Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-12-19

Z, -. .s .s,..; - - Il
20. ~ ~ s.eas Se-an son, ,us.o s-o-. senAS-uP IL
'ns sTbsn' TS va W. 'Ine IN a;Sn ri4n' .,...,
Iii 10 su LIE VIE Issolu'eiy, &c s
III, ~ - - ~ nA'e "
VIZ aApJ pAt u 'ne way, whi so 81
A. nn.,5 Hi.L III ieSa9 70 20 W 'he Gnu VI
T Tbna %S :. VIZ L5 you: ar. AZ. ..-.noa,,,
,ni.aI - nIPPeneu tnH: tne sstas s.y
Iobns.orD - ou' Avn
~ All want Is pair OF stout shoes'
Mrs. somers said.
As they we're returning, a gentleman
sitting in the car near them was explain
ing to another the cause of the calamity
and the nature of the country.
THE accounts are misleading. Here,
we will say, is the South Fork Dam,
eight, not eighteen, miles from Johns
town. The distance across the country
from the South Fork Dam station on the
railroad to the dam is one and one-fourth
miles. Down here nearly mile below
the dam the railway people made deep
cut. Here is the yiaduct. The creek
sweeps around here like a horseshoe
the railway cuts off good deal. Mineral
Point lies further down the creek. There
are seven houses standing there, learn,
1t was a good-sized village. Here is
another cut made by the railroad Just be-
low Mineral Point. This is known as
bridge number six. Below this is East
Conemaugh-say nine hundred and fifty
people here. Below East Conemaugh
We have Woodville, at least twenty-five
hundred people. You see, we get thicker
as we near Johnstown below the point.
Here is Stony Creek running past Johns
town, harmless as any stream. All along
opposite Johnstown proper the valley is
thickly settled-this is Kernville. Below
the junction of the creeks here is the pow
erful railway bridge.
Now then. The entire valley is mar
row, like a V. And bear in mind that the
grade is at least sixty feet to the mile
some places great deal more. Say the
lake is five hundred feet higher than
Johnstown. The valley is partly covered
with verdure trees, mountain under
growth, and large rocks. The vast body
OF water gathered in South Fork dam is
suddenly greatly augmented by unprece-
dented rains in one night. This vast
body of water is suddenly freed. brushes
down the valley. 1t bears along with
it every tree, every stick and stone, ev-
cry blade OF grass; it lifts the viaduct
here, picks up bridge number six there,
and tosses them up like corks. All the
villages are swept as bare as your hand
in one minute-less time. The only
houses standing are those built on the
sides OF the V-shaped valley.
1t leaps straight through the cut at
the viaduct. Three friends are walking
here. The water reaches them-they
strive to save each other-one is swept
away. The survivors say the water that
swept him away was not as high as the
people saw overwhelming them below,
Why? Because the first wave represented
all the water that leaped through the rail
way cut. Some was checked. 1t rushed
around the bend, and when the waters
were united again, they seemed mountain
high to the people who saw it coming.
This happened twice-at the viaduct and
below bridge number six.
The water worked its revenge upon the
railway people, then resumed its old
channel, and rioted there until it wore
away all the old landmarks.
Say Johnstown lies between the
thumb of my left hand and foretinger.
The railway bridge is below there, near
the wrist. If the bridge had not checked
the water that leaped down from the dam,
with o front almost thirty feet high-a
wall OF water-it would have rushed
straight down, and Johnstown would
have been little the worse. At least the
people carried away would have been
borne upon the surface-hundreds could
and would have been saved.
But the bridge checked it, and the
vast wall suddenly swirled around here
between my forehnger and thumb, until
water ran up Stony Creek at the rate OF
forty miles an hour. The contents of
the lake were thus heaped upon Johns
town, and as they spread, they took in
Cambria City, everything above and
around and below Johnstown.
L saw the water suck IN eighteen peo-
pie IN one spot. L beheld children torn
Imo from limb. The water picked up
locomotives and bridges and tossed them
over like corks. The debris hurled down
the valiey, consisting or beams, rrag-
ments OF houses and bridges, great logs
and trees were projected with force ex-
ceeding thousands OF tons.
The world never heard OF such awful
Datterlng rams as those that crashed
througn Whoie plocKs IN Jonnstown.
"Algernon," said Mrs. Somers, will
you go oack and ask that gentleman II
MS name is hutledge! THINK, L am al
most sure know his voice. lie IS from
Johnstown.
Algernon walked pack, and soon re-
turned. A minute Later the gentleman
saluteu MIS-. oomers. MI. oomers saw
disappointment In MS Wife,s eyes:
Excuse me, sir, i thought
PARDON me, you thought | was my
brother. am Alexander Rutledge s
protner. am gong up to learn whether
he dead nnt have known so