New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-05
FROM THE TRAINS IN PERIL
THE MANAGER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
* AN EYEWITNESS. 60. g..


AN EYEWITNESS 60. g..
SENDING DISPATCH BY couRIEa Acnose THE
COUNTRY - THE WORK OF THE FLOOD
AS SEEN At THE MOMENT.
Pittsburg juno 4.-The following dispatch was sent
By courier from Ebensburg on June /, by william
Henry smith, general manager OF the Associs'eu
Press who was passenger on the day express, ana
was eyewitness of tho scene at Conemangh on tho
nigh. Of the terrible calamity. IT reached here last
nigat at midnight. Mr. Smith went 10 Chicago:
she fast trains that lesve Chicago at S:lo ana
Cincinnati at D. constitute the Gay express eastward
from Ptsburr which runs sections. This train
left PittsburS On Friday morning. but was stopped
Tor an hour at Johnsown reports OF wash-out ahcan
raining hard for over sixteen hours ana inc
sides the nountLns covered with water descend
ine into the valleys The Conemaugh hver, whose
h.nk ,s toIovsd by this Pennsylvania Railroad for many
miles lookei M angry hood nearly osnkfu Passengers
were interested seeing hundreds OF sa"loss sna "
enormous amount Of drftwood shoot rapidly oS anu w
,ra,n unframed It's way eastward AZ Johnsown therc
wa. leng walt IS before stated The lower stories "
many houses submerged by the slack water ana @
tnhsbiaatS were looking out OF the seeonosVo'y
Horses were standing up to their knees IN ws'es IN s
1870. as track Of the railroad had been washed out
IeaAed cars were on bridge keep 1t seaoy ana inc
huge roles Of the Western Union Telegraph oompany'
carrying afteen wires swayea badly, ana severn soon
went down Tho two sections ran 70 oonoHplusn' eo
,o ral.s tbIa side OF Johns.own, and lay there about
three hours when they were moved on 70 tho hsneS
rround and placed sido by aide. Tho mail ,'e'n w
placed In Of the nrst section ana ircsnI Ha
was run onto side track the bank OF the Oo
Tho report was that a bridge had been ~sSheo OUT
earring away one track, and that the otnef IScA w"
unSafe There was 0 rumor siso that the Fose''V" %
South FORK, some time ago feeaet Oh tne fos 49,,
Canal but latterly the property OF eiuo OF rt'oe
and used for hunting fishing, was unsfe ana mlsn.
tssak, This most Of the passengers uneasy anu
they kept pretty good lookout for INFORMATION Ae
At ~
icorfcrted the passengers with the assurance InSt ~
pcnnsylvznia Railroad Company always TOOK care Oh
IA uatrons. FEW gentlemen and some ladies'
ast ehiidysn quietly seated themselves sppsrenus oon
tainted One gentleman, who was tls hsa hlS poySs '
nm ana retired although sdyised not % DO 90
: soan the arr came thst the water In the reservoir
bad broken down the barrier and was sweeping gov"
valley. instantly there was panic ana rush I .l
,pbuntan side Children were carried and women rs
,1ssea by few who kept CO.. beads. 1t wss race Tor
i,se Tnere was the black head OF the nooa no"
the raoastsf Destruction whose crest was hgh fslsen In
IN. AZ, and With this in view the weak found wings
IA, their feet No words adequately describe the
trror that acd every breast, the awful power mani
tcsted By the food The round-house had s'a's 'of
,--on,,,h,aa locomotives There were eighteen or
twenty Of these standing there at this Tina There was
an o,aiyus crash and round house and locomotives
d,.nooared Everything in main track Of the food
was nrst lifted air ard thsn swallowed mp BY the
waters A hundred houses were swept away IN . rev
rsinptsa These included tho hotel stores ana saloons
on ths 'front.' street and residences adjacent Ths loco
nouve Of one the trains was struck by house ana
desnoished Tbs sae Of another house stopped IN H0h'
Of snothes locomotive and served "a shield The rear
o. the nail train swung around In the rear OF tne
second section OF the express and turned It's side
Three observed standing upon IL az IL hoased
the coupling broke. ana the moved out upon the
bosom Of the As It would roll the men would
shl their position. The situation was desperate and
they wsrs given up for lost Two three hardy men
scfed ropes and along the mountain side 70 give
them SD Later It was reported that the men escaped
over sone driftwood their carried bank
II IL believed several and children In
eide the car. OF they were drowned A. the
fstves mountain side Witnessed the awful deva+
tntn they moved a. never before In their lives
ThAJ were powcress 70 help those seized upon BY tho
iterS; the despair u those who hsd lost everything in
Life tad the waiting Of those whose relatives friends
rere ussng nAed their breasts with unuerabln sorrow.
