Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-06-01
Streets Under Water.
IMpLoRlNe HANDS IN THE FLOOD.

have been abandoned.
IMPLoRlNG HANDS IN THE FLOOD.
Terrible Evidences of the Catastrophe
Pass Bolivar.
BOLIVAR, Pa, June 1.-The water is high
Ell here than was ever known, and two-story
houses barns, stables, whole forests of trees,
outhouses, smokehouses, railroad bridges,
Rats. inverted skiffs and driftwood by the
acre, from all of which imploring hands were
held out to those on the banks, willing but
inlpotent to help, have fioated down the
swollen torrent of the Conemaugh- Inform
alton received is meager, but for the most
part accurate. At Lockport, two miles east,
more than twenty people have been taken
from the food.
'Heiy, Help, for Gods Sake?"
The first great rush of water reached here
al O'Clock last evening. This came from
ii e bursted dam above Johnstown. 1t came
like a frenzied whirlpool, and before the
people could realize it they were in its grasp
Fortunately the people living on the low
lying ground escaped. At 7:30 o'clock a
great pile of driftwood was swept along aud
fl ON it shrek upon shrek for Help help;
fer Gods sakel" came
Passed on to Their Doom.
The Mortified spectators on the shore saw
tree women, to one of whom were cling
ing two children, neither of whom was ap
parently more than an infant The rapidity
OF the current and the position of the raft on
til stream, together with the lack of facili-
tbs for rescuing, precluded the possibility of
even thinking in the matter, and the raft
passed-out of sight, the screams of the
women and children blending in their plead
ings for aid long after the raft was around
tt bend.
Notwithstanding Sights In the Stream.
The stream then became thickly strewn
with men, women, and children, clinging to
all sorts of temporary means of salvation
and two men and a woman chung madly to
the tors of huge trees, the men emulating
the females in their shrieks for help that it
was not possible to give. Just at dark lad
was noticed clinging to a log James Curry
secured a long line and ran to the river bank
The moose of the lasso fell over the bows
neck and shoulders, and moment later the
drenched, poverty -stricken little fellow was
hs uled to the bank
All That Was Left of the Family. -
He was soon restored, and stated that his
ne me was Edward Harsten, Is years of age
Hs had lived with his father and grand
father and mother in Cambria City, a part
of Johnstown At O'Clock their home ha d
been caught in the volume of water let loose
by the bursting of the dam. They had all
cl mbed upon mass of driftwood md were
carried along. Their raft went to pieces
as ainst bridge pier, and he had not seen
his relatives since, but thought that they
were all drowned
A Little Babe in the Torrent
Mr. Rhoades, at Blairsville Intersection,
agent saw a woman floating by on the roof
of house. With arms outstretched she
called in Il e most piteous tones to save her
ooh, my God, she cried, save, save me-" u
caught the name of Lucy" said MIR. Rhoades,
1above the roar Of the flood. Just ahead of
thu house we could plainly see a cradle Goat
iny with little babe in it. The child seemed
to be sleeping, but more than likely was dead
A little after o'clock an engineer of the
Pennsylvania railroad saw three men drown
at the railroad bridge in Johnstown At that
time the water was fully fifty feet deep
Agrees That 1900 Were Drowned.
A wrecking train left here this morning to
clear the tracks and re-establish communities
items. The people along the route between
this place and Johnstown are well nigh par
ally zed by fear. At Bolivar the water is tbs
highest in history. 1t is now over the bed of
tbs old Pennsylvania canal, which has never
before been submerged
Joe Duffy was saved from the river He
estimates that fully 1,5O0 people were
drowned He saw a number of persons about
him sucked under the turbulent water,
| AMI they never appeared again.
Three-quarters of the city of Johnstown
| was submerged. The water rose up to the
| third stories of the houses in five minutes
Whole Streets Washed Away.
he saw the houses of one entire street
| We shed away in a short time. He floated on
the driftwood to Lockport, and then jumped
into the food and swan about twenty-five
| yards to the shore The family of John
Thomas, including his wife and five children,
were lost. The hired girl and another man
ma ned Harvey, were also drowned Duffy
| says he saw people carried off by the flood in
| crowds.
HERDS Noble Work.
AT Lockport sixty-five families are home
lesi having lost everything but their lives.
Edward Dick, a young railroader, rescued
an old gentleman, a lady named Adams, of
Co umbia, and her two children by SWIM
ming out to the house in which they were
i'm 'risoned Cutting a hole in the roof and
pulling them through, he then swan ashore
with them, one at time until all were
saved. Dick then fell exhausted
Says 5000 Are Drowned.
Patrick Madden was nearly dead when
pulled from the river. He was in the house of
Ed ward Garvey. All were caught Ten min
| utes laterthe house was wrecked, Garvey and
his son-in-law were downed, and Madden was
thr own into the food. "When rose to the
sur face saw my wife hanging to piece of
sea ntling. She let it go, and was drowned
ain ost within reach Of my arm Ny wife
! ane six children are all missing, and fear
are drowned. There are without doubt fully
300 people lost between Conemaugh and
Cambria City"