The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-06-13
THE PENNSYLVANIA HORROR
Fully Ten Thousand Persons are
Drowned, or Burned to Death.

From Our San Francisco Correspondent
The dispatches received from the
telegraphic stations at and near
Johnstown, Penn, give particulars
concerning the recent destruction of
life and property at that place, (which
are truly appalling. The loss of life
is now estimated at 10000 souls and
the destruction of property at S4O,-
100000. For some days the extent
of the disaster has not been compre-
hended. The first dispatches stated
that the calamity was due to cloud
burst, which had suddenly broken
over Johnstown and swept portion
of it away. 1t appears, however,
that a reservoir, about two and one
third miles above the town, known as
Conemaugh Lake, had given way,
swept down the river and dealt out
death and destruction on every hand.
All the towns along the line of
the little creeks and rivers which
traverse Cambria, Westmoreland,
Blair and Huntington counties have
felt the effects of the flood.
Johnstown is city of about 10000
people in Cambria county, Penn,
and is located on the Pennsylvania
Railroad, near the junction of the
old Somerset and Cambria Road
The reservoir which formerly fed
the old Pennsylvania Canal is about
300 feet above the level of Johns,
town and two and half miles north
east. It was about three and half
miles long, from a mile to a mile
and a half wide, and in some places
was 100 feet deep. 1t is said to be
the largest reservoir in the United
States, and was always full of water,
contributed by a large number of
mountain springs and streams of
which it was the outlet. The water
was held in check by dam thrown
across the mouth of the cannon in
which it is situated. This dam was
from 700 to 1000 feet long. 1t was
90 feet in thickness at the base, tap
ering to 20 feet at the top, and was
about 10 feet high. The dispatches
state that the dam was inspected
monthly, and how it burst has not
and probably never will be ascer-
tanned. A weak spot, through which
the water might trickle unnOticed
for a few days, added to a heavy
pressure from a spring freshet, and
the work would be done.
According to the dispatches, the
| lake broke its fastenings at about 5
o'clock a. m. on May 31st. At that
early hour a majority of the resi-
! dents of JOhnstOwn were sleeping
peacefully in their beds. The waters
| descended from the mountains, gath
ering force with every furlong trav-
| ersed, until they swept into the city
| and carried it away. According to
| ali accounts JOhnstOwn is completely
| demolished. The town of Cone
| maugh, short distance up the river,
has also been annihilated, and Cam
! bria City, further on, is a wreck.
! The bodies of the dead have been
picked up all along the track of the
| flood for many miles. At one place,
| Ninevah, 200 were recovered.
At the lower end of Johnstown,
near Conemaugh Station, there is a
heavily built railroad bridge, belong
ing to the Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
1t is a solid bulwark of masonry.
The waters did not succeed in carry
ing it away, and the houses, swept
from their foundations and loaded
with human freight, were caught
there in a dense mass. Here they
took fire and hundreds persisted in
the flames. All efforts to rescue the
unfOrtunates were unavailing, as
the viaduct was covered with several
feet of the swiftly flowing waters.
The mass of debris was apparently
held by its own ENHANCEMENT until