The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-06-05
UNHEEDED WARNINGS.
How the People OF the Doomed city Were
Notified of Their Danger.

UNHEEDED WhhNlNGss
How the People Of the Doomed City Were
Notified OF Their Danger.
JoHNsTowN, Pa, June About eleven p
m. of Thursday, May 30, the storm burst
upon the city of Johnstown and continued
until II 80 a. IN. Friday. At eighta a. m. the
torrent began TO pour into the city from the
creeks and rivers At ten a. m. there was
no outlet for the people. The first message
from the lake at South Fork was received
at ten a. IN. Friday that the dam was weak
ening. But the people, or the few who
heard the report, laughed TO scorn this mes
sage, saying they had heard such news be-
fore. The second came at II 80 a. IN. Itwas
TO the effect that the dam was likely TO burst
at any moment At $3.50 the final message
was received, advising the people to fee 10
the mountains for their lives, as the dam
must surely burst within the hour.
The messages were held by few officials
about the railroad, who neglected 10 sound
the alarm until 1t was too late At that
time the water had reached the second story
Of some OF tho dwellings In the lower part
Of the city. All bridges had beon swept
away by the avalanche Of water pouring
through the city. The warnings, which
were received in ample time for all TO have
escaped, were sneered at and cast aside as
being an old story. At $3.50 the whistles
and bells gave warning that the dam had
broken, but then IL was too hate There
was q roaring sound, and before ~ people
could realize the danger the twttaf was
upon them In mass, carrying every thing
before II. Had they taken the warning In
the morning from the messages received,
thousands Of lives would have been saved.
A boarding house crowd Of twelve were
arrested In body at MorrelVille yesterday.
They had been going 10 the relief committee,
each representing himself as the head Of .
family, and drawing supplies. With these
they had opened an impromptu grocery and
clothing store aud were doing thriving
business.
It rained New York newspaper men for
half On hour Monday afternoon. None OF
them had reached here before. The Sun
men got cut of at Harrisburg, went back 10
Now York, then TO Albany, to Buffalo, 10
Cleveland, then TO Ashtabula, then TO Pitts
burgh and here by special train on the Bal
tImore q Ohio. The Tribune World and
Herald men went down from Harrisburg 10
CAambersburs and drove from there here,
40 miles, without getting out Of their car
riages. Il cost these men $50 70 get here
f,sm New York
Yesterday q corn patch OF about an acre
In extent at Nineveh was dug over by q vol
unteer force and lSs corpses were uncov-
orod. The manner In which the CHASTITY
find was made was purely accidental A
man walking over the field kickeda at clump
Of garland; overturned II and uncovered q
womAn's fhce. This indicated q rich find
and the people around were called To assist,
with the results above stated. This in
croases the list Of dead at Nineveh 10 30.
The dead were found under about four feet
Of alluvial deposit.
The twenty FIVE acres Of debris accumu-
lated by the Penns yivaniA bridge over tho
Conemaugh will be dynamited today. The
idea Is TO disintegrate the mass. start logs
down the river, catch the bodies thus dis
lodged and inter them as rapidly as possible.
At the morgue one little boy named Elrod,
on finding his father and mother both dead,
seized hatchet and for some time would
let no one enter the place, claiming that the
people were lying TO him and wanted 10 rob
him Of his father and mother One sad In
.adsnt "A was tbe sight Of two coffins living IN
the Gautier graveyard, while nobody was
sround 10 bury them except young woman
gazing at them In o dazcd manner, while
the rain beat on her unprotected head.
-, avor,rg Robert Rr,doard a latte,
...~so. .S. % ,hss c,,v moun,sd 4 wagon an
Sa.Ioi San :. naaoh s 20 aoo IRON on the condnct ~
~ s1n Wnns end the necessitv of oood WORT
..e '-e, % co. ,ha c,eariuo awav of The dehris AM
,'on,,,no oa H. G ,he dea5 He ciosed Win a MITE,
..ssou % tha Iszv Huns and PoIes vhohav,
| 49, - he valley only a short fine and "a
% 1nss 70 tnrn a zand towards the relief q,