Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-14
BACK TO BUSINESS.
Trains ON the Pennsylvania Road TO Run TO
Altoona To-Day-Through Trains TO
New York To- -Morrow-The
Grent Loss to the Road.

Great Loss to the Road.
lFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT
JoHNsTowN, June l2-The first railway
| train to be run through from Pittsburg to Al
| toona will leave from the Union station to-
morrow morning. The bridges and trestle
work which were washed away between Johns
town and South Fork have been replaced and
regular business will now be resumed. The
| last connection at South Fork was made this
afternoon, and engines were run over the new
| track to test it. 1t was thought best by the
railroad officials not to attempt to run through
passenger trains across until tomorrow morn
ing.
The train that has been selected to make the
first trip over the new bridges is No. 8, which
will depart from Union station at o'clock A
western train from Altoona will leave that
point early in the morning and after that
trains will be running regularly over the Pitts
burg division. 1t is expected by the officials
here that the middle division will be open for
business by Saturday. Traffic will then be re-
sumed over the line between Pittsburg and
New York.
THE Loss NOT TO BE CALCULATED.
Nobody will ever be able to estimate the loss
caused by the food to the Pennsylvania Rail-
road Company. The waters carried away all
Hollow, with the exception of the station
buildings at Johnstown and the tracks sur
rounding them. There were hundreds of car
loads of freight along the tracks between the
above points which were swept down by the
current and will never be recovered. The cars
were smashed and splintered as if they were
made of very thin boards, and the iron twisted
and torn as If it was paper. All the locomotives
in the Conemaugh round house were washed
away, and when found they will have to be
thrown upon the scrap pile.
1t will take years to put the road bed in the
shape that 1t was prior to the food. Nearly
ten miles OF double track was entirely washed
away. Singular as 1t may seem but a few
miles Of the tracks have been recovered The
heavy steel rails with their large oaken ties
have mysteriously disappeared At points
along the river from bridge No. to the gorge
at Johnstown, livid rail is found with the
fish bolts and plates sticking on to the ends to
show the force of the current.
Since last Monday week the PENNSYLVANIA
Railroad Company have had about $500 men
here fixing the track and road bed where it
was washed out Of this number about one.
half came from the lines west of Pittsburg, the
remainder from the Pennsylvania lines proper.
1t is unnecessary to mention
THE SYSTEMATIC MANNER
in which the company set about to repair its
tracks. One half of the men coming from the
west were placed under the District Superin-
tendents of the various Western lines, and be-
gan to work from Johnstown to Bridge No. g.
or the deep cut, and the other half, under the
Pennsylvania Railroad officials. began to work
from South Fork to the bridge. They met this
morning at the bridge, and after the connection
was made, an engine was run over the tracks.
Most OF the new road is double track, but in
great many places the embankment hadgiven
away so much that it would not permit Of more
than single track. For the present trains
will not exceed the rate of speed OF four miles
per hour in running over the new track. The
roadl0ed was so completely washed away that
two trestles, which are models of engineering
skill, had to be constructed. The longest one Is
at tine deep cut. 1t is $50 feet long and so feet
high. The other one is at the viaduct. 1t is 4S0
feet long and so feet high.
The majority of the Western officials who
have been here for the past ten days under
General Manager McCrae, will leave tonight
and tomorrow morning. They have been
working night and day, and have earned the
thanks of the Pennsylvania executive officers.
A telegram was received to-day from President
Roberts, in Philadelphia, commencing them
for the tireless manner in which they jumped
in and assisted the officers of the Eastern lines
MCSWIGAN.