St. Paul daily globe., 1889-06-03
DROWNED FROM A TRAIN.
Two Cars Swept Away by the Re-
j. sistless Flood,


the day express laid up at Conemaugh
on the night of the disaster, he said:
''The first and second sections stopped
side by side at Conemaugh Friday after
noon on account of the washout at
Lilly's. The second was next to the
mill; the first on the outside. Suddenly
/ l saw what looked like wall of water.
1t was thirty feet high. We barely had
time to notify the passengers, and they
nearly all fled up the hillside. One old
man, who with his son returned for
some reason, was drowned. Two cars
went down in the current. I do not
know how many were drowned. We
set fire to lot of lime and the fire
caught two Pullman cars, which were
destroyed, but no person was burned,
all the passengers having left the train
before the cars caught. There were
about 100 persons on my section, which
was made up of day coaches. After the
mad rush the passengers went back to
the cars, aud later were cared for by the
people of Conemaugh. Afterwards they
were taken to Ebensburg. They eX-
pected to go East to Altoona this after
noon. Friends of those in the Chicago
limited need feel no anxiety, as it was
not in the flood at all.''
Harry Rose, the popular district attOr-
ney for Cambria. is among the missing,
and there is scarcely doubt that he is
among the lost. Many have been re-
ported dead who are not. Col. John
Linton and his family are saved. John
nj. Rose is not dead as reported, nor
Col James McMillin. Rev. H. Chap
man, also reported dead, is alive. These
facts, circulated this afternoon, caused
much joy. A squad of Battery B, under
command of Lieut.. Brown, the forerun-
ners of the whole battery, arrived at the
improvised telegraph Office at $3.50
o'clock. He went at once to Adjt. Gen.
Hastings and arranged for proper
protection. Another dispensary,
under Drs. Wakefield, Of the
Cambria Medical society: Stewart, of
the Allegheny society, and Milligan, of
the Westmoreland society. is doing good
work. DR.. Milligan states that they
treated 800 patients to-day. They are
at Napoleon street in Kearnsville. No
surgical instruments could be procured
in the city until o'clock this afternoon.
Among the 300 patients the doctors
have many with fractured skulls, and
nearly all have broken bones. One
man had heavy iron bar driven
THROUGH HIS LEG
beneath the knee, separating the two
bones. A thigh amputation was made.
A woman had her knee and the lower
part of her limb crushed out of all
Shape. A thigh amputation was neces-
sary. DR.. Milligan reported at p. m.
tn at seventy-six bodies had been taken
out at Kearnsville and eighty five above
the silk works. Chief Evans, of the
evening with Engines Nos. and Is and
several hose carts with a full compile
ment of men. A large number of Pitts
burg physicians came on the same
train. Mr.. Grouse, proprietor of the
South Fork Fishing Club hotel, came
to Johnstown this afternoon. He
says that when the dam of Cone
maugh lake broke the water seemed to
leap, scarcely touching the ground.
1t bounded down the valley crashing
and roaring. carrying everything be-
fore it. For a mile its front seemed
like solid wall twenty feet high. The
warning given the stricken city was
sent from South Fork village by Freight
Agent Dechert. When the great wall
that held the body of water began to
crumble at the top he sent a message
begging the people OF JohnstoWn for
Gods sake to take to the hills. He re-
ports no serious accidents at South
Fork. Richard Davis ran to Prospect
hill when the water raised. As to Mr..
Dechert's message, he says just such
have been sent down at each flood since
the lake was made. The warning had
been given SO often that little attention
was paid to it this time.
81 cannot describe the mad rush," he
said. SAT first it looked like dust. That
must have been the spray. 1 could see
houses going down before it like
child's play blocks set Oh edge in row.
AS it came nearer could see houses
totter for moment, then rise, and the
next moment be crushed like eggshells
against each other" Mrs. James Davis,
her two daughters and son can no
where be found. At Woodvale there
was row of brick tenement houses 12O
feet long, and three stories high. 1t
stood broadside to the current. A few
tenants fled. but many went to their at
tics to watch the flood. To-day, scarce
Iy the Foundation of the row of brick
houses can be found. Supt. Kirkland.
of the West Penn railroad, arrived at
$50 with carload of provisions from
RlairSyillo