davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
SCENES IND INCIDENTS.
Escapes and Desperate
Strurgles for Life.

Hairbreadili- Escapes and Desperate
Struggles for Life.
Sunday evening a pathetic incident pre-
sented itself to the eyes OF the vigllant watch
ers Oh the Allegheny river at Pine Creek, on
the West Pennsylvania road, IS miles from
Johnstown A babe not more than year
old was found alive in the drift which had
come down from the great disaster. 1t had
been floating for thirty hours 1t is almost
miracle how this mite of humanity escaped
death in raging torrent after a journey of
IS miles, while many thousands Of sturdy
men and women met their deaths in the
twinklng Of an eye.
One of the most touching incidents was
the drowning of father, mother, and three
children. They came down on a roof, and
lust opposite Sang Hollow the raft struck a
pile of drift and went to pieces and all five
went down in the mad current. A moment
later two heads were seen above the water
and two hands clutching at the roof. That
was the last seen of that family. Men and
women with arms broken, blood streaming
down over their faces, and their bodies cut.
bruised, and bleeding were frequent sight.
A man stand: on the east side of the
river at noon to-, allied over to a friend
on the other side; Hello, Jack. Lost any
friends? '
Jack did not reply i'll words; he merely
held up the five fingers of his right hand.
He had lost wife and four children, yet he
was working necessarily to relieve the suffer
ings of others. This is the spirit that per
vades the survivors.
H., A man named Mcguire was met on his
way from South Fork to Johnstown. He
said he was standing on the edge of the lake
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
THE VALLEY rs 1T WIS.
Its Prosperity as One of the Great Ire
IF

Its Prosperity as One of the Great Iro.
Shops of the World.
Johnstown was in the southwest part OF
Can bria county, at the forks where Stony
creek and Conemauyh creek form the Cone
maugh river. 1t was on the Pennsylvania
Railroad, thirty-nine miles southwest of Al
toona and seventy eight miles east of Pitts.
burg. The people Of the town were the EN-
ployecs of the Cambria Iron and Steel Com
pany their families, and small storekeepers.
There was not one rich man in the town
Three-quarters of the $1,000 people lived il,
small frame tenement houses ON the flats By
the river around the works of the Cambria
Company. The Cambria Company owns al
most all the land, and business and profes.
sional men and the superintendent of the
company live on the hills away up from the
creeks. The borough of Johnstown was on the
south bank Of COne1augh creek, and the cas-,
banl, OF Stony creek, right in the fork. It had
never been incorporated with the surround.
ing villages, as the Cambria Company, which
owned most OF the villages and only part OF
JOhnstown, did not wish to have them con-
solidated into one city.
These villages lay i'll string along Cone
naugh creek which flows from the reservoir,
or Conemaugh lake. The first of the villages
which the flood struck was South Fork, ten
miles above Johnstown borough, and Oh the
flats made by the junction of small creeA
with Conemaugh creek. This village is occu
pied entirely by workingmen who lived on
the flats III tenements. 1t had population
of about 400. Three miles below South
Fork was Mineral Point cluster of work
ingmen's houses about half the size Cone
maush was the largest village Oh the creek
between the reservoir and Johnstown. 1t is
often spoken Of as Johnstown, though its
railroad station is two or three miles up the
creek from the Johnstown station The
streets of the two towns run into each other.
Between ConcmauSh and Johnstown was
string of tenealent> called Woodvale Pos
sibiy 5000 wor,men lived in them They
were slightly built 81 wood. many of them
without cellars or e foundations. Here
the Hats widen out -sAnewlat, and they Lad
| been still further iII,-'rased by the Cambria
Company which tii'"i up part of tue creek
beds with refuse and ashes froai their works.
This narrowed the beds of the creeks The
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20

