River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-06-06
THE EAST.

The Legislature of Rhode Island met in
Joint session at Newport on the IS h and
there having been no election by the people
at the recent State election, chose the fol
lowing Republican officers: H. ". Ladd.
Governor; D. H. Littlefield. Lieutenant
Governor; S. II. Goss, Secretary of State,
and Samuel Clark, Treasurer
At New York on the 2Sth the Presbyterian
General Assembly adopted a resolution con-
demuing the liquor traffic. but refused to
indorse either prohibition or high license as
the better weapon
THE Connecticut Legislature ON the 9Sth
passed the secret ballot act
The death OF John Hammond, an ex-
Congressman, and Colonel of the Fifth New
York Cavalry during the war. occurred on
the 2Sth at his home in Crown Point, " Y
Oh the 18th the First National Bank of
Sharon, Pa remained closed because the
time lock on the safe had been set for forty
eight hours and could not be opened
BERTHA SCHREYER, a married woman
twenty five years OF age was shot and ia
tally wounded in New York on the 18th by
John Berker. aged thirty-twO years, who
then killed himself
THROUGH Ut the country Decoration Day
was generally observed on the 3jth ult
President Harrison attended the ceremonies
at BROOKLYN.
ATERRIBLE catastrophe occurred at Johns
town. Pa, a city of thirty-five thousand in
habitants, on the 3Ist ult 4 large reser-
vOir gave way and inundated the entire
town, and il was estimated that the loss of
life would reach two thousand. Millions of
dollars worth of property had been de-
strOyed
FREDERIcK AIsIY & Co, dry-goods com
mission merchants of New York. failed on
the Slst ult Liabilities $4,000; assets p
per cent
FURTHER details on the ID of the recent
calamity in Pennsylvania multiply many
times the early estimates of the number OF
lives lost and the probable value Of the
property destroyed The first reports were
confined mainly to the destruction wrou hit
at JOhnstown. but they have since been
extended To a dozen towns and villages
and TO cover a vast extent of territory.
The catastrophe was caused by the burst
ing of what was known as the South Fork
dam JOhnstown was almost totally
destroyed in a few minutes Large
factories stores, public buildings, pala-
tiaI residences and modest homes were
swept away and their inmates crushed 20
death in the collapse of buildings or
drowned after heroic but vain efforts TO
reach places of safety. II was estimated
that twelve Thousand citizens of Johnstown
and its immediate vicinity persisted.
The towns OF South Fork, Mineral Point,
Conemaugh, WoOdvale, Cambria City and
other places. having from one to two thou
sand inhabitants, were completely devas-
tated and hundreds of their citizens
carried down by the torrent to be tossed
iifeless upon the banks and partly buried
in debris Such fearful destruction as was
OccasiOned within thirty miles from the
dam TO the town of New Florence had
never before been recorded The financial
loss by the great flood was estimated at
$40, OO0.OoO
AT WiIliamsport. Pa, bridge gave away
during flood on the LIST and twenty five
persons were drowned
TIE whole section of country between
EImira Clean. Arlesville, Hornellsville. An
derson and Painted Post, in Western New
York. was flooded on the I'd, involving the
serious loss of life and the destruction OF
millions Of dollars worth of property.