The Penn's Grove record., 1889-06-08

broke houses were rolling over one
another in a mad whirl, as they
were carried by the seething waters
down the gorge between the endles
hills.
At Johnstown the whole centre o.
the city was cut, as II a mammoth
scythe had passed over the M Az
that place was a large stone bridge o.
! the Pennsylvania Railroad Company,
one of the strongest that the company
owns. The Conemaugh river Is crossed
by 1t at an angle. Into THIS angie
houses, trees and fences That ca,ne
down the left side Of the river rusneo,
and were piled one on top OF anotner
until the arches under the bridge were
closed, the current Of the Conemaugn
was changed and the wreckage began
to pile on high until rafters I'M timDers
projected above the stone. Then the
houses, nearly all crowded with people,
crashed, one after another. until b
terrible wreckage extended q half
mile up the stream. No pen ~ de-
the horror or the shrIeks OF the thOus-
ands who we're In the mass OF IRE and
I ruins.
Shortly after the blockade had
formed the dry timbers OF b houses
caught fire, and the mass nearest b
railroad bridge became o glowing FUR
mace. Hundreds OF people who had
not been drowned or crushed to death
in the mad rush down stream. were
burned to death. Their sbrieks as
the flames reached them made The most
s~tout-hearted wiring their hands In
agony at their inability to render as
sistance. The wind blew up stream.
The air became oiled with the grue-
some odOrs, until at last the horrors
to sight, hearing and smell became
so great that persons In the VI
entity were forced to leave the place.
Meanwhile the greater bulk OF the
houses had gone down along the right
bank. One mad rush carried away q
portion of the stone bridge, and then
the flood bore down upon the
thousands of homes and fioated them
further westward In the Conemaugh.
1t was only u little after 5 Friday after
noon when the first warning came, and
as it had been raining heavily all day
| the citizens Of JOhnstown and the
n%eighboring hamlets thought that the
slowly rising waters only meant a light
flood.
The scenes near Johnstown were the
most ~heartrending that man was ever
called on to look upon. Probably 5000
people were scattered in groups along
the Pennsylvania Railroad track, and
every one of them had a relative lying
dead either In the wreckage above, In
the river below or in the still burning
furnace. Not q house that was left
standing was plumb. Hundreds of
them were burned on their sides, and
In some cases three or four stood one
on top of the other.
Here l will give the latest a conserv-
alive estimate OF the dead: 1t is be-
tween seven and eight thousand
drowned and two thousand burned.
The committee at J~0hnstOwn, in
their bulletin. placed the number Of
lives lost at 5000. In doing SO they are
figuring the inhabitants Of their own
city and the towns Immediately ad.
joining. But it must be remembered
that the flood swept ten miles through
a ~populous district before it even
reached the locality 0ver which this
committee had supervision. 1t devas-
tated a tract the size and shape of Man.
haitian Islands. Here are a few facts
that will show the geographical outlines
of the terrible disaster. The Hotel
Hurlburt, OF Johnstown, a massive
three story building Of 100 rooms, has
vanished. There were in 1t rs guests
at the time of the food. Two only are
known to be alive. The Merchants
Hotel is levelled. How many were in
side it is not known, but as yet no one
has been seen who zane from there or
heard Of an inmate escaping. At the
Conemaugh Round House ~fOrty-one
locomotives were swept down the
stream aud before they reached the
stoue bridge all the iron and steel work
had been torn from their boilers.
1t may sound strange to saym much
about tie damage to property, but it
must be remembered that the living
are those who now suffer, and aid is
asked for the thousands who are now
left homeless and without q change OF
clothing. learned In Jobnstown that
the great CHARTERS Steel Works are
swept away, with all its valuable ma
chinery. This alone entails a loss of
90, 600, OOO. Que million will not make
the Cambria Iron Works whole,
Rich and poor were served alike by
this terrible disaster. l saw a girl
standing In her bare feet on the river
bank, clad in a loose petticoat and with
q shawl overhead. At fret 1 thought
sh, was an Italian woman, but her face
she wed that l was mistaken. She was
til belle OF the tOwn-the daughter of
a wealthy JohnstOwn banker-and this
single petticoat and shawl we're not
only all that was left her, but all that
were saved from the magnificent resi-.
dence of her father. She had escaped
to the hills not an instant too soon.
The Solicitor Of JOhnstown, Mr.. Geo.
Martin. said to me to-day: "All my
money went away In the food. NY
house is gone. So are all my clothes.
but, thank God, my family is saie.n
TIE pillaging of the houses In
Johnstown is something awful to con-
template and describe. 1t makes n
feel almost ashamed to call himself q
man and know that Others who bear
the same name have converted them
selves into human v~ultures, preying
on the dead. Men, are carrying shot
guns and reyOlvers, and woe betide the
stranger who looks even suspiciously
at any article. Goods of great value
were Icing sold In town to-day for a
drink Of whisky.
PITTsBURG, Pa, June 2-The fol-
lowing despatch has Just been received
from Johnstown: The unruly element
has been put down, and order is now
perfect, The Citizens Committee are
now in charge, and have matters well
organized.
A proclamation has Just been issued
that all men who are able to work must
report for work or leave the place.
we have too much to do to support
oilers, and will not abuse the generous
help that is being sent by SO doing,
From tomorrow all Will be at work.
Money now Is greatly needed to meet
the heavy pay rolls that will be Incurred
for the next two weeks. w. G. Lewis.
Chairman of the Finance COMMITTEES.
is ready to receive the same.
Although no information to that eff
feet has been received, it is believed
by the railroad officials here that the
passengers on the two trains wrecked