Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-06-14
sltion he would keep a quiet tongue in his
head so far as the dam was Concerned.


The Pittsburg Commercial prints the
following account of the break of the dam,
from the lips of John G. Park, j., civil
engineer who was engaged on the grounds
of the South Fork Club:
Con Thursday night the dam was in per
feet condition, and the water was not with
in seven feet of the top. At that stage the
lake is nearly three miles long. 1t rained
very hard Thursday night. When got up
Friday morning 1 could see there was a
flood, for the water in the lake had risen
until it was only four feet below the top of
the dam. [ rode Up to the head Of the lake
and saw that the woods were boiling full of
water. South Fork and Muddy Run, which
emptied into the lake. were fetching down
trees, logs, cut timber, and stuff from a
saw mill that was up in the woods in that
direction. About 1880 clock twenty-five
Italians and number of farmers set to
work on the dam. A plough WAS run along
the top and earth was thrown i'll the face
OF the dam to strengthen it. At the same
time channel was dug on the west end of
the dam to make a sluiceWay there. There
was about three feet of Shale rock through
which it was possible to cut, but then we
struck bed rock that it was impossible to
get into without blasting. When we got
UlIt ClltIlllcl Opcltl, UIlt NdltI SOOu secured
down to the bed rock, and a stream twenty
feet wide and three deep rushed out on that
end Of the dam, while the weir was letting
out an enormous quantity on the other end.
Notwithstanding these outlets, the water
kept rising at the rate of about ten inches
an hour.
''By II 80 had made up my mind that it
was impossible to save the dam, and getting
on my horse, | galloped down the road to
South Fork to warn the people of their
danger. The telegraph tower is annie from
town, and sent two men there to have
messages sent to Johnstown and other
points below. I heard that the lady opera
tor tainted when she sent off the news, and
had to be carried off. The people at SouthI
Fork had ample time to get to the high
grounds, and they were able to move their
furniture, too. In fact, only one person
was drowned at South Fork, and he while
attempting to fish something from the flood
as it rolled by. 1t was just II o'clock when
the telegraph messages were sent out, so
that the people of JOhnstown had over
three hours warning.
Gas | rode back to the dam [ expected
almost every moment to meet the lake com
ing down on me, but the dam was still in
tact, although the water had reached the
top. At about l o'clock the water was
three inches deep on it, and was gradually
eating away the earth on the outer face. AS
the stream rolled down the outer face it
kept wearing down the edge of the embank-
ment, and saw it was merely a question
of time. At a rough guess L should say that
there were 60,000.000 tons of water in the
lake, and the pressure of that mass of water
was increased by floods from two streams
pouring into it.. The friction OF the water
pouring over the dam gradually wore it
away from the outer face until the top be-
came so thin that it gave way.
'sThe break took place at O'Clock. 1t
was about ten feet wide at first and shallow,
but it grew wider with increasing rapidity,
and the lake went roaring down the valley.
That three miles of water was drained out
in forty-five minutes. The downfall of
those millions of tons was simply irreSiSt-
ible. Stones from the dam and bOulders in
the river bed were carried for miles. Trees
went down like you might cut a mullen
stalk with a swish of your cane
1.-THE dam was made of about half earth
and half rock. The rip rapping was merely
a skin on each face with more Oh less loose
spauls mixed with this earth. The dam
was y feet above water, and 20 feet wide on
top. Rock throughout was about one foot
below surface.
A RIDER THAT DIED TRYING TO SAVE
OTHERS.
A nameless Paul Revere lies somewhere
never be known, but his ride will be famous
in local history. Mounted on big bav
horse, he came riding down the pike which
passes through Conemaugh to Johnstown
like some angel of wrath of old shouting his
portentous warning: "Run for your lives
to the hills !" ''Run to the hills!"
The people crowded out of their houses
along the thiclzly settled streets, awe-struck
and some thought he was a maniac, and
laughed. On at quick pace he rode and
shrilly rang out his awful cry. In few
moments, however, there came cloud of
ruin down the broad streets, down the nar-
row alleys, grinding, twisting, hurting,
Overturning, crashing. annihilating the
weak and the strong. 1t was the charge of
the flood wearing it's coronet of ruin and
devastation which grew at every instant of
it's progress. Forty feet high, some say;
thirty, according to others, was this sea,
and it Travelled with a swiftness like that
which lay hidden in the heels of Mercury.
On and ON raced the rider and on and on
rushed the wave. Dozens of people took
heed to the warning and ran up to the hills.
Poor, faithful rider; it was an unequal con-
test. Just as he turned across the railroad
bridge the mighty wave fell upon him, and
horse, rider and bridge all went into chaos
together.
A FUNERAL PROCESSION SWEPT FROM A
| CHURCH DOOR.
Lying along the side of the South Ward
schoOl-hOuSe is a coffin partially burned.
Inquiry developed that at the time the
water reached Johnstown a funeral was
being held in the Catholic church. The
mournerS and carriages standing in front
of the church were swept away. The church
took fire subsequently and the coffin and
corpse were partially consumed. What
was left of the body was recognised and
buried. None of those present in the
church were known to have been saved.
A WHOLE FAMILY SWEPT TO DEATH
WHILE WATCHING FROM BAY
WINDOW.
Of all the woeful incidents connected with
the flood catastrophe, the fate of Banker
John Dibert's family ranks foremost
among the most momnful. Mr.. Dibert
and his whole family, with the exception
of one son, persisted with the thousands
that went down with the awful torrent.
When the food came sweeping down upon
the doomed city, the banker gathered his
family around him and prepared to meet
death. They all crowded around the bay
J, window in the handsome three-Story brick
residence ON Main street and watched theil
neighbors go down the valley of death by
the scores, knowing full we'll that it was
only Il question of minutes, yea, seconds,
until their turn would surely come, and
they, too, with the multitude of dead and
dying, would be hurled down the madden
ing torrent. Suddenly the big brick house
began to WAIVER, then shudder, when large
stone above the window was torn away and
a portion of the house fell in upon the body
of the banker S daughter, almost crushing
her. AT the same instant the flood rushed
into tho LollSa alld ca,:l:iad tho faaa il.z down