Evening journal., 1889-07-11
SEVEN WERE DROWNED.
The Johnstown, NJ. Y, Cloud
burst and Flood.
STRANGELY LIKE cONEMAUGH.

STRANGELY LIKE C0NEMAUGH,
Except That the Loss OF Life Was Fortu-
nately on Much Smaller scaie-strange
Appearance of the Clouds-A Llst Of the
Drowned.
JoHSsrowN, N. Y. July H. by strange
coincldon ., al town Of the same name,
under alnost the same circumstances, the
wild scenes OF the food OF the Conemaugh
have been repeated. Another mud dam has
given away; another reservoir has broken
loose, ami another flood has been sent down
valley. Even the stone arch reappeArs
and plays a fatal part in this second Johns
town story. Nothing is lacking in the sini.l-
itude except that the loss Of life and prop
erty In this case is only an echo Of the great
Johnstown disaster, and in this case there is
an extraordinary phenomenon OF nature.
The clouds came together near Johnstown
at 8 p m. As they met they burst and an
ocean Of water fell from them. Added to
the waters from the dams il hed washed
way, it sent a food through the little vallo
oi the Ciyadutta Seventy-dve persons were
washc away; eight persons were killed; al.
! mmen amount Of property was destroyed;
al railrtud lraille was suspended. rne
uanies - the victinls follow:
A List Of the Dead.
Abn; l. Coakley, aged 4s gloyemaker
Charles Feer, aged Cd well known resi-
lsat
Willie Myers, aged 10, empoyel at glove
making.
l. r. D. Simmons, aged 45, paiat aud hard
ware merchant
l.. Bert stedwell, aged Is, emp.oy in Ar
ans glove factory.
Unknown man fouad IN stream a. .'onda-
| Unid.ntihrd woman aud child.
scene OF the cIoudburst.
Johnstown IS built on the sides OF two hills
ana in the valley between them 1t is five
miles north OF Fonda town on the New
York Central railroad. 17O miles from New
York city The Cayadutta creek, ten months
in the year an Insignificant little stream-not
half as big as the Communications through
! It. The creek winds around irregularly
among the hills and empties into the Mo
hawk river just above Fonda. The valley
is narrow and winding. Two other little
creeks join the Cayadutta in the middle OF
Johnstown. The rolling green hills that
slope down TO them are covered with hand-
some houses The place is very rich as well
as very old
Town OF Dams.
On the Cayadutta and the other two
streams and good many more that come
through the hills in the country about are
scores u mills At every mill there is a dam,
and just above every dam there is a reser-
voir. Most Of the mills are glove and mitten
factories, composing the towns chief indus
! try. There are Q, 900 people in the place The
business part lies ON one side Of the creek.
About half Of the residence part is ON the
other side Five bridges connected the two.
Uneasy Since the Conemaugh Flood.
Ever since the disaster 70 their nGmesake
town in Pennsylvania the Johnstown people
have felt little uneasy about having SO
many dams around them. There were two,
one above and the other on the Cayadutta,
three miles from town, that were looked upon
by some persons as more likely than any OF
the others 70 be source OF danger. One was
called McVane's and the other was the dam
at Hale's mills.
10 Was Strange storm.
The day Of the disaster the thermometer
registered l05 IN the shade At half-past 4
two huge black clouds appeared ia tho almost
clear sky; one cloud was in the northwest,
|
strange maneuvering the clouds rushed to-
gether with an accompaniment Of thunder
and lightning. The place where they met is
d half barren knoll. three miles and half
northeast Of Johnstown. Persons who were
watching the phenomenon say it was like q
dam burst in the sky or as though the bottom
had fallen out Of an aerial reservoir The
water came down, not IN drops or sheets, but
fell in a mass like a solid body. At the knoll
it drove trees into th3 earth, dattened out a
space clear Of vegetation and left other evl
dences Of a great pressure. All the stream:
that flow through and center in Johnstown
became roaring foods They ran over their
banks and poured in rivers through the farm.
and roads The dams became cataracts
The bridge Swept Away.
The people drowned, whose names appear
above, were in a crowd Of thirty or forty
townspeople who gathered on the Perry street
oridge to watch the food. A policeman tried
to drive them off, but they would not 20. In
few moments later the dam at McVane's,
three miles up the creek, broke. II let ali
the imprisoned water down upon the dam at
Hollis Mills just below, and tossed that clean
out Of the way. Then the sold wall Of water
anne down the valley, shot straight as a can
non Dall for the dam at Huls and piled that
ana the rest OF the debris ~ nau collected
against the stone arch bridge. Half Of the
solid structure melted away like snow, leav-
ing twenty-five people struggling in the
Z water. They we're swept in a second through
the ruins of the bridges and far down the
stream, clinging to timbers or dashed about
at the mercy Of the waters.
Rescuing the Drowning.
Then the people had some faint under
standing Of the calamity Of the Conemaugh.
The wind blew in gusts The lightning was
as sharp as in a tropical storm. The thunder
was almost continuous. In the pitch dark
ness and heavily falling rain they could hear
those in the river crying for help, and still
were unable to lend any aid to save them.
The creek runs at the rear of lot Of shops
further down the stream and then under
seven bridges Men in the shops and on the
bridges getting from the cries an idea Of
what had happened, got ropes and lights.
Purdy f. Case rescued Benjamin Ne,lis and
Charley Vosburg. OF the others who were
in the water eight men swan out or we're
tossed out by the caprices Of the flood or
clung to frames and timbers.