Evening journal., 1889-06-04


the point Of the triangle, and although 1T
was ten feet or more deep over the top of the
bridge the obstruction Of the mass of masonry
was so great that the head OF the rush Of
water was turned back along the Pennsylva-
mia railroad bluff on the left, and, sweeping
up TO where it met the first stream again,
licked up the portion OF the town on the left
side Of tho triangular plain. A great eddy
was then formed in the triangular plain.
Through the Stony creek gap to the right
there was a rush of surplus water.
In two minutes after the current first burst
through, forty feet deep, with solid mass Of
water whirling around with current of tre-
mendous velocity, it was whirlpool vastly
greater than that of ten Niagaras The only
outlet was under and over the railroad
bridge, and the continuing rush of the waters
into the valley from the gap was greater for
some time than the means of escape at the
bridge
A View from the Bridge.
Standing now at the bridge, where this
vast whirlpool struggled for exit, the air is
heavy with smoke and foul with nameless
odors from a mass Of wreckage. The area of
the triangular space where the awful whirl-
pool revolved is said TO be about four
square miles. The area of the space COW
cred by this smoking mass is sixty acres.
The surface Of this mass is now
fifteen feet below the top Of the bridge and
about thirty below the point on the bluff
where the surface OF the whirlpool lashed the
banks. One ragged mass some distance above
the bridge rises several feet above the general
level, but with that exception the surface Of
the debris is level. 1t has burned of until 1t
reached the water, and is smoldering on as
the water gradually lowers. On the right
bank, at about where was the highest water
level, a detachment Of the Pittsburg fire de-
partment is throwing two fltful streams Of
water down into the smoke, with the idea Of
gradually extinguishing the fire In the inn
mensity Of the disaster with which they com
bat their feeble efforts seem like those of boys
with squirt guns dampening bonfire. About
the sixty acres of burning debris, and to the
| left of it from where it begins to narrow to-
ward Stony Greek gap, there Is a large area
Of level mud, with muddy streams wandering
about in it This tract OF mud comprises all
Of the triangle except thin fringe of build
ing along the bluff on the Pennsylvania rail-
road. A considerable number Of houses
stand on the high ground on the lower face
Of the central mountain and off to the right
into Stony Greek gap The fringe along the
Penn .ylvania railroad is mostly of stores and
other large brick buildings that are com
| pletely wrecked, though not swept away.
The houses on the higher ground are un-
harmed; but down toward the edge they fade
away by degrees Of completeness in their
wreckage into the yellow level of the huge
tract over which the mighty whirlpool swept
/ on out Of sight, in Stony Creek gap, are
fringes Of houses on either side OF the muddy
fat
| A para xvasta xrIara Onoo a ctty ct,od
This fiat is pecu lar thing. 1t is level and
uninteresting as a patch Of waste ground
Too poor to grow grass there is nothing Il
indicate that 1t had ever been anything else
than what It is 1t is as clean of debris and
wreckage as though there had never been q
building on it In reality it was the centra
and busiest part Of Johnstown. Buildings
both dwellings and stores covered it thickly
Its streets We're paved, and its sidewalks o
substantial stones 1t had street car lines
gas and electric lights, and all the other i'm
pr0vements Of a substantial city OF IS, 90
or 20, 900 inhabitants Iron bridges spaune,
the streams, and the buildings were Of sub
stantial character. Not brick remains
not a stone nor a stick Of timber in all thi
territory. There are not even hummock
and mounds to show where wreckage NIGH
be covered with layer of mud. They ar
not there, they are gone-every building
every street, every sidewalk and pavement
the street railways, and everything else tina
covered the surface of the earth has van
ished as utterly as though it had never beel
there The ground was swept as clean a
though some mighty scraper had beer
dragged over it again and again. Not evel
the lines Of the streets can be even remotell
traced.
81 have visited Johnstown dozen times
year for long time,n said a business man
"and know it thoroughly, but haven't tn
least idea now Of what part of it this is.
can't even tell the direction the streets use,
to rum
, His bewilderment is hardly greater thai
that Of the citizens themselves They wan
der about in the mud for hours trying to fin,
the spot where the house of some friend 0
relative used to stand. 1t takes a who.e fam
/ lily to locate the site Of their friends hous
with any reasonable certainty.
That Awful Charnei Heap.
All this is horrible to see, more horribl
than it can possibly be to read of; but tn
worst is untold. The smoke that hOvers owe
: the wreckage by the bridge, and floats il
} light blue clouds above the town, Is heav,
with an odor rarely snelled 1t is the putri
flying flesh Of human beings that cause tn
! odors at which every newcomer here shiver
: with horror Those who have been here lon
don't mind il; they are used to it, and ther
are more matters than smells to attend &c
The cruel whirlpool that pounded -four squar
, miles Of buildings into dust did not spar
the people. Their bodies were ground be
meath the pressure Of the awful millstone 0
the food, as were the brick and the motor 0
the buildings They were torn limb iron
limb, heaped together, torn apart, scattere,
, and mingled in the mass as were the timber
/ and boards Of the pine buildings Finall,
they were lodged IN that solid mass Of sixt
acres of debris along with the ruins Of thel
! homes, wedged in as tightly as though humal
flesh was no more than broken wood an
iron. There they are, those that have nc
been burned in the fire that levelled th
whole mass or that were not carried abov
the top Of the bridge in the first rush Of th
! food How many there were cannot b
told. Scores Of bodies have already been re
, moved from along the edges of the are
OF wrockage, but that is only the beginning
The fire has kept men Z fl, and now that tn
rain and the Pittsburg firemen are subdunI
the flames it is found that the debris is packe
! so closely that it Is hopeless to attempt {
} penetrate 1t except by beginning at the edge
+ and working into it. That work will tax
weeks A few bodies have been pulled on
: where they were on the surface, but eve
these cannot ali be gotten cut The body Q
a boy has lain tal day beside the iron fran
5 OF locomotive tender near tho bridge, i
) plain sight, but beyond reach
A most serious fea ture Of the lodging @