The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1889-06-06
UNPARALLELED HORROR.
Death, Destruction and Despair
Reigns In and Around
JOhnstOwn, Pa.
Thousands or Lives IN the Valley Of the
COnemaugh River Demanded by
Flood and Flame The True
Condition Beggais Dc.
scriptiOn.

Last Friday afternoon a terrible fate
overlook the towns in the Conemaugh
Valley, bv the bursting of reservoir,
situated in the mountains four hundred
feet above the level of the town OF Johns
town. The valley, in which Johnstown
and other smaller towns, which have
been nearly il not totally destroyed, is
narrow valley hedged in by spurs of the
Allegheny Mountains. The town of
Johnstown is the greatest sufferer, hav-
ing population of about twenty.eight
thousand people. The other towns
which are sufferers in this dreadful ca.
lamity are South Fork, Mineral Point,
Cambria City and Conemaugh. South
Fork was the first in the track of the
avalanche of water and contained about
two thousand inhabitants. This town
was totally destroyed. carrying buildings
and all movable matter with its living
freight TO swift destruction The popula-
ton OF the whole valley is estimated at
something over forty thousand, and fear
ful to say the estimate loss of life is
placed at 5000. The columns of the
daily papers are filled with pitiful tales
Of suffering and distress, and such cor.
respondents as have tried to describe
the scenes OF destruction and desttution
are all unanimous in saying that it beg
gars description. To add to the horror
OF the wreck by flood, many of the
buildings which were swept from their
foundations, containing their living
freight, took fire, and numbers were
literally roasted alive. 1t is thought
that fifteen hundred dwellings have been
completely destroyed, and the value of
property destroyed is thought to be
at least forty million dollars. The de-
struction OF life and property, which
took place on last Friday in that ill.fated
valley of the Conemaugh, is certainly
the most fearful that has visited oul fair
land for years. The cause of the calam-
ity, as has been already said, was the
bursting of a reservoir. 1t was large
sheet of water, three miles in length and
a mile and quarter in breadth. 1t had
formerly been used as feeder for Penn
sylvania Canal. The canal had been
abandoned after the construction of rail.
roads into this valley, which is very rich
in its mineral deposits, both Of iron ore
and coal. The Cambria Iron and Steel
Works, said to be the largest in the
world, had its works located at Johns
town. These work gave emplyment to
between 1000 or 5000 men in ordinary
times, with force Of employees some.
times reaching 9 900 men. -
The reservoir was once small noun.
tain lake, and had been enlarged by the
establishment of the canal, and it was
still further enlarged and beautiHed by
New York capitalists as a pleasure re-
sort for boating and fishing. Now the
mountain stream winds it way through
the muddy bottom of the once beautiful
lake. In the midst OF this terrible scene
OF death and suffering, it is found that
the milk of human kindness is wretch.
edly thin in some breasts. II is . dis.
grace to civilization to record that men
were found low enough and greedy
enough to pass among the dead bodies
for the purpose of robbery. Can it give
any comfort to say that they were Hum.
garians? Some OF these men were
found mutilating the dead bodies Of
women in order to secure their jewelry,
for which acts they forfeited their own
lives at the hands OF an outraged COM
munity. Aid has been called for and a
quick response answered the call. It is
comforting to note this characteristic of
the American people in their readiness
to aid the oppressed or destitute of our
own or OF any other land. Ohio's Gov
ernor, with his characteristic prompt
ness, was the first to issue q proclama-
ton for aid, and Ohio tents were the
first on the ground affording shelter 10
the destitute sufferers of Pennsylvania.
The aiding cause which resulted in
the bursting Of the reservoir above
Johnstown was the very heavy rains
throughout the State OF Pennsylvania
and the other States lying east OF Ohio.
Much damage has been done in other
places. The waters of the Potomac
spread over much Of the level lands OF
Washington, and one section OF the
Long Bridge across the river was carried
off by the flood.
The friends of l.. T. Neal, the invinci-
BILE Democrat OF Ross county, must have
suffered like other green crops from the