Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-06-03
The Awful Freshet and Loss of Life.


lost is estimated by thousands, but as yet it
is impossible to make any correct estimate
of the extent of the calamity Whole viii
lagos have been swept away. The great
rainfall caused reservoir above Johnstown
TO break its bounds and the water poured
down upon the town, destroying everything
before it, The Allegheny wes changed into
torrent along which shattered dwellings,
trees, household furniture, and the dead bod
les of human beings and of brute animals
poured in @ ceaseless current. 1t is the
most awful disaster in the history of this
country, and the bursting of the Worcester
reservoir in 1876 was small atlair In COM
parison. 1t is estimated by railroad men
engaged in the work of taking out dead
bodies that not less than six thousand per-
sons have persisted in the series OF disasters.
| OF all the frightfui occurrences the most ter
rible was the fire. in which, it is estimated
that from 000 to 900 beings were burned
to DEATH over three hundred frame houses
were jammed together in heap against
the massive viaduct Of the pennsylvania
Railroad at Johnstown. All the houses
were destroyed and the maj ;rity Of the in
mates crushed to death before the terrible
fire began. Men, women and children, with
their limbs pnioned between the timbers,
their life's blood slowly ebbing away, begged
pteously for relief. One unfortunate woman
asked man on the bank to cut her legs oil.
A man was caught by the arm and pleaded
pteously for knife to sever the member.
Others were literally smashed and squeezed
to death beneath the grinding timbers and
surging waters. Some were pressed deep
| no
their misery. But to add to the horror Of
this scene fire broke out in the mass of
timbers, and nobody escaped. The flames
soon devoured the people, and nothing was
| left but the charred and scattered remains
floating somewhere on the water The cries
| OF suffering and pain only doubled the horror
of the great disaster. In the Second ward OF
Johnstown there were 1900 houses, now there
are seven standing. There are seven wards
in the city and the Second is the average.
Where long rows Of dwelling houses and
business blocks stood IS hours ago, ruin and
desolation now reign. Houses have been
swept from the face OF the earth as com.
pletely as if they had never been erected.
Main street from end to end is piled 10 and
20 feet high with debris and in some in
stances it is as high as the roofs of the
houses. Gen. Hastings telegraphed last
night that thieves are pilfering and robblng
the dead, and that one OF them had been
lynched
All along The river between the Allegheny
river aud Johnstown dead bodies are being
picked up. In ten acre field seventy five
bodies were taken out within bali mile OF
each other. OF this number only five were
men. The rest were women and children
MANY beautiful young girls, refined in fea
lures and handsomely dressed, were found
and women and young mothers, with their
| hair matted with roots and leaves, are con-
stantly being removed. Some of the bodies
were horribly msngled and the features
twisted and dstor ed, as ii they died in the
most excrucieting agony, and others are
found lying in stretched-out positions with
calm faces An old lady with fine gray hair
was picked up alive, although nearly every
bone in Der body was broken. Judging
from the number of women and children
found in the swamps Of Nineveh the female
portion Of the population suffered most.
a few miles west OF } 5hnstown there was
tree on IA island against which number
of persons were dashed and instantly Killed.
Their bodies were almost tied in knot,
doubled over the tree by the force OF the
current. The first man who came down
had his brains knocked out against the OBJ
st.uction. In fact, all those who hit the
tree met the same fate and were instantly
killed.
A Sunbury, Pa dispatch says: 1.-THE en-
! tire population was up all night moving to
the second stories All bridges are down
from here to Wiliamsport, railroad and
wagon. Three men came down from viii
Transport in a boat this afternoon and re-
1 A., hot of
persons who were watching bridge col
lapse.
Though there have been few lives lost in
Maryland, reports of damage to country
roads, culyerts, bridges, and houses, done
by the flood, continue TO be reported. Fred
erick county, will lose in the destruction of
bridges 500, 000,a aud between Knoxville and
Harpers Ferry the lose will be 500 900. At
Harper5 Ferry the people are still encemp
ed on the bills and the river presents scene
of terrific grandeur. 1t is thought that the
canal has been irreparably ruined and al.
though the bridge over the Potomac is still
safe, the railroad bridge spanning the Shen-
andosh was destroyed.
A report comes from Harper's Ferry that
eight lives were lost there In the flood. -Four
OF the victims, two women and two men,
were cooped up in one house. Finally it
gave way before the pressue of the water
and the inmates were lost. There is great
damage done in the town.
Saturday evening, a party of thirteen Hunga-
Iians were noticed picking their way along the
banks of the Conemsugh, towards Sang Hollow, Pa.
Suspicious of their purpose several farmers armed
themselves and started in pursuit. Lying upon
the shore the Hungarians came Upon the dead
body Of q woman, upon whose person there were
two diamond rings. IL their cagerness to secure
the plunder the Hungarians got into squabble,
during which one of the number severed the
finger upon which were the rings and started on
run with his prize The farmers gave chase.
Nine of the brutcs escaped, but four we're liter
ally driven into the surging -iver and to their
death. An cid railroader stepped up to number
of men who were congrcgated st Curanville and
told them what had occurred when five burly men
started to the scene, one with coil Of rope over
his shoulder and another with revolver in his
hand. In twenty minutes they had ovcrtaken
two of the fends who were in the act of cutting
pieces from the ears and fingers from the hands Of