South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1889-06-07
HORRIBLE!
Ii, 900 PEOPLE DEAD
The Greatest Loss OF Life
Known 70 American History.
A MOST TERRIBLE CArAsrRopHs.

Known to American History
A MOST TERRIBLE CArAsrRoPHe.
Collins by the Thousand and
Train-Load.
The City of Johnstown, Pennsyl.
vania, Washed Away aud Fiji.
teen thousand People Killed
Awful Work of q Lake That
Burst Its Banks-The Dead
Robbed by Ghouls and Fieuds
BY late telegraphic dispatches,
received just before going to pres.
comes the awful news that on Frida,
Dight lake three miles long, Just
above the city OF Johnstown, Penn.
sylvanla, LAYING becn swelled by
heavy rains, burst It's banks and
rushed down upon the city, carrying
away every house In the place ex.
cep, four or five, and drowning fiji.
teen thousand OF the inha itants. Nc
particulars except the above are q.
yet known. save that on Sunday ter
car loads OF collins were shipped Fl ON
Cumberland, and Ave Thousand from
Baltimore, 10 the GO enc of the horrible
disaster. which. in the number Of hui.
man lives lost, has no rival in
American history except tine battle oil
Cold Harbor, during the late civil
war, when the number of dead reach.
Ell $4,000. Johnstown is in the
SOUTH western part Of Pennsylvania
situated at the eastern base of Laurel
Ridge, on the Kiskima,itas River "a
mere creek, and u tributary of the
Allegheny river,) about 60 miles east
OF Pittsburg, and the same distance
north of Cumberland. Md. 1t was
one OF the greatest iron manufact-
uring ciies in the United States, and
contained population OF So 900 PEG.
pie. The lake which was the cause
of the terrible accident was construct.
ed for the use Of the Cambria Iron
Works. The volume OF water in i,
was, OF course. enormous, and when
the dam combining it broke it rushed
upon the doomed town With the speed
Of q race,horse, and overwhelmed il
in an instsnt. TIE number OF bodies
recovered is about 1000, and it is
probable that many of them will
yet be found in the Ohio river.
Tie Latest.
On Sunday. parry of Hungarians
were caught in the act OF robblnS the
dead b ,dies taken from Conemauyh
creek. near the city, OF rings, brace
lets and o'her jewelry. They had
even cut of the iag.rs and ears of
women and children in o dr. - Sc
cure the trinlSets with which thy
we're adorned. Four OF the IIunpa-
rians were ciaoc: iutJ the river an
drowned, and two Others w.re hung
to the limb of tree the rest escaped.
In the pocket OF one Of the monsters
was found baby's little finger IN.
circled by two tiny diamond ring,.
Several regiments Of soldiers reached
the scene Monday, and these afro.
cious crimes were stopped S,me OF
the incidents OF the catastrophe are
almost too horrible for belief. When
the wave as feet high and several
hundred yards WIDE str uek the CITY,
pistol shots could be heard in all die
rectiOns. These were fred by per.
sons who preferred bullets in their
brains to slow death by drowning.
Fire borke out, and fully 1900 pco.
pie persisted in the flames. An at
tempt was made to rob q bank; but
watchman was on guard, and he
killed three. of the WouId d he robbers
aud scared the rest away. The streets
are now filed with wrecks of build.
ings, railroad engines and cars, and
debris Of all descriptions, in many
cases piled SO or 60 feet high. in
which decaying human bodies ave
wedged as thick as aies in summer.
You can look into almost any cellar
ana see dozen or more corpses fioa-
ting around In the stagnant water.
Oae man counted So bodies bu ried
undo: the iuins of his house. The
Conemaugb river is running through
all this mass of putrefy ing humanity
and as it goes into the reservoirs Of
Pittsburg and Allegheny City, fear
ful di"ease and mortality are expect.
ed IN hose places. Thousand, OF
men are at work taking the dead DO,
dies out of the uins, but the stencil
is 80 awful that they cannot stand it
long at time without being overcome
The scenes along the rivers bank
and IL the town, where people are
identifying dead friends and relatives
are described as beart.rending and
terrible beyond description. A hus.
band frds his wife's body, but Is
crSzed by seeing that her fingers have
been CIT Cff a mother recognizes tue
features OF her son, but discovers
that be committed suicide to avoid a
more terrible death, and so on TO the
end OF the sickening list of horrors.
PROVISIONS are pouring into the
city by carloads from many poin's'in
different SIatos. includ ding West Vir.
GINA, and no fears arc now entertain.
ed OF starvation for those OF the in.
habitants who escaped. The force
OF the mighty wall Of rushing water
may be imagined from the fact that
many railroad engines we're swept
along by II as easily as though they
had been made Of wood, and Left
MANY u,ttna h.Iou. 81 "