Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1889-06-11
Johnstownss Horror.

Conemaugh lake and reservoir was
IA miles above Johnstown. st was
the property of a number of wealthy
gentlemen in Pittsbarg, who -consti-
tuted a corporation called Che South
Fork Fishing and Hunting Club.
The sheet of water was Situated IN
the moan5aias from geo e, 300 feet
above the level of JohnstoSn, was g.
miles in length, and from enc to one
and a-quarter miles in width, and in
some places said. to be 100 feet deep.
The original lake had been quadru-
pied in size by artificial means, and
was held in check by dam from 700
to GOO feet vide The dam was 80
feet in thickness at its base, with a
height OF ITO feet and a breadth of
over 20 feet at the top. The great
body of water in the lake had been
swollen by the continuous rains, and
finally swept away the immense dam
which had been built to restrain it
and rushed in a mighty and irresisti-
bic flood upon the country below it,
growing in volume and strength as it
joined the Conemaugh creek and the
already swollen streams along which
! it poured. The course of the flood
led it most of the way through mar
row N-shaped valley. Four miles be-
low the dam and ten miles above
Johnstown lay the town of South
Fork, at the junction of a small
stream with Conemaugh creek, with
population of about 1 400. Three
miles below South Fork was Mineral
Point, cluster of workingmen'
houses about half the size. Neither
of these towns were part of Johns
town. Conemaugh, 10 miles below
the lake and A miles above Johns
town, was the largest village on the
creek between the reservoir and
Johnstown. 1t is often spoken of as
as part of Johnstown, thoughts rail-
road station is two or three miles up
the creek from the Johnstown station.
The streets of the two towns ran into
each other, and the space between
the two stations was we'll built up
along the creek. Part of the Cam
bria iron and steel company's works
were at Conemaugh, and five or six
thousand of the workingmen and
their families lived there. Between
Conemaugh and johnston borough
was string of tenements along the
river which was called Woodvale.-
Possibly 5000 workmen lived in
them. Farther down were Johnstown
and its cluster of sister towns, Cam
bria City and Conemaugh borough,
with a total population of about 3d.
900. Johnstown was in the south
west part of Cambria county, at the
forks where Stony creek and Cone
maugh creek form the Conemaugh
river. 1t was on the Pennsylvania
railroad, 80 miles southwest of AL
toona and 78 miles east of Pittsburg.
The people of the town were the em-
ployes of the Cambria iron and steel
company, their families and small
storekeepers. Three-quarters of the
population lived In small frame ten
ment houses on the fats by the river
around the works of the Cambria
company. The Cambria company
owns almost all the land, and the
business and professional men and
the superintendent of the. company
lived OH the hills away up from the
creeks. The creeks become the
Conemaugh river right at the end of
the town, near where the big stone
Pennsylvania railroad bridge crosses
the river.
There were three stages or divis-
ions in the fateful course of the dis
aster-the flood caused by heavy
rains, the breaking of huge lumber
boom on Stony creek, aud, most de-
structive of all, the giving way of
the Conemaugh lake embanlment.-I
The flood due to'the storm appears to
have been almost at its height ut
about one O'Clock Friday afternoon.
Then the lumber boom on Stony
creek was torn away, and tile enor-
nous mass Of logs, hurled down the
stream and over the submerged dis
trict of the doomed city, tore away
the houses as though they had been
built of wood. While this work Of
destruction was still going on there
came down the valley of COnemaugh
creek, almost without warning, a
towering mass of rushing water from
the burst embankmenta at Conemaugh
lake, which swept with resist!ess
force over the remaining houses and
buried them under fath0ms of water
or carried them at once down the
stream.
From Johnstown the flood swept
on down the Conemaugh river to
Sheridan, Sang Hollow, u miles be-
low Jolfnstown, Ninevah, Lockport,
and Bolivar, all of which were mum
dated.
Appeal From Harper's Ferry.
HARrEn's FERRY, w. VA, l
June 5, 1889.
Gustav Broeon. Esq, Mayor Of Charles
tOlUn:
DEAR 81 am authorized by the
Mayor and Council of Harper's Fer
ry to solicit contributions for the ben
eft of She sufferers bv the flood -