of cases this warning was utterly
dlsregarded d those who needed it
serly IN the day were looked upon as
towards, and many jeers wore uttered by
lips that are now cold among the rank
grass beside the river. One poor nameless
woman who looked with sightleSs eyes at
gray clouds from the Shiny bank of a
meadow below New Flo ence wore smile
that perhaps had lis birth in that spirit of
whose afraidw which has mad sucn awful
results.
BITTER FEELING.
There has grown up a bitter feeling
among the surviving suff arers against those
VINO owned the lake and dam, and damage
:ults Will be plentiful by and by The dams
IA stony creek above Johnstown broke
aoout noon yesterday and thousands of
teeJ OF lumber passed down the stream.
How can anybody tell how many are
GafA Sl1s
morning. II have been at Sang Hollow
WIN my train since II o'clock yesterday
dood.n
q. w. Esch, brave railroad employe,
SaVed sixteen lives at Ninevah.
HUNDRED ROASTED ALIVE.
Inc most awful culmination of the awful
ulsht was the roasting of 100 or more per-
sons IN mid-food. The ruins of houses, out
buildings and other structures swept
against the new railroad bridge at Johns
Town, and from an overturned stove or
some such canse the upper part of the
wreckage caught fire. There were crowds
men, women and childrsa
On The wreckage, and their screams were
soon aided to the awful chorus of the hor
Eor' They were literally roasted in the
mood Soon after the fire burned itself out
liners were thrown against the mass. There
~ MY people IN sight when the ruins
suddenly parted and broke up, and the un-
nortunates were swept under the bridge
s slIo the pitchy darkness. The latest news
from Johnstown is that but two houses can
oe seen In the town. 1t is also said that
SIiy three houses remain in Cambria City.
CARS CARRIED AWAY.
The first section of tine day express, which
passed here at 9 o'clock, was lying between
sang Hollow and Johnstown yesterday
aallernoon when the water came down The
eed sood cut part of the cars, containing about
ully or sixty passengers, loose, and they
we're carried away, and it is supposed the
passengers have persisted. A few of the
occupants of the other cars may have
escaped, but it is doubtful.
Alexander Kigore, formerly of this
pace and who has great many relatives
W snls section, was lost in the food. Rev.
wagner, wife and three daughters, who
were at Johnstown, perlshed, and a son and
laughter of Jesse Pader, OF this place, were
drowned, A J. Jackson, Westarn
Oll00 Hrarr1o or,i cto