Houses were more or less open, for the
evening was warm and the women and chill
drcu were enjoying the spectacle of the small
frcshet from doors and windows. Suddenly,
n little after >, the first warming came-a dull
rumhing sound, above the dash Of the tor
rent Of the Conemau9l river and the sooth-
ing splash of rain. Some thought it was
thunder; some thought it was only the roar
Of the swelling river and walked out into the
street to see the effect of IT when 1t came
Alas 1t came within three minutes and
then there went up from the doomed city OF
10000 Inhabitants a yell of dismay as an al
most perpendicular
WALL of WATER
swept down the valley and cngulted them
all. The great dam that held the base of
tonenauph lake. fourteen miles above, had
broken away, and the vast body of water had
started seward
This lake or reservoir as it is called was an
artificial pond of water, formerly Il part of
the canal system, three miles long, Il mile
wide, and seventy feet deep augmented by
drainage from ali directions and damned at
its asc 1t was 100 feet above IohnstOwn
1t did not supply the city with water; it did
not supply water tu anybody il WAS merely
Il i>'iii7 pun NV 't'' ny 1t iI'iNltit 'l'' VI
wealthy and leisure -cekipg gentlemen. That
tn" dam would burst had been often pre-
dcted and always feared, and the fishing
and hunting club had given :: bond in $, 900
f0 for the security of the ,;tOplc below. But
what Is the hagTtrllc of $500, GOO in view of
the terrible catastrophe even if it. could be
COLLECTED, and Il can never be collected, for
hor:~HclI were Itry.: held to such an am, unit
since the world WA made Near this body of
water Is the ialuHji~ ~tImmcr resort, trCsSun
The dam that h:okewas Il hundred feet
h;"l ninety feet thick at the ba>cund a third
g. mIe long.
This imu.s use lake Is it rushed down the
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
THE BABY WAS SAVED.

At the Cambria Iron COmpany's shops not
a vestige of the valuable machinery now re-
mains. The upper portions of the works
were swept away almost entirely, and under
the pieces of fallen IRON and wood could be
seen the bodies of more than forty workmen.
The Hotel Hurlburt, of this city, a massive
three-story building of 100 rooms, has van
ished. There were in it seventy-tive guests
at the time of the flood. Two only are now
known to be alive. The Merchants Hotel is
levelled How many were inside it is not
known, but as yet no one has been seen
who came from there or heard of an inmate
escaping. At the Coucmaugh rOund-house
torty-one locomotives were swept down the
stream, and before they reached the stone
bridge all the iron and steel work had been
torn from their boilers
VIEWING THE RUIN.
l stood on the stone bridge O clock Sun.
day evening, and looked into the seethina
and burning mass of ruins below me. At ono
place the blackened body Of q babe was seen;
In another, fourteen skulls could be counted.
Further along the bones became thicker and
thicker, until at last at one place it seemed as
If 4 concOurse of people who had been at 8
ball or entertainment, had been carried in a
bunch and incincrated. At this time the
smoke was still rising to the height of fifty
feet, and it is expected that when it dies
down the charred bodies will be seen dotting
the mass of burned debris.
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
AT THE NIADUCT.

town. Boating and fishing parties often went
out there. Near the reservoir is Cresson, Il
summer resort owned by the Pennsylvania
road. Excursion parties are made up in the
Summer time by the Pennsylvania Company
and special trains are run for them from New
York to Crcsson. A club called the Soutl
Fork Fishing and Hunting Club was orga
niZcd some years ago and got the Use of he
lake from the Pennsylvania Company. Most
of the members Of the club live in Pittsburgh
and are prominent iron and coal men. They
increased the size of the dam until it was owe,
Il hundred feet high and ninety feet thick Il,
the base. 1t was about twenty feet thick at
tie top. and about i fifth of a mile long
Tia increased the size of the lake to three
miles in length and a mile and quarter il
width.
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
EXTENT OF LOSSES.

VIII Fifty Millions Cover the Terrible
Destruction Of Property.
OF all things impossible it is surely impos-
sible to tell what the loss to property is. The
vast Cambria Iron works are nearly gone.
The Gautier wire works. too. are in ruins
The Cambria Iron Company will lose at
least sl5. 100000. Their great iron plant is
almost total wreck. One mill has been COM
pletely swept away, and the machinery in
others has been either ruined or carried away.
The woodwork alone, worth O,OOO, was
burned. 1t is now estimated. from careful
survey of the flooded districts, that at least
5000 dwellings were carried away. This re-
presents loss of nearly a million. 1t is not
far from probabilities to state that the finan-
cial loss by the great flood will be $40 600, 900.
This is the conservative estimate made by
q body of business men, and it IS not one dol
lar too high. AS the water recedes the great
loss can be more plainly seen.
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20

