Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
10000 Persisted
Pennsylvania the Scene of the Most
Fearful Disaster on RecO
The Latest Reports Give the Loss of
fe at Ten Thousand.
Remains of Johnstown's UnfOrtunates
Floating in Every Direction.
Those Not Meeting Death in the
Water Roasted to Death.
Hundreds Fall From the Wreckage
and Lost in the Torrent.
A PitifuI Sight to See Little Babes
Nhirled on to Death.
Relief Trains Carrying the Bodies to
New Florence.
Where Relatives and Friends Flock to
identify Their Dead.
Those Not Meeting Death i'm the
Water Roasted to Death.
Hundreds Fall From the Wreckag e
and Lost in the Torrent.
A Pitiful Sight to See Little Babes
Whirled on to Death.
Relief Trains Carry ing the Bodies to
New Florence.
Where Relatives and Friends Flock to
identify Their Dead.

New FLORENCE, Pa, June between
I.2OO and 100 lives we're lost in the flood
that swept down Conemaugh Valley at
O'Clock last evening.
Several cities and villages, with popu-
lation of $4,000 TO 40, 900, were com plete-
ly wiped out.
Immense manu- featuring establish
ments-iron works, rolling mills, railway
shops-Jhat lined the bank of the river
for miles, were swept away.
Hundreds of bodies have been recov-
cred from the torrent, and scores are seen
floating down on the bosom of the great
tide. The disaster is the most awful, not
only in the history of Pennsylvania, but
of the country.
SANG Hollow, June 2.-rhe first ac-
counts sent out of the Johnstown dIsas'
ter are far below the widest estImetes
placed upon the extent of the calamity,
ana instead Oh A,OoO VI oJooO Az 70 PAoS
able that the death list will reach 5000,
many say 10000. Its now known that
two sectors of the day express train on
the PENNSYLVANIA railroad have been
thrown into the maddened torren and
the passengers drowned. These trains
were help at Johnstown from Friday at
IL a. NJ, and were laying on the siding
between Johnstown aud Conemaugh
stations. The awfol torrent came
down the narrow dehle between
the mountains, distance of nine miles,
and with fall Of 800 feet In that dis
tance, sweeping away the villages OF
South Fork, Mineral Point, ,Woodville and
Conemaugh, Ie&ving but one building
standing, a wooden mill, where but an
hour before had stood hundreds, and,
dashing ON with the roar of cataract
and speed of the wind upon the fair city
which but yesterday sat Johpstown sits in
the mountains like jewel of queens
diadem. The Great Gautier steel works
sat in this plane, and the city below it,
the railroad tracks bounding it at the
base of the mountain on the north, Here
is where the trains we're standing when
the tide of water like a catapult came
down upon them with such resistless
force that heavy trains, locomotives, Pull
mans, and all were overturned and swept
down the torrent and were lodged against
the great stone viaduct along with forty
one locomotives from the Johnstown
round house, the heavy machinery and
ponderous frame work of the
Gautier mill, accumulated debris
of more than one Thousand houses,
furniture, bridges, lumber, drift and
human beings. The low arches of the
stone viaduct choked up Immediately and
tie water backed back over the entire
level of the valley, upon which the city
stood, to depth of what from the water
works Indicated about SO feet. In the
great sea thus formed thousands of peo-
pie were struggling for life.
The scene today was one of the most
narrowing possible for the imagina-
ton of man to conceive.
The accumulated drift gorged up
at the viaduct to the height of 40 feet
and then took fire from the upsetting of
stoves and lamps. There were strong
men made sick at the sight. As the
flames cracked and roared among the
dry finder of the floating houses, human
bodies were seen pinned between the
house roofs, locomotives, iron beams,
freight, passenger, Pullman and baggage
cars, ana iron beams, the greedy flames
licked with haste their diet of human
flesh. The scene was horrible beyond
description. From an infant a few
days old to tue wasted figures of
age were burned before the eyes of the
beholders, and no rescue from such fate
was possible. Strong men turned away
with agonized expressions and women
shrieked at the horror of the scene. The
dead have been computed at nos less
than 5000, and the number may even ex-
coed this number. This seems incredi-
BILE, but until the waters will have abated
and the work of removing the dead from
this tremendous mass, it will be impossi-
BILE TO tell how many lives have
been lost. An Associated Press
correspondent was first to cross
Johnstown proper by means of a basket
suspended from cable as passengers
are removed from wrecked ships. Here
the scenes were magnified in their hor.
ror. Here were the residences of the
little city's most wealthy and intelligent
people. Here were found the lies OF
some of the most prominent citizens,
with all the members of their families.
JoHNsTowN, Pa, June 1.-10:40 p. H.
Most of the accumulation of buildings
which were swept by the angry waters to
the Pennsylvania railroad bridge, piled