New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-02
ALL WARNINGS UNHEEDED.
THE DELUGE WAS EXPECTED.
AT LEAST TWELVE HUNDRED LIVES LOST
RIVER VALLEY


STOOD IN THE coNEMAUeH
RIVER VALLEY
PTttsburg, June 1.-THE number Of lives lost in
the food which swept almost every house and
every living creature out Of the beautiful Cone
maugh River Valley cannot yet be estimated.
The most careful Of those who are the scenc
Of the calamity agree that the list Of fatal casual
ties will foot up ut least 200 names. Others say
1000, and possibly as many as 5000 bodies will
yet be found. A great battle could hardly have
caused more suffering than these figures indicate
The history OF previous foods in the United States
presents record that equals this in the loss OF life
The damage 20 property can only be estimated in
millions, for the valley with the exception of d
few houses, has been swept bare. Yesterday IL
was dotted with fambouses. mills, hamlets and
towns with thousands of inhabitants; to-day IL Is
a waste, with houses piled in heaps Of drift with
broken piers 10 mark the places where the streams
wero spanned by bridges, with trees uprooted, and
with green fields covered by sand and clay.
that the food WAS not an unexpected thing. II is
now evident that mon lives were lost because OF
foolish incrodulity than from ignorance OF the
danger For more than q year there have been
fears Of a disaster The foundations Of the dam nt
South Fork were considered shaky early last
spring and many increasing leaksges were reported
from time 70 time According TO the state
ments OF people who lived in Johnstown and other
towns on the line Of the river, ample time was
given TO tho Inhabitants Of Johustown by the
railroad officials and by other gentlemen Of stand
ing and reputation. In hundreds OF cases this
warning wus utterly dsregnrded, and those who
headed II early in the day were looked upon as
towards, and many jesrs uttered by lips that
noy are cold Whether iucredulity and fool
harCinsEs number their victims by the hundred
or by the thousand no one yet knows, and 1t Will
he many days before the writing upon tomhstones
anil the tracing Of the unknown dod are ended
A SPECIAL WARNING TO JoHNsTowN.
'rhe people Of Johnstown also had special
warning in the fsct that the dan! in Stony Creek
lust above the bONB, DEOH hDOub heeot e'h6 N~NN
$40, OF feet Of lumber passed down the river.
Yet tbey hesitatsd, and even within the wall OF
wnter almost forty feet high, was at their doors
ono man Ia soid by Q survivor To have told his
family that the stream would not rie very high.
The Conemaush River is, in It's placid hours, mere
mountain creek, with only few inches depth OF
water In It's channel The water route from Johns
town 70 Pittsburg has never been traversed by
any craft larger than a canoe. Tho distance By
water TO PitBbdrg is fully 100 miles
The rapidity with which the dsluse
travelled can 10 guessed from the fact that the
body OF IN aged woman was drawn from the
Allegheny River at this city early this morning
Ihe tremendous wave, after forcing its way
through the dam, was pent up in the narrow
Va LEY the entire distance Of eighteen miles, from
South Fork Station 20 Johnstown. This little city,
with 8, 900 or 5000 houses and 10000 inhnoltantS
lay in hollow. whore Stony Creek enters the
Conemaugh River from the southward, and the
highest building In the town must have been
oyertopped by the food. Az Saltsburg Indiana
County, fifty miles by rnil east OF Pittsburs' the
union OF the Conemsugh and Loynhdma Creek
forms the Kiskiminctns River, which flows into
the Allegheny River at Freeport Junction, thirty
miles north Of PittSburg,
RESCUED AFTER FLOATING DOWN Two RIVERS
At Frecport Junction last night the river could
not be SEN, ib surface being thick with debris
including even pianos. One of the small dwell.
inrS that came down was occupied by man, who
SIT at one OF the upper windows. When tho
house struck The pier OF the railroad bridge
at the junction the shock caused the man 20 dis
appear. The concusnion soon shattered tho house,
and the nan was seen no moro. woman and
two children were seen floating past Leechburg
30 o'clock this morning on top OF some wreck
age. They were alive, and their ptiful cries
for help drew the attention OF the people on the
shore Some men got . boat and endeavored 70
reach rhe sufferers as they rowcd out in the
stream. The woman could be heard calling 70
them 20 save the children trst. The men made
Gallant effort. 10 was all without avail as the
strong current aud floating masses of drift pre-
vented them from reaching the victims They
were finally rescued fourteen miles down the
stream, having noated the entire length of the
and Kisxlminetas Rivers and reached
a point on the Allegheny River within twenty
three miles OF PittsburE.
Such incidents as these indicate more clearly
than columns OF description the overpowering
rush Of the wave. How sudden the
calamity is illustrated by an incident which
Mr.. Bender, the night chief operator
II tho Western Union In this city, relates. "At
3 o'clock yesterday afternoon said he. "the
girl operator at Johnstown was cheerfully ticking
away that she had 10 abandon the 'oiIce on the |
e., aoor bonause che vater VIVA three feet deep |