The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1889-06-08
Blood River Glacier.
HOOD RIVER, Or, JUNE 8, 1889.
Continued from First pare. }

like a catapult came down upon them
with such a rush and resistless force
chat the heavy trains, locomotives and
all, were overturned and swept down
che torren and lodged against the stone
viaduct, along with four locomotives
from the, Johnstown roundhouse. the
heavy mac chinery and ponderous frame
work OF the Gautier mill, and the accum-
Ulated debris of more than a thousand
houses, furniture. bridges, lumber, drift
and human beings.
The low arches of the stone vaduct
were choked up Immediately, aud the
water backed back over the entire level
of the valley upon which the city stood,
to a depth of what the water marks indi-
cate, about thirty-e;ght feet In the
great sea thus formed. thousands OF peo-
pie were struggling for life.
The scene today is one Of the most
heartrendng possible for the imagna-
tion OF man to conceive. The accumu-
lated drift gorged up at the viaduct to
to the height of forty feet, and then took
fire from the upsetting of stoves or
lamps. Then were strong men made
sick at the sight. AS the flames cracked
and roared among the dry timber of
floating houses, human bodies were
seen pinioned between house roofs,
locomotives, iron beams, freight, pas
senger, Pullman and baggage cars, the
greedy flames licking with haste their
diet of human flesh. The scene was
horrible beyond description.
Infants few days old and the wasted
figures of age were burned before the
eyes of the beholders, and no rescue
from their fate was possible. Strong
men turned away with agonized express
ssons, and women shrieked at the hor.
ror of the scene.
The dead have been computed at not
less than 5000, and the number may
even exceed this estimate. This seems
incredible, 5ut until the waters have
sbated and the work OF removing the
dead from this tremendous mass have
been completed, it will be impossible to
tell how many lives have been lost.
The Associated Press correspondent
was the first man to cross to Johnstown
proper by means OF basket suspended
from cable. Once over he found the
scenes magnifed in their horror.
Here were the residences of the little
city's most wealthy and intelligent peo.
pie; here were found the bodies OF the
most prominent citizens and those of
their entire families.
Cinder, Market, Locust and Washing
con streets have been swept clean and
bare OF all buildings Of whatever charac-
ter, and their inhabitants seemed to
have fled into the streets at the first
warning aud rushed TO their deaths, for
those who remained in their houses had
an opportunity to flee to the upper
stories, and when the houses we're
frame they were foated from their foun-
dations and many were saved
The Hotel Hubert, a brick structure,
had sixty-tive guests, and sixty-three of
these were killed by the falling in Of the
floors and walls.
Az MnrelI tko ;hort,, ~ohoolLa,,ao
Alma hall, the general stores and offices
OF the iron company and one other
building are all of probably 1000 build
Ings that have not been foated from
their foundations or caved in.
The stone viaduct is forty feet high
from the river bend at low water and
over this the waters rushed in a resist
less flood. On the west side is the
Bessemer and rail mills of the Columbia
Iron Company.
Although warned to flee to the hill
sides, many OF the men, resting in tam
cied security, loitered about the hills and
were engulfed instantly. Today their
bodies are strewn along the Conemaugh
and Allegheny rivers, and are being
caught as far dwon the Ohio river as
Rochester.
Below the mills was Cambria,
suburb, in which district resided proba-
bly, 1000 people. The scenes here are
but repetition of the other parts of the
flooded city.
PLUNDERTNG THE DEAD.
Tales of indescribable horror have
come to light, and deeds of the vilest
nature We're perpetrated in the darknass