Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-07-11

along the stream with ropes Ia
assist in the rescue. One person we1 seen
splashing and pluugiDg in the water near
| thu Johnstown, Fonda and Gloversville
railroad bridge, one quarter Ofa mile doTD
the stream. As be tiOated past those on
the shore he cried, "For Gods sake help
me.n He was swept by in the current so
close to the shore that man who was In a
boat secured to a pile of wrec6sge, got
hold of him, but owing to the swift cur
rent was unable 10 hold him. and he WIS
swept under the floating drifcwood. Two
other persons came down a moment later,
c'inging te q plank and shouting for help.
They were swept out Of sight below the
railroad bridge.
At4s. m. the body of Burt Spsedwell,
fifteen wears Of age was recovered from the
debris at this place. An four later Albert
Cokelv was pulled out from under the
driftwood that had lodged back af Evans
Mills. Soon after the body of man
named Treadwell was found at the same
nIsce AT 9 q. m. the body Of Chas.
Freer, fity-fve years Of age, a carpenter,
was uncovered from the wreck at Evans
Mills. The bodies are badly bruised.
They were removed to police headquar-
ters. where they will remain pending a
eoroner's inquest Chas. Abbott was car
ried down from the Ferry street bridge to
the dam, which he went over, going down
distance of sixteen feet, but he miracu-
lously succeeded in swimming ashore ana
escaped without injury. Peter Evans, a
stonemason, says he went down with fit
teen others. and was carried under the
Ferry street bridge but succeeded IN get
ting out below. He was bruised about the
face. Bur6y Case rescned two men named
Nollis and Vosburg by means of ropss.
Citizens are engaged this morning in re-
moving the wrecksge Of Schrieuer's mills,
near the depot. where they think other
bodies have been lodged. 1t is believed thai
the men who went down on a plank lost
their lives at the dam, and that their
bodies we're carried down the stream and
are nov floating in the Mohawk river.
No one knows how many people were
drowned OF who is missing. The flood
was so great and the current 20 swift that
10 help could te rendered without great
danger. The State street iron bridge and
/ the railroad bridge were swept away.
They were large structures
Yesterday afternoon during the heaviest
part of the storm Main and Bleecker streets
/ in Glove1syille were filed with water.
The new pavement in Bleecker street was
torn up for several blocks. A number Of
residences in the upper part Of town are
entirely surrounded by water. The foun-
| foundation walls of a new stone building
being constructed on North Main street
were partially carried away. The two iron
brindges on the Central, and the Fonda,
JohnstOwn and GloveTsville railroad at
Fonda are gore.
The pecunisry loss will not be SO very
great. The Railroad and State street
! bridges in Johnstewr were large, h,st-
class structures. The Ferry street bridge
consisted of an arch spanning the entire
width OF the stream. II was upon enc oil
the plank walks that the people were
standing when the arch wss carried away.
Schriever's large mill is entirely wrecked,
aud will entail loss of about $40, 600.
There are several small buildings in the
village which are partially ruined, their
/ foundations being undermined. Many OF
the bridges on country roads along the
valley ars gone and some fields Of grain are
nartislly covered with water. The loss to
propertv at Gloyersville will probably be
covered by $1,000. II is quite likely that
including the loss of the bridges in the
Mohawk Valley at Fonda, $40, 600 will
cover the damage wrought by yesterday g
storm.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
The water which came up over this vii
lage last night has subsided greatly this
morning, but has left scenes OF desolation
in every direction. The water rose 10
feet and overfowed everything. 1t has
new fallen about 8 feet below Its highest
point. Ten people are thus far reported
missing. TIE bodies Of four have been re-
covered. These four are all Johnstown
people. Those whose bodies are recovered
are Charles Freer and two other men named
Coskley and Yost and a 14-year-o boy
named Steadwell.
The drowned and missing people were
amoag q crowd Of from thirty to forty per-
sons who stood on the stone bridge cross
ING the river at Perry street watching the
rising water. They seemed regardless OF
danger until the bridge gave way and they
were precipitated into the flood. The
bridge was about twenty feet high ard
6ftsen or twenty feet wide. 1t was
single area structure, and was crossed by
a street car track.
The stone bridge was swept away a.
about : o'clock in the evening. Two iron
bridges of the Johnstown, Fonda and
Gloucester railroad were wrecked, and
seven or eight other bridges were carried
away. Two tanneries owned by simon
Schriber. were swept away, and the
Sebriber and Anderson dams were broken
down. The water in the Cayadutta creek
begsu to rise at 4:30 and the stream was
soon converted into raging torrent.
or the men, women and children who
were thrown into the water by the break
ipg of the stone bridge, the larger number
was saved by means of ropes thrown 10
them from the shore. This morning the
Ere dsnartment under direction of Chief Ii.
n. Thompson, is engaged in the search lot
more bodies. The water is still very rough
and dangerous for boats. The final and
fatal riss in the Cayadutta was very sud
den and is attributed to the effects eI
cloud burst. Besides the sweeping away
of the bridges, there Is much damsge 10
buildings. which are left standing Ine
electric light plant was washed out and
the town ia left in total darkness for the
night. All communication by wire IS cut
OH save through the long distance tele-
nhone over which this message is sent.
Among the missing are the following;
Il ID Simmons, of the firm OF X. ID.
Simmons < Co, painters; Willie Misers, y
wears old. and a son of Widow Misersi Miss
Ada Miller, % years old. The number
lost cannot yet be determined as the esu-
mates vary from to 80. The general be-
lief is that the food was caused by a cloud