The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-07-19
AN Ill-EATED NAME.
Johnstown, y. T., the Scene of q Flood
Disaster-A Large Number of People Go
Down With Bridge.

Johnstown, y. T., the Scene Of q Flood
Disaster-A Large Number of People Go
Down With Bridge.
NEW YORK, July 10.-A message from
Saratoga received last night stated that
a washout at Aiken, N. Y, three INLET
west of Amsterdam. had torn up 400 fees
of track and cut of communication with
the West. Whether the washout was
caused by a cloudburst at Aiken or by the
breaking of a dam at Johnstown, N. Y,
as rumored, could not be ascertsined. Am.
sterdam reported an exceedingly heavy
rainstor m in that section just before COM
municat ion was cut off Aiken is on the
New York Central, and a creek which
furnis hes water power to several mills
runs through the place.
Soon afterward reports reached here
that a cyclone caused the disaster, while
a more serious character was given to the
story by indefinite but unconfirmed rumors
of considerable loss of life.
Then came a report from Troy that it
was rumored there that three big dams
were washed away near Johnstown and
that crowds of people got on a bridge to
watch the food and it was carried away
and several people were drowned. Johns
town is on the Johnstown & Gloverville
railroad, four miles north of Fonda, but a
complete prostration of wires made it i'm.
possible to communicate with Jamestown.
A dispatch from Schenectady stated
that a cloudburst washed away the Cen
trail railroad tracks between Aiken and
Tribes Hill stations, about five miles west
of Amsterdam. vest erday, just after the
wreck of freight train which blocked
all four tracks in the morning had been
cleared and delayed trains had begun to
move both east and west. Some of them
were caught by this new mishap and q
second blockade occurred more serious than
the first The westbound limited and two
other express trains which left Schenectady
about three o'clock in the afternoon went
back there between seven and eight
O'Clock and were sent west over the West
Shore road. Some of the trains hurrying
to make up lost time narrowly escaped
the cloudburst, but all did escape. One
house was partially wa he'd away, but no
lives have been lost. There il no wire
west Of !! m Sterdam and there is rumor
that the storm extended to Johnstown, in
Fulton County.
MANY LIVES PROBABLY LOST.
ALBANY. N. ", July 10.-A speci al from
Johnstown last evening reported that
heavy rain had been falling since early in
the afternoon. the down pour caused the
Cayandatta creek to become a raging tor
rent, which soon burst its bounds. Two
dams gave way, being unable to withstand
the enormous pressure. On swept the tor
rent, taking with it the several skin fac
tories along its banks, valued at many
hundreds of dollars. A number of build
ings and outhouses were also swept away.
The Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville
railroad loses some seven or eight bridges.
There was another bridge crossing the
creek and on it viewing the flood were
some thirty or forty people. The torrent
increased in power, tore the bridge from
its foundation aud hurled them into the
seething food beneath. At this writing
it is impos sible to ascertain the number
saved, but it is believed that many OF
them persisted
At Fonda the Central Hudson railroad
bridge was carried away almost bodily.
taking with it the telegraph wires, SO that
it is almost impo> sible TO hold communica-
ton between Fonda and the surrounding
towns.
The electric light works situated a few
miles from Johnstown were flooded and
the town was in darkness. Information
from Fonda says the water is some three
feet deep in the streets. Rain is still fall
ing.
Dispatchesrecsived by the Central Hud-
son railroad officials in this city from
Fonda contain but meager information.
They did not vary in the main from the
above. Trains from the west were consid-
erably delayed in consequence OF the
flood