The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1889-06-08
THE CONEMAUGH DISASTER.

THE CONEMAUGH DISASTER.
Account of an Eyewitness. A Fic,ur
to Fiji the Mind with Horror.
PITTSBUR6, June 3.-The foiiowius
dispatch was sent by courier from Eb
enesburg, June /, by William Henry
Smith, general manager Of the Asso
ciated Press, who was an eye Witnes:
of the scene in the Conemaugh Valley
on the night Of the terrible calamity.
1t reached here tonight at midnight:
The first train which left Cincinnati
at Z p. NJ. connects with the day ex-
press east at Pittsburg. This train left
Pittsburg on time Friday morning,
but was stopped for an hour at the
junction on the report of the washout.
1t had rained hard for fourteen hours,
and the sides of the mountains We're
covered with water descending into
the valley.
The Couemaugt river, whose bank
is followed by the Pennsylvania road
for many miles, was nearly bank full.
The passengers were interested in Sec
ing hundreds Of saw logs aud an enor
nous amount of driftwood shoot rap
idly by as the train pursued lis way
At Johnstown there was long wait
The lower stories OF many houses were
submerged by the water aud the in-
habitaDts were looking out of the
secoud-s,ory windows,
Horses were standing up tn the knees
ia the streets. A side track of the rail-
road had been washed out. Loaded
cars were on the bridge to keep il
steady, and the huge poles of the
Western Union Telegraph Company,
fifty wires, were swayipg bad
~, aud several soon went down. The
two sections ran through this side of
Johnstowu and lay here about three
hours, when they were moved on to
the highest ground aud placed side by
side. The mail train was placed in the
rear Of the first section and freight
train was run on to side track on the
bauk of the Conemaugh.
The report was that a bridge had
been washed out, carrying away one
track and that the other was unsafe.
There was a rumor also that the reser-
voir at South Fork was unsafe aud
might break. This made most Of the
passengers uneasy and they kept IA
pretty good lookout for information.
The porters on the Pullman cars res
naiaed at their posts and comforted
The passengers With the assurance that
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company
always took care of it's patrons. A
lew gentlemen and ladies quietly seat
ed themselves, apparently contented.
Soon tie cry came that the water in
The reservoir had broken down the bar.
rier and was sweeping down the val
ey.
Instantly there was a panic and q
ush for tho mountain side. Children
we're carried and women assisted by a
ew who kept cool heads. 1t was a
ace for time. There was seen tho
black head of the flood, now the mon-
tier Of destruction, whose crest was
llgh raised in the air and with this in
view the weak
FOUND WINGS FOR THEIR FEET.
No words can adequately describe tho
error that filed every breast, or the
awful power manifested by the flood.
The roundhOuse had stalls for twenty
.hree locomotives. Tuere were
eighteen or twenty standing there at
his time. There was an ominous crash |
and the roundhouse and locomotives |
lisappeared.
Everything in the main track of the
iood was lifted in the air and then
,wallowed up by the waters. A hum
lred houses were swept away in few |
minutes; these included the hotel, |
stores aud saloons on the front street |
residences adjacent. The locomotive OF
one of the trains was struck by house
md demolished. The side of another
house stopped in front of another Ioco>
motive aud served as shield. The
ear of the car OF the mail train swung |
,round in The rear OF the second section
If the express and turned over on its
tide.
Three men were observed standing
lpon it as it tloated. VIII they trus,
o 1t or the still upright Pullman cars:
rhe coupling broke and the car moved |
,ut upon the bosom of the waters. AS
It would roll the men would shift their
position; the situation was desperate,
md they were given up for lost. Two |
)r three hardy men seized ropes and |
IAN along the mountain side to give
hem aid, after it was reported that |
he men had escaped over some drift !
wood near bank. 1t is believed there |
we're several women inside the car. OF
course they were drowned.
AS the fdgitives OH the mountain |
,ide witnessed the awful devastation |
hey were moved as never before in !
hair lives They xyprp nnwprlpSs IN