Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-09-27
AN ECHO FROM THE FLOOD.

Mrs. Samuel b. Henrle, who has charge
Of the Red Cross House on Locust street,
from an interview relates substantially
the following as her experience in the
food
.sOur home was No. ia Market street.
near the market-hOuse. All the morning
we had been closely watching the water
a. it approached our house, for many
houses on the level already had several
feet Of water in them. Before noon it be-
gan TO come in, so we took up our carpets
and set up our piano. Ny husband and
myself, with our widowed daughter. her
| little son. and 3 Miss Green, comprised
the household. AS the water rose higher
and higher, we were forced TO 90 Up
stairs. Expecting that the water would
soon lower, snd with the excitement and
fatigue, we did not think 10 take with US
anl thing 70 eat. After time we thought
| Of this. ani then my daughter wsded in
waist deep aad got a loaf Of bread. This
proved a wise forethought, for it was all
We had until tie next day, not being able
10 get downstairs again. We were watch
ing and waiting for the water to lower.
wLea. about 3 O'Clock, Miss Green walked
10 tie window aud said Mrs. Henrie,
come 10 the window | think the water
is sallirg. 1 looked, and / thought
il had fallen about three inches
/ but. before l had turned away
from the window, heard
the roar aud crash. and Miss Green said /:
4" Ny God, Mrs. Henrie, what is that ="
/ cried. Close the window it is the
reservoir I knew instantly what it
was. Thea we both fell on our knees
and asked God TO tell US what to do.
This took only moment, when we
rushed % the sewing-room where we
found my husband, daughter Maggie and
4 grandson, standing. At that moment the
I compressed air knocked the top of the
/ The market house. il falling on our house
aud crushing i and everything down
around us aud at that oosner Of the street.
/ Then we rau for the hall, my daughter and
ayself being much bruised. Miss Green
ana Ma.giy sprsng 70 table which
stood near and, with their fists aud feet,
| knoeked 1ut the widow. BY that time
! toe debris was piled nearly TO the second
story window. and they climbed cut upon
1 Il and pulled me through after them. My
daughter called TO her father to come,
bat he said ne could not for he had his
little ga, ls2n IN his arms. Then tie
house ulud, aud he was pushed and
crowded, and lie hardly knows how, but
he got out aud landed on the
wreckage around US. Ii was only
step 10 Tue roof Of cur house
tlea, and ] was almost helpless with
terror. Maggie tried TO help me on the
roof. but I slipped and went down in the
water 90 my neck. Her courage and
/ strength seemed superhuman, and she
F, pulled ne out aud pushed IKE on the roof
Of the house, helping myself but little.
1 In Aer yIogts TO help me she sank IN the
water TO her arms; but she said there
seemed TO be some force under her which
rnised her TO the surface again. fear
I that but for this brave girl we would al
have been drowned or killed. OF course
we were all greatly excited, scarcely
I knowing what we were doing. Only those
who saw that ou-coming mountainous
terror can know what destruction and
death itmugut: but no one had long tc
dread b. SO quickly was it upon US, grind.
/ inn, crushing aud crumbling everything
tn fits pat
.Nhgu we were on the roof We looked
aad saw that all Market street had gone
llg, our house, a little out of the
/ current, stiu stood on one sid,
crushed bat in its place. Directly Tia,
wua-niu came dashing down toward us
4 when my husband said it was only par
OF il could not believe it, it looked ST
immense as it jammei in just above u
and crowded us out into the current; anC
away we went almost to the arch bridge
4 Here the jum was so great that the fore,
uf the current was checked, and the bacl
water emit is out along the Kernviile hill
jim this short lime the horrible scenes W,
Witnessed were unspeakable, At on
moment we would see maybe a mothe
and children elinging to each other on
Lur. or roof, OF house, when somethin!
would strike il, giving It a roll in tn,
valer which would send them under
. ~. aJ'y one might rise to the surface
b but more probably the mass of wreckag
would close over them all forever. Tn,
next moment a monstrous tree, driver
through the waters, would dash agains
another group, crushing them all Il
pussjng aloug through this death anC
destruction, we looked across Napoleon
street and saw our other daughter, Mrs
Kate Cluwson, who lived in Kernville, sit
ting with her three children on
part 81 the roof to their house, th
kitchen and dining room havin,
been swept away. We soon lost sigh
of tnem as we iloated about squar
above, and dritted in near Morris street