The rain continued fall steadily, but shelter not
thought of. Few passengers saved anything from the
train. % sudden the cry IRAN Tor your Ses the
ssssrvofs has broken .a.
Many hats. and their baggage was lsf,
the sSips. they without the means Of relieving
their Unhappy condition The occupants OF the houses
still stvdtng the high ground, threw. them open "a
who had lost all and 70 the passengers Of the train
During the heIsst Of the food the spectators were
s,artied BY the sound Of locomotive whistles from
. the yery midst Or the waters Two engineers, with
eharacefistt courage hal remained OF their posts and
while destruction every hand and apparently
no etespe for them they sounded their whistles Thi
hey repeated a. Intervals The last tine with Triumphant
yiRor waters recedng from the sides Of thf
locomotives BY half past thu force Of tho reseryo
water had been spent the village OF Conemaugh, ant
TIE Pullman and locomotive Of the second section
remained unmoye1 This was because being on th
Aghsst and hardest ground the destructive current Of th
reservoir food had passed between mat and the mountain
while OF the river did not eat II away Blu
me ethss trains had destroyed. solitary locomo
live embodied in the mad where the round.
had stood. p.
As he Ereatoss danger had passed the people OF Cone
waugh gave their thoShs 10 their neighoors Of the cit
n az yohnsowp Here was centred the great steel am
iron industries the pride Of Western Pennsylyania tb
Cambria Iron WORKS being known everywhere. Her
Sere churches dsy wspaperS banks dygocds houses
warehouses; and the comfortable ana wen built homes
taeoo people In the contemplation Of the ifeSiSttbi
sosee awful hoQd. gathering additional momentum
10 swept toward the Gul IL became clear that tn
city must destroyed and that unless the habtsnt
hsd segAphie notice Of the breaking OF mo reservoir
Mey must perish. cry Of horror went up from tn
hunircas os the uountsln side. and tsw ins,inctive
tpraea taeir steps toward Johnstown The city was Dc
sfcrsa All DE mills furnaces, manufactures tn
mAny and varied industries the banks, the residences
AL all were swallowed up before the shadows Of nigh
had sssslsd lawn the earth Those who came bae
"a ~ asypsesx said tsst from 5000 70 5000 had bee
aesnsa oes hope y thai ssis 10 an exageerston an
wnen tne Fou u called most viii respond. In the Ugh
q MS saisssy ss destruction .. cOasuaush SINKS
hsgsiacauce -
= sais las.ss psss tssy wsps sssady bringing in tn
sunffI Psht ard ~ south Rssk could not bS told Am
snaias sewer DO knewa There we're souas messenger
SAD possibly forty o. aty inhabitants The loss q
properly y eacsfucoa me tspek Of tAe palisay com
psay . ssssiaiy destroyed cor 9, las, tn ,sS,. ne,
sssEA tssk and III other tto-~sk o. ne eopp.ny 4
ue me me sestssetion Of szsssswws sndassf,ss ~
ssse sssss many snilhens r tkis gsss. aaa u
~ sls villages shove and below H. ana some ids es
- fsfmsa q the westh cbiisrs,ea By aoed.sssstsa
s. TIE aseakiaz q the reserysiS And this reservoir vi
- sssnssin wss s0ssenaaa sSas u wrss sasss MI