Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-07-05
OUR WASTE PLACES.

since the fateful visitation of the contents
of the reservoir, and the horrors of it are
still too manifest to forget it even for
moment Where destruction is so gener-
al and complete it is difficult to say what
part of the town and its environs suffered
most.
A stranger viewing any one of the flood
swept spots would necessarily mark it as
the successful candidate for the sad dis
concluding nothing could be
worse. But on going further and seeing
more he would be soon convinced of his
error. Say that his first point of obser-
vation was on the South Side, the appear
ance of Haynes, Somerset, Morris and
| Napoleon streets, in Kernville, would inn
press him with the idea that the flood
spent all its fury there, but crossing
| Stonycreek to the Johnstown side, and
casting his eyes down along River,
| Vine and Lincoln streets. and out Frank
lin 10 Washington, this thought would be
Immediately dispelled. Then coming on
TO Main street and gazing upon the ruined
buildings up to Clinton, the ravages of the
avalanche would be seen to he 30 in, ensifed
as to force the conviction that 1t is idle to
even try to discriminate, and this convic-
Iion would be confirmed as lie turns down
Main and looks at Market, Walnut and
Union streets. These, with Chestnut,
King, Potts and Conemaugh streets, and
all around and about the Point, are left
with little more than vestiges to tell their
locat IONS or boundaries.
Looking across the Conemaugh creek
into what was known as the First ward
of Millville borough, nothing, not even
wreck, save the school house, is left TO
indicate that even house, shop, office,
store or stable ever stood there. Then
turning up Washington street that was
crowded in the south side with houses
from Walnut, past Market and Franklin,
up to Clinton, not Il solitary former
building of any description is to be seen;
while on the north side, clear back to the
Connemaugh, the wrecks of the Company
offices and store and part of the B. s. o.
railroad depot are all that are left to tell
the sad story.
Then, as the stranger turns down Clin-
ton, few dilapidated edifices tell of the
great losses along'that thoroughfare; and
reaching the point intersected by Main
and Bedford streets, and looking at the
wide waste up bedford and out through
Connenaugn borough, that was so thickly
crowded with buildings, he yields to the
conviction that here the havoc wrought
by the enguliing wave eXerted its de-
uon-like powers. Could ruin be more
thorough and more general?
But hold. Let him wend his weary
steps over, around and about the wreck.
| age that interl enes in his course, on up
the Connemaugh river, and as lie reaches
the site OF the large Gtuutler Works, that
were quarter of "a mile in length, he is
furlsnel with an expressive commen-
tary dpon the terribly destructive force
of the great body of water that swept
down the now desolated valley.
Pussng over the now quiet Conuemaugh
| iuto what was the neatest, pretticst bOr-
ough Of the y-Woodvale-and see
my nothing but & cleanly swept surface OF
sand up to the ruins of the Touring mills
and from there on to the upper cad moth.
ing but rocks and stones, resembling the
bed of widespread nnd dried-up river
hc would be staggered when info! med the
long street was formerly lined with sub
stantial dwellings aud cottages; and that
the upper end had contained the large
stables and sheds of the Street Railway
Company These, with all the cars ana
eighty-nine head of horses, were all car
ried away.
From here up to East Conemaugh past
the fair ground, which like the upper end
of Woodvae resembles the bed of a large
river, with nothing but large boulders cx-
posed TO view, the scene is one strongly
testifying to the power of the maddened
water. At East Conemaugh all buildings
on the low ground, including the large
and massive roundhouse, were all gone
or the thirty locomotives swept away ten
or twelve of them are lying down along
side and in the bed of the river, some par
TALLY covered up with sand and debris
brought down from along the railroad as
far up as South Fork.
BY this time our stranger would con,
clude "eye had not seen nor ear heard
of anything in the history of the worlds
great disasters that surpasses in extent OF
destruction,or or in the magnitude of horrors
Conemaugh valleys visitation.
But if not too foot-weary and over.
surfeited with narrowing sights we would
suggest that lie should retrace his steps,
and go down into Cambria City, where he
would find only few lonely crushed and
ruined buildings-the remnants of Broad
Railroad, Chestnut and From streets
Three hundred and sixty-five houses
stores, shops and saloons were destroyed
Fully satiated with his hurried inspec
tion of the floods ravages, in property
| of