Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-06-07
GRAVE FOB MANY VICTIMS.

effort Is being made to construct a bridge
across the Conemaugh st point where
the old county bridge formerly stood.
A man named Mcguire was met on his
way from the south fork TO Johnstown.
He said hewss standing on the edge of
the lake when the walls burst. The water
was rising all day and was ou level with
a pile of dirt which he said was above
the walls of the dam. All of a sudden it
burst with report like cannon, and
the water started down the mountain side
sweeping before it the trees as if they
were ships, powders we're rolled as if they
were marbles. The roar was deafeuinv
The lake was emptied in an hour and a
| half. All the water, he said, was now
out. The railroad is in terrible coudi-
tion. At some points holes twenty and
thirty feet deep were washed in the
tracks. On his way down he stopped at
Mineral Point, where sixteen houses were
washed away and several lives lost. At
East Conemaugh thirty houses were car
ried away by the food. The loss of life
is very large at this point. Three days
have passed since the flood gates were
opened and the waters rushed down upon
the mountain city. Order is slowly sris-
ing out of chaos.
FORCING IDLERs TO LEAVE,
The great cry is for nien. Men who
will work and no stand 'dly by anI do
pothing but gaze AZ the ruins. An order
was posted on telegr apb pole in Johns
town tody by the citizens committee
which says: "We are now so organized
that employment can be found for every
man who wants to work, and men offered
work who refuse to take the same, and
who are able to work, must leave Johns
town for the present. We cannot feed
men who will not work. All work will
be paid for. Strangers and
idlers who refuse to work will be elected
from Johnstown." Officers are stationed
at every avenue ana railroad that enters
the town. All suspicious looking charac-
ters are stopped, and but one question is
asked. II is: "Will you workf" If an
affirmative answer is given man escorts
him to the employment bureau where he
is put to work. If a negative answer Is
given he is turned back. There is a
lot of idle vagabond negroes in
Johnstown who will not work, and it is
likely the committee will escort them out
of the town. They have caused most of
the trouble during the past terrible days.
1t is a fact, though a disagreeabie one
to say, that not a few eff the relief com
mittees, who came to this city, came only
out of curiosity and positively refused
to do any work but would hang around
the cars eating food and the leaders of
committees then had to do ali the work.
They deserve much credit.
TIE TOR OF AN EYE WITNESS.
PIrTsBUURG, jane 3.-The following
dispatch sent by a conrier from Eoens-
buag on June 1st, by Wm. Henry Smith
general manager of ne Associated
pIess, who was a passenger on the day
express and was an eye witness OF the
scene at Conemaugh on the night of the
terrible calamity. 1t reached tonight at
midnight:
EBENsBURG, Pa, June G-The fast line
trains that leave Chicago at 3:15 and
CINCINNATI at p. N :, constitute day
express eastward from Pittsburg which
runs In sections. This train left Pitts
burg on time Friday morr ing but was
stopped for an hour at Johnstown by re-
ports of a washout ahead. It had been
raining hard for ovter sixteen
hour, and the sides of the mountains
were covered with water descending into
ihc tLNoEs "hoSt
bank is followed by Pennsylvania railroad
for many miles, looked angry and bank
full. The passengers were interested in
seeing an enormous amount of iriftwood
shoot rapidly by, and the train pursued
its way eastward. At Johnstown there
was a long wait, as before stated. The
lower stories of many
HOUSES WERE SUBMERGED
by black water, aid the inhabitants were
looking out of second story windows.
Horses were standing up to their knees
in water in the streets; the side track of
the railroad had been washed out; loaded
cars were on the bridge to keep it steady,
and the huge poles of the Western
Union carrying fifteen wire were swaying
badly and several soon went down. Two
sections ran to Conemaugh and lay there
about three hours. Then they were
moved on the highest ground and placed
side by side. The mail train was placed
in the rear of the first section and the
freight rain was run onto the side track
oa the bank of the Conemaugh. The re-
port vas that
BRIDGE had BEEN WASHED OUT,
carrying away one track and that the
other track was unsafe. There was a
a rumor also that the reservoir at the
south fork, some time ago the feeder of
the Pennsylvania canal, but latterly the
property OF club at Pitt5burg and used
for hunting and fishing, was unsafe and
might break. This made most of the
passengers uneasy and they kept pretty
good look out for information. Porters
on cars remained at their posts
and comforted 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 themselves ap-
parently eontepted, one gentleman, who
was i'll, had his berth made up and re-
tired, although advised not TO DO so.
Soon a cry came that the water in the
reservoir 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 carried and the women were as
sisted by the few who kept cool heads.
It was a race for life as was seen the
black head OF the food, now a monster of
destruction whose crest WAS hig h raised in
the air, and with this view even the weak
found wings for their feet No words can
adequately describe the terror
that filled every breast, or
the awful power manifested by the
food. The roupdhouse had stalls for %
locomotives, there were Is or 20 of these
Standing there at this time. There was
an olnnous crash and the roundhouse
and locomotives disappeared. Every
thing in the main track of the food was
first lifted up in the air and then swal
lowed up by the waters. Hundreds of
houses were swept awsy in a few minutes
ard these included the the hotel, stores
"A saloons on the front street,
md the residences adjacent.
The locomotive of one of the trains was
struck by house and demolished. The
side of another house stopped In frCnt of
another locomotive and served as a
shield. The mail train swung around III
the rear of the second sctiOu and turned
over on its side. Three men were observ-
ed standing
UPON IT AS IT FLoATED.
The coupling broke and the cars
moved out upon the busom o, the waters
Two or three hardy men seized ropes
and ran along the mountain side to give
| them aid Letter it was reported that the
men escaped over some drift wood as
their car was carried near the bank. II is
believed there we're several women and
children ins ide the car. or course
they were drowned As the fugitives on
| the mountain side witnessed the awful
| dev assation they were moved as never