The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-06-04


sand bodies burn"
From under the large brick school house
I24 bodies we're tak en last night and to-day.
A number OF bodies have been found with
bullet holes in them. showing that in the
mAddening fright suicide was resorted to
by many.
Up to this morning the people living
here who lost whole families and parts of
families hardly seemed to realize what a
dreadful calamity had befzllen them. This
morning, however, the people seemed 70
understand the situation. and agony is
stamped upon the face of everyone and il
is truly city of mourning.
The first man from the dam at South
Fork just arrived to-day. The dam burst
open, he says, in the centre. A
nameless Paul Revere lies somewhere
among the nameIess dead, who. though
his name may never be known,
will be famous in local history. Mounted
on big bay horse, he came riding down
the pike which passes through Conemaugh
TO Johnstown like some angel of wrath of
old, shoating his portentious warning,
run for your lives to the hills" run to
the hills" The people crowded out of
their houses along the thickly settled
streets, awe-struck and wondering. No
body knew the man, and some thought he
was a maniac and laughed. On at q deadly
pace rode this man, still shouting his warn
ing. In a few moments, however, there
came cloud of ruin down the broad streets
and down the narrow alleys, grinding and
twisting, hurting, overturnlng, crashing,
annihilating the weak and strong alike. 1t
was the charge of the flood, wearing
its coronet Of ruin and devastation,
which grew at every instant of
its progress. Forty feet high,
some say, thirty according TO
others, was this sea, and it travelled with a
swiftness like that which lay hidden in the
heels of mercury. On and on raced the
rider and on and on rushed the wave.
Dozens of people took heed of the warning
and ran up the hill. Poor. faithful rider
it was an unequal contest. Just as he
turned across the railway bridge mighty
wave fell upon him and horse and rider
went over into chaos together.
Four gentlemen, relstives of members of
the South Fork Fishing club, who went to
learn the fate OF their friends at the lake,
have returned. They report that there
was no one at the lake except the custod-
ians and some workmen. The dam broke
in the center at 3 oclock Friday afternoon,
and at the lake was dry. That great |
body of water passed out in an hour. Effort |
was made to avert the disaster by changing |
the sluice way on one side to ease the pres |
sure on the dam, but without avail. The |
water passed over the dam about a
hou "a han nj of
2;S0. Whatever happened in the way of a |
cloud burst took place during the night. |
There had been but little rain up to
dark, and in the morning, when the work |
men awoke, the lake was full and kept on
rising rapidly until at o'clock it began
pouring over the dam and undermining it.
Men were sent three or four times during |
the day TO warn the people below. When
the final break came there was a sound like
and continued peals Of thunder.
Trees, rocks and earth shot into the midair
In great columns. Then a wavo stai teo
down the rsVine. The whole South Fork
was swept and not tree was left standing.
Mrs. Fem, the wife of an engineer, tells
q pitiful story. Her husband went out and
was swept away. With her seven chill
iren she climbed to the second story, then
10 the attic. She cheered the frightened
little ones by saying God would take care
Of them. AS the waters rose higher she
was forced 10 fasten them one by one to
pieces of floating timber and trust them to
he pitiIess waves, all the time speaking
words of encouragement and kissing them
goodbye. After all were gone the roof of
he house was torn off and the frail little
mother fiested away with it and was
rescued sixteen miles below. Only two of
Ter little brood of seven have been heard
rom and they are drowned. She is is only
me mother of hundreds similarly situated
only one of a multitude.