Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1889-06-08
Believed that Between Ten and
Twelve Thousand People Per-
ished by Flood and Fires
The Bodies of Thousands Of Unfortu.
mates Buried in the Mud and
Debris of the Streets.
Fes-s Of PestiIeucr Fr6.5 s sAe
Stench OF DecOmposing He'd.
les s-Terrible Scenes of
Misery and Suffering.
DETAILS OF THE AWFUL DISASTER.

PITTSBURGH Pa, June l.--About 7 o'clock
last night information reached this city
that Johnstown had been DESTROYED by
food Tho reports were meager at first all
wires being down At / o'clock a. m. the
first definite information was received
The lake owned by the South Fork
Fishing Club at Johnstown and the
reservoir at Red Bank, swollen by
recent rains, had burst their banks.
Without any warning the deluge came
down on Johnstown. The loss can not be
estimated Thousands of people have
lost their lives The flood swept the entire
town away, Houses were backed up along
the banks OF the Conemaugh for three
quarters OF mile, piled up on top of each
other, a mass Of debris soventy-fye feet
high, and all on fire
A special train containing newspaper
mon only got as far as Bolivar, twenty
miles from the scene of the disaster. The
Pennsylvania railroad from there on is
nothing but mass of water, mud and rail
road ties standing on end and piled in
heaps clear to Johnstown
Fifty persons were rescued from the
waters between Johnstown and New
Florence They were in a completely ex-
hausted condition and could not hold on to
the ropes thrown them.
The special train pulled In at Bollver at
II 80 and trainmen were there notified that
farther progress was impossible Tho great
est excitement prevailed at this place and
parties of citizens are out all the time en-
deavoring TO save the poor unfortunates
that are being hurried to eternity in the
rushing torrent
The tidal wave struck Bolivar Just after
dark, and in five minutes the Couemaugh
rose from six to forty feet and the waters
spread out over the whole country Soon
houses began floating down, and clinging
to the debris were men, women and chill
dren shrieking for aid, A large num-
ber of citizens at once gathered
on the county bridge, and they were
reinforced by a number from Garfield, n
town on the opposite side. They brought a
number of ropes, and these were thrown
over into the boiling waters as persons
drifted by, in efforts to save some poor be-
ing
S. J. Heron, solicitor for the Times,
lefv Johnstown at two o'clock on Eilay
afternoon and has just arrived in this
city. Mr. Heron tells graphic story Of
the disaster that fell on the mountain
city. "All of Thursday afternoon and
night rain poured down in deluge. The
little mountain streams swelled in torrents,
pouring their waters into the COnemaugh
river that passes directly through the cen
ter of the CITY About five o'clock the
large reservoir above the town broke and
the immense volume of water rushed down
to the city, carrying with it death and
destruction The water rose so rapidly
that many people could not escape from
their homes and ran to the upper stories,
from which they were rescued by men rid
ing horses and mules.
THE DEADLY DAM
In order to understand the nature Of this
calamity it is necessary to describe the re
spective locations of the reservoir and
Johnstown The reservoir lies about
eighteen miles northeast Of Johnstown,
and is the site OF the old reservoir which
was one Of the feeders of the Pennsyl-
vania canal 1t is the property OF num-
Der OF wealthy gentlemen in Pittsburgh,
who formed themselv into an association,
the title of which is the South Fork Fishing
Club. This sheet of water was former
ly known as Conemaugh lake, 1t IS
from 900 to 800 feet above the level
Of Johnstown, being in the mountains, 1t
IA about three miles and half long and
from a mile to a mile and quarter In
width and In some places it Is 100 feet In
depth 1t holds more water than
any other reservoir, natural or artl
foial in the United Statos The lake
has been quadruplod in size by artificial
means, and was held in check by dam 'VV
to 600 feet wide. 1t is 90 feet in thickness
at the base and the height is 10 feet The
ton has a breadth of over 70 feet
Recognizing the menace which the lake
had to the region below the South FORK
club had the dam inspected once
month by the Pennsylvania railroad
engineer and the investigation showed
that nothing less than some con
vulsion of nature would tear the
barrier away and loosen the weapon
of death The steady rains oil the
last forty-eight hours increased the
volume of water in all the small mount,
ain streams, which were already swelled
bv the lesser rains earlier in the week
From the best information obtained AZ lni'
time it is evident that something IN tnt
nature OF cloud-burst must have been the
elimination of the struggle OF the water
against the embankment
PITTSBURGH, June 3.-The hrst loroo "
rescuers and press representatives Wlo il's ,i''
been making every effort for the paSv wv.
dave IN gain an entrance into the valley IL
which was located the city OF JohnsVoWn
accomplished their purpose Just US 'ho lish
of Sunday mornings sun Droho IVY aas I,,'
mountain tops surrounding 'iio piaeo ,;t,, t Snr
olation. The news received IN 'u's oi'5 49,; u"i
ing the day confirms in almost every 1ov",
ali of the gravest fears, statements anu 'on
iectnres that have been entertained al
ronorts received agree that the clty ID ii,oi
al'v a min. tho description OF when IS siin
ply impossible. po;rt tove,
the Pennsylvania road bed mas pool oU,t, na
nlete,v swept away. For distance Oh one
four,h of mile tho road isuninlureu' vuo'
comes another complete wreck TO a pom
above South Fork .,;,,.ood ,oco
Twenty-seven fenhsyiNai, '',,',ior Of botl
motives and an unknown nuhipor W v
freight cars and passenger coacuos az JdSns H.
IN tbe river bed under the debris Oh JOHNS
town at the stone bridge. The towns y
Woodville and Conemaugh borough, apo'
Johnstown, are swept as clearly Oh suo ios az
of the earth as If they had never hau ~, "a "a
istence. or woodvillo's population hoer Os io NJ
souls but about half dozen nav a,ony al Can
counted for. The Hungarian colony ao o',sry w"n
S Sria Citv are stealing and plunderlnseVer'
thing they can reach 49,. a0oa at Johns
The work of exhuming the deau aao az yoi,, Soa;o
town has only begun, but already 0OO n,sue SUns
have been carried out Of .he runs ,s,,,mnds, v,
car loads Of finished colin, and 'nprs ,vprs of II
takers arrived Sunday and 'ne n,,"rnoon mv wi
: terment which began IN .ae .S, direction Of
rapidly progress under the an aare'''A
specially organized force OF men, uv, =. -