Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-06-06
The Greatest Disaster ever Known
in the United States.
JOHNSTOWN, Pa, THE SCENE.
Immense Loss OfLife and Property
The CITY ALMOST DESTROYED
Thousands of Lives and Millions Of Pro-
pGFty Destroyed by RemOrSeleSS Waters.


town about o'clock yesterday afternoon,
which resulted in the utter destruction of
the greater portion of the Iron City OF the
Mountains. and the death of an unknown
number of men, women and children-the
list NAV run into the thousands.
1t was an unexpected and unheralded
deluge, such as has never occurred before
in this country. The famous dam, over
! OO0 feet in length and 80 feet high broke,
thereby IOOsing a body of water about
three miles long, nearly mile in width
and about 60 feet in depth. This immense
bOdy of water rushed down the narrow
South Fork into the COnemaugh, which
passes directly through Johnstown. Its
hanks were lined with dwelling and busl-
ness houses. which were carried before the
rushing mountain of water as chips before
a miniature torrent dashing along the
course of a brook.
THE FATAL DAM.
The dam that led to this fearful and hOr-
rible catastrophe was originally built by
Gen. ]. X. MOorhead when the canal was
being constructed through the State. 1t
was built across South Fork about two
miles from the point where that stream
empties into the COnemaugh river.
The dam was about 1880 feet in width
and 70 feet high at the highest point, and
200 feet thick at the base. y Slulce-way
was cut through solid rock at one side and
several feet below the top of the dam, by
which surplus water could escape without
running over the top.
Some time after the canal had been
abandoned a break occurred near the cen
ter of the dam, which gradually increased
in size until the entire lake was drained,
When the SportSmans' Association OF
Western PENNSYLVANIA concluded to buy
this property an organization was formed
which is known as the South Fork Fish
ing and Hunting Club. Its first work was
to repair the break in the dam. The lake
thus formed was two miles and half III
length. and averaged something over halt
A mile in width, with a varying depth OF
from five to sixty feet. 1t was one OF the
largest and most beautiful inland bodies
of water in the State, being located IN the
mountains and surrounded by unOrOken
forests and rock-faced hills.
Owing TO the fact that the level of this
lake was nearly 3C0 feet above the level
of the Conemaugh at JohnStOWn, there
were fears that it might some time lead
to disaster.
In order to prevent such calamity the
club has had the dam Inspected monthly
hy engineers connected with the Pennsyl-
yania railroad These experts have uni
formly reported that nothing short OF a
GREAT conyulsiOn could break the barrier
that held that vast body OF water.
The rains of the last fOrty-eight hours
swaIied fine volume of water in all the
small mountain streams, which were al
ready sWelled by the lesser rains earlier
in +he week. From the best information
obtainable at this time, it is evident that
something in the nature of a clOud-DurSt
must have been the culmlnator OF the
struggle of the water against the emoank-
# is estimated the embankment held
hack 16 OOOOOO tons of water. When the
flood broke, in addition to the raging tor
rents that rushed down the mountain
sides from the incesSant rains, l6,CoO,CUO
TONS like a tidal wave 80 feet high went
rushing down. sweeping everything be-
fore II with irresistible destruction.
THE TIDINGS OF DISASTER.
About 4 o'clock white-faced messengers
rushed through the streets OF JOhnstoWn
and screamed warning to the 1nhablt-
ants of the doomed city to flee to the high
est grounds. that the dam some nine miles
above had broken down. Through the
valley of C0namaugh spread the warning
by wire and messengers. People rushed
from their houses. seeking safety on high
er ground. but all were not able to get
there. Horrible scenes enSued when the
hill of water came rolling down with ire
sistible strength. overwhelming the lower
Darts of the town and sweeping away in
vast mass of wreckage dwellings in which
were hundreds of human beings.
At points below the bodies of families
and the debris of their homes came float
ing down in full view of the affrighted
people along the banks. Telegraphic ad-
vices were received from JohnstOwn from
Miss HOrtele, lady operator there. At
6 o'clock she wired:
Must Iedce. The 1Cater is coming tn.
Good bye"
That was the last word received from
the doomed city.
AT THE CAMBRIA WORKS.
From the bits of news that can be gath
cred. the most thrilling scenes in any part
of the town were at the works of the Cam
bria Iron Company and the little town of
Canada. adjoining it. There was full
force of men on when the death-knell of
the town was sounded by the bursting of
the great dam. 1t came down through
the valley in which the town is located
with such speed that the irOn-wOrkerS
could not realize what was coming upon
them. The COnemaugh river, already
swollen by the rains, soon began to over
flow its banks, but as this is not an unfre-
Uuent occurrence in the spring, little heed
was paid to the rising water. Once the
flood got fairly started, the men in the
works had but little time to consider their
situation. They stuck to their molten
steel few moments longer, but the water
soon reached the mill, and when 1t did few
within its walls escaped.
The first sill of the door was covered
and then the first story, and by the time
it covered the railroad bridge the entire
mill and yard was submerged. At this
time there were over 1000 men at work
in the mill and yard, but how many got
out alive can not be known for some days
The molten steel flew in all directions
from the convertOrs when the water ran
into them. and flashes of death-dealing
hot metal could be seen on all sides. In
addition to the loss of life at that point
the loss of the Cambria Iron Company is
immense.
In the town of Canada, near the steel
works, there is not house left. The
buildings were nearly all frame, and were
raised off their foundations as soon as the
water reached the lower sill One after
another they went down the COnemaugh,
until not one was left.
From the Pittsburgh Commerciai-Gazette, Sd.
COMMUNICATION RE-OPENED.
Although communication with Johns
town has been retstablished, the work of
exploring the ruins and collecting the
dead has not more than fairly begun. So
far there have been about ]. 800 bodies re-
covered along the track Of the deluge, and
it is simply matter of guesswOrk as to
how many more dead bodies will be found
Estimates of the total loss of life run all
the way from 5000 to 10000. The jam of
wrecked dwellings at the bridge at Johns
town is still burning, although the Pitts
burgh fire department is at work upon it.
The wreck will lie blown up with dyna-
mita and tbp removal of this abstraction