The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-06-13
The Worst Calamity Of the Ago on
ihs Western Continent.
THE SOUTH FORK LAKE.
TIE TRUTH ABOUT THE DAM.
Tho Waste Gates Were Bi ckcd to
Save the sportsmcn's Fish.

saw ''i'
The first accounts OF the lool in tho
Conemaugh seemed like the widest ex~
aggeration o. those accustomed TO hear
ing tales Of di.aster but when sober and
Intelligent eye,witn s'cs dcscribed the
scercs at the time the mad waters dash
ed upon the helpless villages and
cities in the ill.fated valley, and
from the facts now ob'aiua1le as
TO the extent Of the destruction
90 property aud the awful fatality of the
watery avalanche, they are found to be
far below the truth.
1t is now certain that the South Fork
dam gave way about o'clock Friday
afternoon fron the erosion OF the waters
which oycrhowcd it and that the cou-
tents OF that lake which covered an atrt
OF three sluare miles with an average
depth OF 81 to 10 feet, rushed down tho
valley of the South Fork AMI the Cone.
maugh which were alr,a Y above
high water mark. The fall
OF these streams both being very great,
the sSiftucss Of the flood exceeded the
speed OF the fastest express trains. a
solid mass of water, dtiltwood, rocks,
trees mi everything that lay in Its path,
20 the height of forty or fifty feet dashed
down the narrow valley sweeping houses,
railroad cars and locomotives down to
he dam formed by the stone bridge Of
the +. II. Il. 1T the lower end of the city
OF Johnstowu.
Warning that the dam was likely n
break at any moment was sent out, an
all the residents ia the valley might hs
escaped, but many did not hear the
alarm and many who did made no effort
10 escape. That any Of the thousands
who had not fcl before the deluge
struck the city should have escaped was
miraculous.
The work OF removing the debris and
caring for the dead, whose bodies are to
be found everywhere along the banks or
this modern StyX, goes on every day.
Thousands OF men are at work, but it
will be many days before their task is
completed.
The Investigations of u New York Sun re,
porier show clearly that the major part Of
whatever responsibilities, may be!o * to
human agencies for the calamity that his
desolatei the Couemaugh Valley must be
piac "a upon the South Fork Fishing and
HUT ting Club. tho ass ctalion of wealthy
Pittshurs gentlemen tnat has for four or five
years past been cnieayoring to sab i,h u
sportsmon's parali,e AT Conem ugh Lake.
When they leas,I the lake they cosed the
waste gates through who all the water that
had ever before uccumullt ltel IN Coucmau sh
Lake hal ifound safe aud spe dy exit.
When the Pcni sylvanii Canal was alan-
foned th, dam Il cam, u,ees' lnl was no.
gec'ed. The tower in which the machinery
for managing the waste gates was located i.
said to have fallen into ruins. \ few year,
ago the lake wls lens Il 10y the Pittsburgh
Sport-mcn's Ass citation. Il Ergincer Fdl,cr,
q the Cnmb.it Iron Co ipIny, made au m
-p cupn ot H. aud pronounce ~. condition
dangerous. The A~,Jri ,tou set oIt, cy 90
clarcd 10 improve AMI strength. They
did cut N two le't from tlet p OF the dam
aud m have strengthened it i sbmc rc'
spects, but cith,r bocnus, the was c.gl'ci
re 50 damaged that Il repair them would
ave been an expensive job, or the other rca
ION men'i9ned-lhe fear that Tia il,r woui
Sscapl-the wa,tc~g ,tes, So ever uIc VIII
lives near says, were permanently stoppe,
up.
Thepr,seut appearance of the wreck OF the
Iam dictates the truthfulucss cf the story.
There aro remnent5 o. the wast'-gate ma
sonary, tut there il no ildiclti, n tn they
have been of any practical use for IA
long time. Whatever may h ,ro 20 II the in
dncct cause of the giving away Of the heal
4 irt that damned the upper Conemaugn
the fearful power of the m as OF water whic
wes the direct G .us, of il, yielding is cvi len
ell about the place now. All the water il
that area of three miles long 10y IA mile and
% qu er wide, pas oI out through th 81
Isi the dam u "a poure / Sc { upon the valle,
% low matorreat - fe't de'p ami 2OJ Zee
wide Ru hing through with u veloclt,
Rro,, lcon rvIll tlrsp 'at n mass,
took a ful hour toex aust tn r,sTyoir An
the t,emcr deus Ire,sure behind that urge,
ths 100 on 10 ia m ls- ii'a,trpuS work
SIGNS or THE TORRENTS POWER
Something Of the awIul for,1 OF the cur
rent can b,s On in the land before the dan
Form rly il was Il densely wooded little val
10y early straight away Tor half m |,
where it turned so abruptly T. tue right a
% make am s, right angle The cree
CO. Ing down through ths sluice'wiy, an
Il wa ths mountain side, wIld- d-rjd
crooked course through the bottom OF III
val ey Just before the turn it swept out
good way toward the left, and made on thu
right bank long point OF la d. This poin
was particularly heavily wooded On TIN
opposite bank was a high bluff covered will
forest down TO the waters eige. For three
'ourths of the distan o from the dam TO the
;urve the formerly wooded flats are nov
;oyerei with gravel, coarse stoae aui big
'ocks 20 feet deep at the upper end, aud no
es than 10 at any point. The creek run
through the 4O-foot q p, VIII re the vast