when the walls burst. The waters were ris-
ing all day. and were Oh a level with pile
of dirt which he said was above the walls of
the DAM Suddenly it burst with report
like cannon, and the water started down
the mountain side, sweeping before it the
trees as if they were chips, and boulders
were rolled down as if they were marbles,
The roar was deafening.
There are hundreds of men here who still
refuse to work. The following order is still
posted on a telegraph pole in Johnstown:
NorICE.-During the day men who have been
idle have been begged to aid us in clearing the
town and many have not refused to work. We
are now so organized that employ ment can be
found for every man who wants to work, and
men offered work who refu' ed to take the same
and are able to work must leave Johnstown for
the present.
work All work will be paid for.
Strangers and idlers who refuse to work will
be elected from JohnstOwn.
BY ORDER OF CITIZENS COMMITTEE.
Officers were stationed at every avenue and
railroad that enters the town. Alisuspicious
characters are stopped. BIT one question is
asked. 1t is viii you. work? ?" If an af-
firmative answer is given man escorts him
to the employment bureau, where he is put
to work. IF not lie is turned back. The
committee has driven one or two men out of
the town.
Searchers found the body of brave Mrs.
Ogle, the manager of the Western Union,
who died at her post. Her name viii go
down i'll history heroine of the highest
order. Notwithstanding the repeate, nutif-
cations she received "a ret out Of re.ch Of
the approaching danger. she stood by the in
strument with unflinching 10y atty and UNI
daunted courage, sending words of warning
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
4 GEN IE.sL TIiU.
rhe Broad Swath of Destruction TWENTY
Miles Long,

rhc Broad Swath of Destruction Twenty
Miles Long.
In the first place it must be remembered
that til" vast rcscrN or was frcightcd with hor-
roT when Il arrived ut this city. Already il had
swept through and over the thriving villages
of Souti Forks, Mineral Point, and Cone
maugh. having 4 combined population of
5000 souls. and from each had reapcd Il har-
vest of death. Dead bodies were borne upon
the crest of the first wave that struck Johns
town and hundreds of houses were already
rolled over and over down the tide.
Here the whole center of the city was cut
ont Us If 4 colossal Scythe had passed over the
place. Here is Il Large stone viaduct OF the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company. one of the
strongest that that company owns. The Cone
lnauah river is crossed by it 1T an angie Into
this angle houses, trees. and fences that came
down the left side OF the river rushed and
werc piled one on top Of another until the
arches under the bridge were closed, the cur
rent of the Conemaueh was changed. and the
wrcckagc began Ia pile on nigh until rafters
and thinkers projected above the stone coping
OF the bridge. Then the houses, crowded
with people. crashed one upon another until
this terrible wreckage extended a half mile
up the stream. No pen can tell the horror
OF the shriels of the thousands who were in
the mass of floating ruin.
FIRE ADDS TO THE HORROR
Shortly after the blockade had formed the
dry timberS OF the houses caught fire and the
mass nearest the railroad bridge became Il
glowing furnace. Hundreds of people who
had not been drowned or crushed in the mad
rush down stream were burned alive Their
shriekS, rs the flames reached them, made
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20

,i.ose in danger in the valley below.
Wh,.n every station in the path ofthe COM
ing torrent had been warned she wired her
companion az South Fork: This is my
last message, and rs such il shall always be
remembered ~ her last words on earth, for
at that very moment the torrent cceulfed
her and bore her from her post cn earth TO
her post of honor in the Great Beyond.
Tie German Catholic church a: Cambria
CITY, short distance west IF Johnstown, Is
almost complete wreck. Rather a singular
coincidence in connection with the destruc-
ton of the above is that the immaculate
Conception, that stood in the Northwest cor
ner of the lecture rooms, stands just as 1t was
when last seen. The figure, which is wax,
was not even scratched, and the clothes,
which are made of white silk and deep
duchess lace, were spotless-
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20

James J. Fronheiser, the general supr.mten-
dent of the Cambria Iron Works, was found
this morning sitting on pile of drift fully
thirty feet high south of the clubhouse. He
was crying like child. His wife and little
boy lay buried underneath the drift. At least
he ought they wore there, as lie had
craw.ed out Of the pile Of drift and pulled his
little girl ont with i broken leg. He could
hardly speak and could not be induced to
leave tile place
Mr.. Ciouse, proprietor of the South Fork
Fishi:lg Clnb Hotel came to Johnstown this
ate: ..oon He says that when The dam of
ConenAIcll lake broke the water seemed to
leap. scarcely touching the ground It
bounded DOWN The v.lley, crashing and roar.
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20

