Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-06-07


On the lower edge Of the city was the great
Cambria Iron Works the largest in the
world Below the city were the villages of
Colville, Conemaugh, Cambria city and
other smaller settlements. The farm lands
through which the food shot with velocity
were tllickly settled. The bursting of the
immense reservoir lake above the city, and
the stoppage Of the waters Immediately
below the city by the Pennsylvania arch
bridge, were the two principal factors in
the immense loss of life.
THE DISASTER.
The rain had been falling continually
since Tuesday and the waters on each side
of the city had risen. Many persons had
gone to the village of Prospect near by, as
their houses were being flooded, others were
preparing to move but were being laughed at
by the older inhabitants who ridiculed the
idea of any danger. Friday afternoon
the sky was dark with pouring rain when
about O'Clock the reservoir broke. The
immense body of water took the bed OF
the COnemaugh river and rushed down Gu
| the city i'll a few minutes, over the inter
vening nine miles at q fall of 225 feet to the
mile. 1t was as if the city had been struck
| bv water spout, the houses went over like
| toy blocks At the railroad station were
| two sections of the day express Pullman car
! train of the Pennsylvania Railroad filled
with passengers, which were being held
| of n XyaShOnt
further on These and two lOcOmo-
| tiyes, together with the depot, were
swept down to the arch bridge where they
stopped the outpour OF the flood, and the
backing water at once submerged the town.
Several locomotives were swept down
with the round house against the pile and
made it about as immovable as the arch
bridge itself. Instantly there were thirty
eight feet of water in the streets of Johns
town. To add to the horror, the mass at the
bridge had been added to by frame dwellings
containing stoves and lamps and the whole
took fire destroying the lives of, it is
stated, of thousand people at this single
point. To make, as it would seem, the
scene present every picture of horror, in the
highest part of JohnstoWn anumber of peo-
pie had congregated on the roof of the Cath
Ole church, which was partly submerged,
when the building took fire on the inside
and all were either burned, OF leaped from
the roof and were drowned. At all the
points below Johnstown, the towns in the
| track of the flood were submerged and hun
| n, oh. IL
have been picked out of the trees along its
course and found lying in the fields it had
traversed. We gather from our exchanges
some of the particulars, as far as ascertain
ed, of this, the most frightful calamity that
has ever occurred in this country. The
kilograms conveying the information are
dated on Saturday at various points on the
river along the track of the flood:
THE DROWNED AND DROWNING PASSING
DOWN THE RIVER.
Just before reaching Sang Hollow, the
end of the main line of the Pennsylvania
Railroad, is $50 signal tower, and the men
in it told stories of what they saw so piteOuS
my attention. Here are some little odds and
ends Of happenings they told me of :
A BEAUTIFUL GIRL
came down on the roof of a building, which
was swung in near the tower. She screamed
to the operators to save her, and one big,
brave, braWny fellow walked as far into the
river as he could and shouted to her to Try
to guide herself into shore with a bit OF
plank. She was a plucly girl, full OF nerve
and energy, and stood upon her frail sup
port in evident obedience to the command
of the operator. She made two Oh three bold
strokes, and actually stopped the course OF
the raft for an instant. Then it SWerved
and went out from under her. She tried tC
swim ashore, but in few seconds she was
lost in the sWirling water. Something hit
her, for she lay on her back with face palliC
and eXpressionlesS.
Men and women in dozens, in pairs ant
singly, children, boys big and little, wee
babies, were there in among
THE AWFUL CONFUSION OF WATER,
drowning, gasping, struggling and fighting
desperately for life. Two men On a tiny
raft shot into the sWiftest part of the cur
rent. They cTouched, stolidly looking a
the shores, While between them, dressed il
S white and kneeling with her face turned
heayenward, was a girl OF years old. Sh
n seemed stricken with paralysis until sh
S came opposite the tower, and then she turn
ed her face to the operators, she was SO clos
=, they could see big tears on her cheeks ant
her pallor was as death. The helpless mel
: on shore shouted to her to keep up her coull
age and she resumed her devout attitud
J. and disappeared under the trees of project
e ing point short distance below. 1--WE cOul'
not see her come out again, " said the opera
e tor, ''iind that was all of it,"
e BODIES OF A HUNDRED CHILDREN.
'sDo you see that fringe of trees?" sal
> the operator, pointing to the place wher
IS the little girl had gone out Of sight. 'Wel
we saw scores Of children swept in there
| believe that When the time comes the
. will find almost a hundred bodies of Chi
J. dren in there among those busies.'
A CIIARNEL-HOUSE.
II Just above New Florence is the litt]
town of n ineVeh. 1t was here that fOun
l. the first chaTnel-house; 100 dead were hert
l. the larger portion of whom were womel
Here it was that the awful work of til
freshet could be realized. What have bee
fertile farms look like WORKOUT bricl
4. yards. Great trees have been twisted an
torn like weeds, and the broken househol
goods of hundreds of houses line the shore
n for miles.
ID THIEVES OF THE VILEST SORT,
Those who steal from the dead and the III
fortunate, have been busily at work ro
bling the trunks, boxes, articles OF furn
ture, and there is nothing worth taking le
\ except lumber.
" SCENES AT SANG HOLLOW.
Engineer DeLozier said he helped OF
four women and one man near Sang HollON
One was an old lady who looked to be u
= ward of so years of age. He helped to 1
INV scue twelve persons last night alive Off
~ floating drift. He says he got into John
G stown about O'Clock yesterday afternoo
- and all that could be seen was the tops
- tho ha1lSnS He left Sanr Hollow til