Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-06-04

boxes-and buried at once.
GONE MAD WITH GRIEF.
A man named Chris. Myer has been
rendered completely insane by the fact
that his mother, father, two sisters and
brother are among the missing. When
notified of the loss of his family, he
threw up his hands and exclaimed, "My
God, what will come next?" From that
time, which was last night, until the
present he has been hopelessly insane,
even at times becoming violent and
wanting to kill himself.
THE PRESIDENTS INQUIRIES.
Three anxious inquiries sent by Presi-
dent Harrison today caused the general
belief that Postmaster General Hatton
was among the passengers who were
killed on the Pennsylvania road last
Friday. President Harrison knew that
Hatton was on that train, and asked
Adjutant- General Hastings to ascertain
Hatton's fate. No one here knew any
thing about his whereabouts. This after
noon William Henry Smith, General
Manager of the Associated Press, came
in from Ebensburg, where he and Mr..
Hatton had been blockaded since the
train was lost. They were on the train
together, and had a very narrow escape
from death. All the passengers, twelve
or thirteen in number, who left the train
were killed. Mr.. Hatton and Mr.. Smith
were lucky enough to stick to the train.
Mr.. Smith was in hurry to get west
| and forced his way over the mountains to
Johnstown. Hatton and the rest of the
passengers are waiting for the Pennsyl,
| vania Road to resume operations. I'M
| mediately on receipt of this new, General
| Hastings forwarded it to the President.
SPECIAL FROM ONE THERE.
PITTsBURG, June 3.-The following dis.
patch was cent by courier from Ebens-
burg On June LIST by William Henry
Smith, General Manager of the Asso-
ciated Press, who was passenger on the
day express and was an eyewitness of
the scene at Conemaugh on the night OF
the terrible calamity. 1t reached here
tonight, at midnight:
EBENsBURG, Pa, June 1.-The fact line
trains that leave Chicago at 3: 15 and
Cincinnati at P. NJ. constitute the day
express eastward, from Pittsburg, which
runs in two sections. This train left
Pittsburg on time on Friday morning,
but was stopped for an hour at Johns
town by reports of washout ahead. 1t
had been raining hard for over sixteen
hours, and the sides of the mountains
were covered with water descending into
the valley. The Conemaugh river, whose
bank is followed by the Pennsylvania
Railroad for many miles looked angry,
and was nearly bankful. The passengers
were interested in seeing hundreds of
saw logs and an enormous amount of
driftwood shoot rapidly down the river
as the train pursued it's way eastward.
At Johnstown there was long wait, as
before stated. The lower stories of many
of the houses were submerged by the
slack water, and the inhabitants were
locking out of the second story
windows. Horses were standing up to
their knees in water in the streets. The
side-track of the railroad has been
washed out. Loaded cars were on the
bridge to keep it steady and the huge
poles of the Western Union, carrying
fifteen wires, were swaying badly and
several went down. The two sections
ran to Conemaugh, about two miles this
side of Johnstown, and lay there for
about three hours, when they were
moved on to the highest ground and
placed eide by side. The mail train
was placed in the rear of the first sec
ton, and freight train was run on to
the side track on the bank of the Cone
maugh. The report was that the bridge
had been washed out, carrying away one
track, and that the other track was I'M
safe. There was a rumor also that the
reservoir at South Fork, some time ago
feeder of tho Pennsylvania Canal, but
latterly the property of a club at Pitts
burg, and used for hunting and fish
ing, was unsafe, aud might break.
This made most of the passengers
uneasy and they kept pretty good
lookout for information. The porters of
the Pullman cars remained at their posts
and confronted the passengers with the
assurance that the Pennsylvania Com
pany always took care of its patrons. A
few gentlemen and some ladies and
children quietly seated themseles ap.
parently contented. One gentleman was
i'll and had his berth made up and re-
tired, although advised not do so. Soon
the cry came that the water in the reser-
voir had broken down the barrier and was
sweeping down the valley. Instantly
there was panic and rush for the
mountain side. The children we're car
ried and the women were assisted by the
few who kept cool heads. 1t was race
for life. There was seen the black head
of the flood, now a monster OF destruc-
ton, whose crest was high raised in the
air. And, with this in view, even the weak
found wings for their feet. No words
can adequately describe the terror that
| filed every breast of the awful power
manifested by the flood. The round
house had stalls for twenty-three loco
motives. There were eighteen or TWENTY
of these standing there at this time.
There was an ominous crash, and the
| roundhouse and locomotives disappeared.
| Everything on the main track of the
food was first lifted in the air and then
swallowed up by the waters. A hundred
houses were swept away in a few min
utes. These include the hotel, stores
and saloons on the front street and the
residences adjacent. The locomotive OF
one of the trains was struck by the house
and demolished. The side of another
house stopped in front of another engine
and acted as shield. The rear car OF
the mail train swung around in rear OF
the second section of the express and
turned over on it's side. Three men were
observed standing upon it as il floated
will they trust to it, or to the still upright
Pullman cars? The coupling broke, and
the car moved out upon the bosom of the
waters. AS it would roll, the men would
shift their position. The situation was
desperate, and they were given up for
lost. Two or three hardy men seized
ropes and ran along the mountain side
| to give them aid. Later it was reported