HANolNH 1dE HUNoARlAN IdU0S
The Pittsburgh police on duty here shot
two colored thieves while the latter were rob-
bling some of the dead bodies. They were both
badly if not fatally injured. The officers
have been instructed to shoot any persons
seen taking anything from the bodies or OBJ
served ransacking any houses. This order
was necessary in order to prevent the town
from being overrun with things. Adjutant
General Hastings, who is in charge of the
police and troops has practically inaugurated
martial law. 4 picket line has been formed.
and Lore i allowed to pass intdthe flooded
district ;.r' Unless he has business. No
visitor were allowed to cross the lines
Two Hnngarians were thrown into tn,
river and drowned by infatuated men who
caught them robbing bodies. Sheriff Dick
who is a wing shot with pistol. put bullets
through the right arms of two men caught
stealing from bodies. Sixteen deaths are
known of thugs who were caught at their
ghouli>h crime and either hung, shot. o,
drowned
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
DEATH and Ruin !
Description of the Floods Aw-
full Destruction Along the
Conemaugh River.
THOUSANDS OF BODIES FOUND
The Number Of Lives Lost viii Not Fall Below
the Original Estimate Of Eight thousand
or More Hospitals Filled with Wounded
PiIIaging Ceased-HeIp Coming from all
Countries.
Especial Correspondence.l

JoHSsTowH, Pa, June 5.-Nothing but the
eternal wrath Of God can be more awful than
the horror Of horrors that has befallcn this
beautiful ConcmauglI valley.
70 view it palsies the muscles Of strong
men.
To think of it is paroxysm Of horrible
agonics.
TO write Of it one needs sinews and nerves
Of steel.
1t had been raining hard all day Friday.
The river was rising and went pouring
through tie city IN an imposing torrent. The
runways on the surrounding hills were iull
and came SCATTERING down and drenching the
dooryards and flooding the cutters. At D
O'Clock the hands at the mills knocked of
work and lodged homcWards through the
continual storm and the water that had set
back III the streets.
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20

ing,carrying everything before it. For mile
its front seemed like a solid wal! twenty feet
high.
Il cannot describe the mad rush, he said.
:" At first it looked like dust. That must
have been the spray. could see : .c house;
going down before it like chiid's ,... docks
set Oh edge III Il row. AS it caine al, er, l
could see houses to;ter for Il mo.i.yi5t. then
rise. and the next moment be cril,!iel like
c.g-shells against each other.
Twcnty-scyen locomotives bcih:i.- ing 10 the
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad are lyin" III the river
hnd under the debris at the stone bridge The
town of WOOdvale alll Concmaugh borough,
above this city, are wept as eieanly Off the
face OF the earth as if they had never had an
existence. OF the iirst-na,ned town not a
house is left standing. Out of population
Of 800 souls barely half dozen have been
accounted for. OF thcsc, Joseph T. Bracken,
with one of his children, swan all the way
down the stream to Il Joint just below Johns
town, where they suc',' "ded in landing. His
mother-in-law, one sO:., and two daughters
are lost
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
THUGS SHOT AND HUNG.

Hungarian Ghouls That Mutilated the
Dead to Secure Jewelry and Money.
Some of the horrors of the disaster were
the deeds OF demons bent on robbery. The
Italian and Hungarian laborers in the yari-
Gus towns could not lose the chance to rob
the dead. Two men, Saturday, were seen
cutting off the finger of a corpse to secure a
ring Five men with revolvers and one with
a rope rushed for them. The wretch who
was doing the cutting was soon dangling
from tree. The other was told to run, and
he ran
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
PimpIes on tho Face

Denote an impure state of the blood and
are looked upon by many with suspicion
Acker's Blood Elixir will remove all i'm
purities and leave the complexion smooth
and clear. There is nothing that will so
thoroughly build up the constitution, puri-
fly and strengthen the whole system Sold
and guaranteed by NJ Dorsey. !.
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
CiESE OF T7fL DISASTER.
The Love of Sport the Root of the Whole
Calamity,

