Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-06

tary headquarters, for it was too sloppy
and rainy to make navigation profitable.
The soldiers tents are on what was the
main thoroughfare, and the town presents
the appearance of a. soldiers encampment.
That you may CLEAN some slight idea of
what Johnstown looks like now, just pic
ture Santa Cruz in August, when the blue
coats are encamped in that valley just be-
yond the town. The relative position of
this Eastern town is the same; and it is
now village Of tents. OF course, in Santa
Cruz there are no wrecks in the distance
TO mar the picturesqueness of the white
village, while here houses tumbled one
over another form the background before
you get to the pretty hills.
The original town has virtually disap-
peared, and all that is not gone will be
torn down, because of the unsafe condition
since the food-nice big buildings, with
fronts, corners and sides knocked out, as
the case might be. One of the most INF
pressiye wrecks was that OF the round
house; any number of great engines
turned and twisted every which way iron
rails bent like fine wire into every con-
celvabie shape. So many people We're
CAUGHT IN BARBED WIRE
And crushed by floating timbers. The
idea is that many were killed in this way
who might have escaped. The streets
now are fall Of all such heaps and it is
very uncomfortable getting about
General Hastings and his assistants
We're very kind to US and were particu-
larly interesting in giving their expert
ences. There are any number Of theories
advanced as to the direct cause of the
bursting Of the dam, the most plausible
being that it resulted from cloud burst.
The fact that the club had offers from
Johnstown to buy their possessions, and
the written proofs every fortnight Of ex-
perts TO the effect that the dam was con-
Sidered SAFE all goes 10 show that it was
not due TO carelessness, and viii tend to
smooth the rocky road that now apparent
ly lies before the club members in the
shape Of prospective law suits that are
now beginning to assume more than phan-
tom forms. Of course I am not supposed
to know anything about the why and
wherefore. | tell it to you as it was told
to me- and cannot youch for the true mer-
its Of any Of the statements. l only
know, as you do, that the dam burst, and
in bursting did a world Of damage and
created much havoc
When we returned TO the depot we
cIoSSeu over Il oIlGse that ha9 oeen hnlshed
while We were there, and which saved us
q long walk through the wet, slippery
sand. 1t had been built in day and a
half by the regulars" A. We crossed the
Conemaugh we marveled that such
placid brook could swell into a turb,llept
81 e'tn anu crush out 50 lndch me ana lay
"l'ssc Suth 4 iehS'h ana Dreadth OF land
lVE II no" runs placid riYuiet through
the hear1 oil the lil-iated clty. In The
Lnlc9' oI ms NIUE river, every once IN
"hile' "oGld rise names from plg bonfire,
ana as the darkness came on 1t was
peculiar sight' Tor goodness only knows
W VIVA. was burning IN all those pyres.
= nile II was all
DREADFUL TO THINK ABOUT,
II was at the same time a sight worth
seeing " { knew we could not begin to
appreciate the II terrible disaster OF three
weeks 5rioTe' linen II was truly horriiy-
ing Inc WORK OF many hands had
brought partial order out OF chaos. I am
sure none OF US VIII ever forget that tramp
~ E''i4-
VII never be rebuilt, IN all probability,
anu the laKe-hed Will ever remain cur
os!ty ana |oeiuI reminder OF the recent
reign Of terror.
4 gentleman told me ne vas IN barn
ana when ne came to himself he was SIT
ing on |hat had originally been the cell
ing; Inc 7arn had actually rolled over
ana turned upside down. l saw so many
thlngs and heard SO many incidents OF the
hood, cannot begin to tell you half l
saw them arrest man while attempting
TO get away with some yaluaoles ne had
picked up IN the debris. Such arrests
were common occurrences, so the author