The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1889-06-06
THE YOUNGSTOWN HORROR.

vailed through Pennsyl fania in the
latter part of last week, resulted in
an appalling loss of lite. The scene
Of the terrible disaster was in ard
around Johnstown, Pa, Cambria
county, on the B. & O. railroad and
the Conemaugh river. Two and
one half miles northeast of the town
was a reservoir owned by rich
fishing club, and said to be the
largest reservoir in the United
States, being three and one half
miles wide. The lake was held in
check by dam from 700 to 1000
feet wide and was 80 feet in thick
ness at the base and 20 at tie top,
its height being 10 feet. The
steady rains for several days in
creased the volume of water in the
mountain streams, End on top of
this there seems to have been an
extraordinary cloud burst over the
reservoir. This caused the dam to
break and so great was the pressure
that the water seemed scarcely to
touch the ground in its mad rush on
the towns below in the valley. The
course of the torrent from the lake
to YOUNGSTOWN is about eighteen
miles, and it passes through "V"
shaped valley.
Four miles below the dam is the
town of South Fork. 1t contained
about 1000 inhabitants. 1t is said
that four-6fths of it has been swept
away. -Four miles further down is
the town of Mineral Point. AS this
is on fiat close to the river, little
hopes is entertained that any of the
town has been spared. Six miles
further down was the town of Con-
nemaugh. 1t contained about $500
inhabitants, and must be almost
wholly destroyed. Woodvale is a
mile further down, with 1000 people,
and mile still further down is the
cluster of towns, Johnstown, Gam
bria, Conemaugh borough, with a
total population of 10000 on made
ground. There also are the works
of the Cambria Iron and Steel Com
pany, with a capital Of S5,OOO,0OO,
besides other industries. These
towns are almost total wrecks.
Only few houses are left to tell
the sad tale of destruction.
Whole houses were lifted up and
carried away by the raging torrents,
and helpless human beings were
clinging to the tops and taking their
death ride. Fires broke out in the
floating debris and burned up humid
red OF human beings that chung to
them to avoid watery grave. The
places where the towns once were is
covered with mud, in which the
bodies of the dead are continually
being discovered. The reading of
the details of this awful catastrophe
is calculated to bring tears to the
eyes of the most hardened. Whole
families have been swept out of ex-
lstence, and there are few left to
identify the dead. In Johnstown
alone it is estimated that fully 5000
were lost. One order was given for
1000 collins. 1t is believed that fully
5000 lives were lost, and there is
every reason to believe that future
developments will show still great
er loss. A careful estimate is made
that fully $500 houses were swept
away from Johnstown alone. The
Cambria Steel and Iron Company
sustained loss of about $780, 900.
People are tlocking to the scenes of
destruction in great numbers. 1t is
estimated that fully $4,000 people
are there from other places.
The waters have now somewhat
subsidized, order has been restored,
relief committees have been organ
lied and the work of recovering the
dead bodies will be vigorously
pushed.
Every moment now the body of
some poor victim is taken from the
debris and the town, or remnants of
it, to write with accuracy, is one
vast charnel house. The scene at
the extemporized morgue are be-
yond the powers OF description in
their ghastliness, while the means
and groans of the suffering surviv-
ors, tossing in agony with bruised
and mangled bodies or screaming in
delirium of fever, as they issue
from the numerous temporary hos
pitfalls, make even the stoutest-
hearted quail with terror. Nearly
1000 bodies have already been re-
covered and as the work OF examin-
ing the wreckage progresses con-
vlction grows that the magnitude of
the calamity has not been approx
mated. Conservative estimates
number the lost at 1000, and many
men of cool judgment, and who are
not apt to exaggerate, and who have