Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 18??-????, 1889-06-03
AN AWFUL SIGHT.
People Warned of Its Possibility Of Burst
ing. hut Too Late.

People Warned of Its Possibility of Burst
ing. hut Too Late.
PITTsHURG, June lit was stated at
the office of the Pennsylvania railroad,
at an early hour this morning, that the
deaths would run up into the thousands
rather than the hundreds, as was at first
supposed From private dispatches re-
ceiyed, il is said that the stream of hu-
man beings that was swept before the
angry floods was something most pitt
dren were carried along frantically
shrieking for help, but their cries availed
them nothing. Rescue was impossible.
Husbands were swept past their wives
and children were borne rapidly along.
going at terrible speed to certain death
before the eyes of their terrorized and
frantic parents. It was said at the depot
that it was impossible to estimate the
number whose lives were lost in the
food. 1t will simply be matter Of con
lecture for several days as to who wer,
lost or who escaped.
Dispatcher Culp received several tele
grams last night, detailing the food at
Johnstown. The recent heavy rains had
swollen the old canal reservoir at South
Fork. on the Conemaugh river, and fear
were entertained for its safety.
Warned to No Purpose.
The basin contained water measuring
two miles across by five miles in length
and was seventy feet deep in the deepest
place. The people OF Johnstown wert
warned of its possibility of bursting dur
ing the morning. but very few. il any Of
the inhabitants, took the warning seri.
ously. Shortly after noon the dam gave
way about five miles above Johnstown
and sweeping everything before it burst
upon the town with terrible force.
Everything was carried before 1t, ane
not an instant's time was given TO sees
safety. Houses were demolished, swepi
from their foundations and carried il
the flood to a culvert near the town.
Here mass Of all manner Of debris soor
lodged, and by evening it had dammec
the water
Baek Into tina City,
over the tops of many Of the still remain
ing chimneys. A dispatch to Dispatcher
Culp, p,received about II o'clock last night
said the blockade at the JohnstowI
bridge was three-fourths of a mile long
and forty feet high, and was all on fire
The extent OF tho damage
could not possibly be estimated
At I3lasrsvIlie.
BLAIRsvILLE, Pa, June 1.-The hoce
in the Conemaugh river at this point Il
the heaviest ever known here. At this
hour the railroad bridge between her
and BlairsviIle intersection has bees
swept away. also the new iron bridge al
Coketon, half mile below. II Is now
feared the iron bridge at the lower END
Of this town viii go. About o'clock .
living woman and dead man, supposed
to I've her husband, were seen going uh
der the railroad bridge. They were seer
to come from under the bridge safely,
but shortly disappeared and were seer
no more.
A great many families lose their house
hold goods The river is running full Of
timber, houses, goods, etc. The loss viii
be heavy. The excitement here is very
great The river is still rising. There
are some families below town in the
secon6-story Of their houses and cant
get out. 1t is feared IL the water goes
much higher the loss of life will be very
great The RAILROAD company had four
teen cars os coal ON their bridge when il
went down, and all was swept down thu
| river.
The Town of south Fork Wiped OzL
DERRY, Pa, June 1.-The town Of
South Fork, which contained about !. .00t
inhabitants, lay in the cours of the food
| which swept down from the broken dam
to Johnstown, and it is believed that
four fifths of the town was carried
away. Four miles lower down is the vii
lage of Mineral. Point, with 800 inhabi-
tats. 1t seems difficult to hope that any
of them escaped. Six miles further
down was Conemaugh, with 1850 peO-
pie, but in this case the formation Of the
country afforded some chance for es
cape. The town itself was devastated.
Woodyale, with 2.eoo people, lay still
further down. 1t suffered greatly.
| Frena wiriiamsport.
WHIIAAsPoRT, Pa. June 1.-The
biggest food since the memorial one OF
1885 is now in progress on the west
branch of the Susquehanna river. Much