St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-06-06

up which were mainly devoted to the
manufacture of iron, but contained
also other factories and held popu-
lation of perhaps $4,000. The Penn
sylvania railroad runs through Cam
bria, but Johnstown is on the Somer-
set and Cambria railroad running
southwark from Cambria. The Con
emaugh, a little mountain stream,
whose waters are usually only few
inches deep, descendS a narrow val
| lev parallel with the Pennsylvania
road The South Fork hunting and
fishing clubs reservoir was original
" natural pond, damned to in
crease its volume of water for the use
of the old Pennsylvania canal, and
known as Conemaugh lake, which
| had been further enlarged as descr1b-
| ed above.
The course of the torrent was not
directly to the Conemaugh river, but
to the South Fork, another such
stream, and four miles below the
dam, where this stream joins the
Conemaugh, stood the village of
South Fork, of some 1000 inhabi-
tants. 1t is said four-hfths of the
place has been swept away. Down
the Conemaugh four miles further
lay Mineral Point, where 500 inhab-
itants lived mainly on a fiat next to
the river. Few of these people could
have escaped. Six miles further lay
Conemaugh town, of $500 inhabi-
tants, and a mile or so below, Wood
vale, with 1000. Then at last, mile
lower, were the towns of Jamestown
with 10000 people, Cambria City
and Conemaugh Borough, IS miles
from the lake.
The torrents destruction did not
stop for long distance, damage be-
ing done to bridges and buildings
along the Conemaugh at Cooperdale,
New Florence, Bolivar, Blairsville,
and even perhaps as far as Salzburg,
nearly or quite so miles along the
Western Pennsylvania railroad. The
Conemaugh joins the kiskiminetas,
stream of the same nature, cOntin
uing the same northwest course
some ways below Blairsville, and the
Kiskiminetas empties into the Allie
ghany about 80 miles northeast of
Pittsburg. 1t is noted at Pittsburg
that two bodies were drawn out of
the river there early Sunday morn
ing, having been hurried there from
at least as far as Jamestown, over
100 miles away by water, and that
water of the most tortuous and con-
tracted course, along which not even
a canoe could find clear navigation.
This indicates with what force the
swollen current swept.
Rain had been pouring for day
and a night over the mountains al
ready soaked to the full capacity of
the soil by a rainy season. The
streams rise swiftly in the hills in
such circumstances, and before the
dam broke every rill in the Allegha-
mics was sending a freshet down; the
Conemaugh was swollen to its full
hight, when suddenly the great dis
aster occurred, the dam gave way,
and the enormous volume of water
burst irresistibly forth, taking the
narrow valley for its own. There
seems to have been warning of the
danger sent to JOhnstOwn some time
before, but what its grounds were
there is nothing to show. 1t is said
that railroad trains were sent to
bring away the people, who could
not be convinced of danger. How
utterly helpless the people must have
been is shown by the statement from
Bolivar, a dozen miles below Johns
town, that in five minutes the Cone
maugh rose from six to 40 feet, and
the waters spread out all over the
country.
Burned to Death.
A dispatch from Johnstown Sun
day afternoon confirms the report of
the burning of the accumulation o.
buildings at the Pennsylvania rail
road bridge. The debris, piled up
fully so feet high, burned to the wa
ter's edge. Before the buildings took
fire, many people, dead and alive,
were taken from them, and in sever
al instances the unfortunates were
so wedged in that it was necessary
to chop their legs off to release them.
The accumulated drift gorged up at
the viaduct took fire from the upset
ting of stoves or lamps. In the great
sea thus formed hundreds, perhaps
thousands, of people were struggling
for life AS the flames cracked and
roared among the dry finder of the
floating houses, human beings were
seen pinioned between the house
roofs, locomotives, iron beams,
freight, passenger, Pullman and bag
gage-cars. The scene was horrible
beyond description. Strong men
turned away and women shrieked at
the horror of the scene. The heavy
loss of life seems incredible. but until
the waters will have abated and the
work of removing the dead from the
tremendous mass it will be impOSsi-
bic to tell how many lives have been
lost.
When the Dam Broke.
Men who reached the site of the
dam bring back this report: The
lake is completely dried out. The
dam broke in the centre at 3 O'Clock
on Friday afternoon, and at4 o'clock
it was dry. That great body of wa
ter passed out in one hour. Messrs.
Park & Van Buren,, who are building
a new draining system at the lake,
tried to avert the disaster by digging
a sluiceway on one side to ease the
pressure on the dam. They had about
40 men at work, and did all they
could, without avail. The water
passed over the dam about a foot
above its top, beginning at about
$50 O'Clock. Whatever happened in
the way of cloud-burst took place
during the night. There had been
but little rain up to dark. When the
workmen awoke in the morning, the
lake was very full and was rising at
the rate of a foot an hour. 1t kept
on rising until at two O'Clock it first
be0an brea kin0 over the dam and