The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-06-08

nbNe Dteh tub Va sho os'e ebb'~
of tho water against the embankment.
The course of the torrent from the
broken dam at the foot of the lake to
Johnstown is almost eighteen miles, and,
with the exception of at one point, the
water passed through narrow, V-shaped
valley. Four miles below the dam lay the
town of South Fork where the South Fork
itself empties into Conomaugh river. The
town contained about 1000 inhabitants.
It has not been heard from, but 1t is said
that four fifths of 1t has been swept
away. Four miles further down,
on Conemaugh river which runs
parallel with tho main line OF the
Pennsylvania railroad was the town oa
Mineral Point II had 800 inhabitants, 30
per cent. of tho houses being on a fat close
to the river. 1t seems impossible at thia
time to hope that any of them have es"
capped. A distance of six miles further
down vas the town of Conemaugh, and
hero alono was there Typographical roso
sibility of the spreading of the foo and
the breaking of its force. 1t con-
tanned about $500 inhabitants, AMI
must be almost wholly devastated.
Woodvale, with 1000 people, lay mile
below Conemaugh in the fat, and one mile
further down where Johnstown and its
cluster of sister towns. Cambria City and
Conemaugh borough, with total popula-
tion of 10000. On made ground and
stretched along right at the river verge
were the immense iron works of the Cam
bria Iron and Steel Company, which has
$1,000, 900 invested in their plant. Besides
this there are many other large industrial
establishments on the bank of the river,
how badly damaged can not be estimated.
las
of life will reach hundreds and possibly
over n thousand. The report Of the losses
of these towns above can not yet be con-
firmed. sa'>
The banks of the Conemaugh river are
oyerflowed for miles, and the whole coun-
try is deluged with water. The Pennsyl-
vania railroad all along the river from
Johnstown to New Florence, is washed
away, and travel is entirely sus-
pended. At Sang Hollow the opera
tor in one of the railroad tow
ers counted eighty y-seven dead bodies
floating down the river on the driftwood.
The river rose so rapidly that all the ope-
rators in the towers between Sang Hol-
low and New Florence had to flee for their
lives. The bridges at New Florence on
the Pennsylvania railroad and Coketown,
on the West Pennsylvania, were carried
away. Houses, furniture, etc, are being
carried down the river.
PITTSBURGH, June 1-Reports from
along the Kiskim inetas river, into which
the Conemaugh empties, are most distress
ing. The river nea Salisbury is filled
with wreckage, and number of persons
were noticed clinging to such timbers 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 un-
precedented. The iron bridge connecting
Blairsville with the Blairsville intersec-
tion has been carried away, and with it
train of heavily loaded cars standing upon
the bridge to hold 1t in place. This was
the largest and strongest bridge on the
West Pennsylvania railway. 1t is thought
that all of the West Pennsylvania railway
bridges will share similar fate.
All of the towns in the Kiskiminetas
Valley are expected to be submerged.
Among them are Livermore, Salisbury,
Apollo, Leechburg and Avenmore, having
a population of from 6, 900 to 10000 each.
The inhabitants along the river have been
warned, but are almost panic-stricken at
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 number of lives have been lost at
that place.
BOLIVAR, Pa, juno IA man rescued
in the river here. who was swept away
from John stown, says positively that not
less than fifteen thousand lives are prob
ably lost in the valley of the Conemaugh.
This point is twenty miles below Johns
town, and the work of rescuing men, wo
men and children sweeping down the
river has been going steadily forward all
night.
BLAIRsvILLE INTERSECTION, Pa, June !.
AT Lockport about eighteen miles from
Johnstown, the scene of the disaster, Eliel
Benson, an old man, Mrs. Boyle, Paddy
Madden and two Hungarians were res
cued. Mr.. Benson said: 81 live in Cam
bria City. think that not less than 10, 600
people were lost In the house with me
on Chestnut street were ten persons be-
side myself, and l feel sure they were all
lost Up to o'clock in the afternoon the
water, which was seven feet deep In Che
streets, remained stationary. About 4
in the afternoon the great rush came.
In fifteen IN inutes the water rose fully ten
feet Houses came floating down the
streets. There were people In every one
of them, and God only knows how many
were lost. AS they were carried Off the
houses were jammed together and aga inst
the houses still standing, and In very
few minutes they were all battered to
pieces before they were carried very far
The house / was in was soon smashed to
pieces, and managed to jump onto a cell
lar door. In few seconds l was
rushed into the flood, and when
l looked back where Cambria City
stood there was nothing but a great lake
of water. 1t looks to me as IL every house
had been raZed or covered over The vast
sheet of water was full of floating timbers,
roofs of houses, RATS, boards and other
articles The scene was indescribable.
The cries of the men, women and children
were frlghtful. passed Paddy Madden's
wife, my sons wife and man clinging
to the roof of house l called to them
and bade them goodbye In short
time l was caught by the water and
turned under. Every once in a while / got
into a whirlpool, and moro than once al
most lost my grip on the cellar-door. j
saw people in the water ahead of me and
all around me. Many of them were struck
by the crashing timbers and killed out:
right; others were SO badly hurt that they
fell into the water and were drowned al
once.
BOLIVAR, Pa, June 1.-At Lockport six
ty-fve families are homeless, having lost
every thing but their lives. Edward Deck,
a young railroader, rescued an old gen.
tleman, lady named Adams, Of Cambria,
and her two children by swimming out to
ha houaa In which thau ,uara innris onad