The Love of Sport the Root of the Whole
Calamity.
The reservoir that broke loose was part Of
the old Pennsylvania canal system. At the
head of the Conemaugh creek, back i'll the
mountains from Johnstown. and about 300
feet higher than the Johnstown flats. was a
small natural lake. When the canal was
building, the engineers took this lake TO sup
ply the western division OF the canal, which
ran from there to Pittsburgh The eastern
division ended at Hollitiaysburgh east of the
summit of the Allcghcnc>, where there
WAS a similar reservoir Between the two
was the old Portage ROAD. one of the first rail
roads constructed in the State. The canal
was abandoned some years ago rs the Penn
sylyanla road destroyed its traffic. The peo-
pie of the ncighborhood objected to the ex-
istence of the reservoir after the canal was
abandoned. The farmers feared that the dam
would break and drown them.
The dam greatly i;.,r.:,>,d til" small nat
ural lake. 1t was Il pleasant drive from Johns
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20

A-Conemaugh lake and reservoir (severa;
town), whose broken dam flooded the valley.
ants). C-Mineral Point $500 inhabitants)
ten miles below the lake. F-Woodvale
workingmen employed by iron and steel
Steel Works. W-Cambria City. Johnstowp
contained a population of nearly 3O,0U
Pennsylvania railroad viaduct, where th.
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20

The Best Salve in the world for Cuts,
Bruises, Sores Ulcers. Sal, Rleum, Fever
Sores, letter, Chapped LANDS, Chilblains,
Corns, and all Skin Eruptions. and posi,iv ely
cures Piles, or no pay required. 1t is
guaranteed to give perfect satisfaction. or
money refunded Price % cents per box
For sale nv NJ. Dorsey Jam 1c.
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20

Confirm our statement when We say that
Acker's English remedy is in every way
superior to any and all other preparations
for the Throat and Lungs. In Whooping
Cough and Group it is magic and relieves
at once. We offer you a sample bottle
free. Remember, this remedy is sold on a
positive guarantee. For sale by NJ. Dorsey
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20

!. 1t is surprising that people will use
common. ordinary pill when they can Sc
cure valuable English one for the same
money. DIR. Acker's English pills are a
Positire cure for sick-headache and all
liver troubles. They are small, sweet,
easily taken and do not grippe For sale by
NJ Dorsey.
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20

Cannot 60 hand in hand if we look on the
dark side of every little obstacle. Nothing
will so darken life and make it burden
as dyspepsia. Acker's Dyspepsia Tablets
will cure the worst form of dyspepsia,
constipation and indigestion, and make life
happiness and pleasure Sold at 25 and
. cents by NJ. Dorsey.
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
WILMOT WOOD,
-TH E
Old Reliable Jeweler,
HENDERSON. n. G..
Has full line of articles in his line
suitable for
Holiday Presents.

Fine gold and silver watches, chains
and charms clocks Of all styles and
prices; gold pens and pencils cuff
buttons, scarf pins, earrings, breast
pins, and bracelets silverware of''ail
kinds, castors, butter and pickle dishes,
cake baskets, water pitchers, cups,
spoons, knives and forks, soup ladies,
&c.
A full line of eyeglasses and spec
tacles-the best made: All eyes fitted
perfectly.
Watch repairing a specially. ProH,pt
attention to all work and charges the
most reasonable. Give me a call
when in need of anything in, my line
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
NOTES By THE WY.

Facts Gathered Here and There by a.
Active Observer.
Women who lost their homes have had Ia
dress in mems clotlcS.-Men burying the dead
ran short of c.;itit> and made hundreds out
of drift wood,-O e an rode doN.r ,,....
twenty-threc ni!,o = lS before lac Wa>
re cu"d half dcad.-S N;y men are employed
'lig-i.," graves in Gra"d View cemetery
No effort is made 10 clean the streets. The
mirc forms the grave of many Il victim Arm.
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
Guard Against the strike.

And always have bottle of Acker'S Eng
fish Remedy i'll the house. You cannot
tell how soon Group may strike Your little
one, or cold or cough may faSten itself
upon you. One dose is a preventive and
few doses a positive cure All throat and
lung troubles yield to its treatment. A
sample bottle is given you free and the
remedy guaranteed lIv NJ. Dorsey.
The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-20
THE CONEMAUGH

miles long and fourteen miles above Johns
Blown of South Forks (2,OOO inhabit
D-Town of Conemaugh g, 500 inhabitants)
(2,OO0 inhabitants). H-Homes of the 5000
works at Johnstown. S-Cambria Iron and
and Cambria cities and Conemaugh borough
souls. M-Sheridan $500 inhabitants). "
gorge and holocaust occurred