Wichita eagle., 1889-06-02
PITIFUL SCENES,
Helpless Victims Borne to Death in Sight
of Powerless Spectators

NEW FLORENCE, Pa, June 1.-[En route
to the scene.l An Associate Press cores
pendent was told the following before
reaching the end of the road. They SEEM
ed SO pitious could not listen to half Of
it and command my attention. Here are
some little odds and ends of happenings
they told me of:
A beautiful girl come down on the roof
the tower. She screamed to the operators
to save her and one big, brawny, brave
fellow walked as far into the river as he
could and shouted to her to try to guide
herself into shore with bit of plank. She
was a plucky girl, full of nerve and
energy, and stood upon her feet to do
obedience of the command of the operator.
She made two or three bold strokes and
actually stopped the course of the raft for
an instant. Then 1t swerved and went out
from under her. She tried to swim,
swelling water. Something hit her, for
she lay on her back with face pallid and
eXpressiOnless.
Men and women in dozens, in pairs,
siugly; children, big and little, and nice
babies were there in among the awful con-
fusion of water, drowning, gasping, strug-
Cling and fighting desperately for life.
swiftest part of the current. They
crouched, stolidly looking at the shores,
while between them dressed in white and
kneeling with her face turned heavenward,
was young girl. She seemed stricken with
paralysis, but as she came opposite the
town they turned her face to the
operator. She was so close they could see
big tears on her cheeks and her pallor was
as death. The helpless men on shore
shouted to her to keepu her courage and
she resumed her devout attitude and dis
appeared under the trees OF projecting
point short distance away from the OPP
orator, and that was all of it.
do you see that fringe Of trees? said
the operator, pointing. there is where the
little girl went out OF sight. Well, we saw
scores of children swept in there; 1 believe
that when the time comes they will find
almost hundred bodies of children in
there among those bushes"
Just above New Florence is the little
town Of Nineveh. There is where found
nine dead were here, the larger portion OF
which were women.
Here it was that the awful work of the
flood could be realized. What had been
fertile farms look like worn out brick
yards. Great trees have been twisted and
turned like weeds and the broken house
hold goods of hundreds OF houses line the
P1UNDERTNG THE DEAD
Thieves OF the vilest sort, those who steal
from the dead ana the unfortunate have
been busily at work robbing the trunks,
boxes. articles OF furniture and there Is
nothing worth taking left except lumber.
Every now and then CHASTITY
outlines could be seen in
the water being swept down
the stream. Two miles from So tower
Is the IS" tower Of the Pennsylvania road
and here it is that the great road ends
suddenly in the river. For more than a
thousand feet the entire track is wiped
out, rails. ties and even ballast. The
north track is entirely washed away. This
is the nearest point 10 Johustown and the
delay in getting of news dispatches has
been fairly maddening. The Associated
Press expedition was the first on the field
and was ready with thousands Of words
of specials but no wire could be had from
II a. N until almost p. u. No special |
trains could be hired, no locomotives were
TO be bought and the situation can be
appreciated.
PHILADELPHIA. June 1.-The condition |