The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1889-06-08
ACITY DESTROYED
JOhnstOwn, Pa, Swept Away by a
Mighty Flood.
HUNDREDS OF LIVES WERE LOST
Many People Swept Down the Boiling
Torrent Past Terror Stricken PeO-
pie Who Were PONveIless 20
Aid Them.

pie Who We're POVveIless 20
Aid Them.
DERRY, Pa, May 81 A food OF death
swept down the Allegheny mountains
this afternoon. Today and tonight al
most the entire city OF Johnston is
swimming about in rushing, angry
tide, dead bodies are floating about in
every direction, and almost every piece
OF movable timber is carrying from the
doomed city helpless humanity, drifting
with the raging waters, God knows
where. The disaster overlook Johns
town about 6 O'Clock this evening.
PITTsBURG, Pa, May 31.-A sudden
freshet is reported in the North Fork
river, east Of Johnstown, Pain the AL
legheny mountains. Two-thirds OF
Johnstown is said to be under water
and the railroad and telegraph lines are
washed out.
Pittsburg has had 10 wire communi-
cation with Johnstown for three hours.
HUNDREDS OF LIVES LOST.
GREENsBURG, Pa, May 3l.--A report
has just been received here that the
greater portion Of Johnstown has been
flooded and hundreds of lives lost.
Houses are floating about, and the peo-
pie who are free are panic-stricken and
fleeing to the mountains.
At point near New Florence eighty
five persons have been seen floating
down the river on drift wood.
One report comes that but two roofs
of houses in Johnstown could be seem
The Covetown and New Florence
bridges have been washed away, and all
the buildings along the Conemaughi
between New Florence and Johnstowni
have been carried away.
The railroad towers have been aban-
doned by the operators.
| WILD SCENES on THE RIVER.
GREENsBURG, Pa, May 3l.-Johns.
town is completely submerged and the
loss Of life is inestimable. Houses are
going down the river by the dozens
and people can be seen clinging to the
roofs. At Camptown, village Of sever
al hundred inhabitants, the houses are
almost entirely covered, and a great
many dwellings at Blairsville are sub
merged.
Scarcely dwelling in the vicinity oi
Sang Hollow can be seen. The bridges
at Bolivar and Minerva, it is reported,
have given away, and that at salesbnrgi
it is feared, will be carried away.
People here who have friends IN the
flooded district are eagerly waiting fol
news at the telegraph office. Great un.
easiness prevails. The river at Liver
more is rising, and great destruction
will follow.
"A
In order to understand the nature oi
this calamity it is necessary to describe
the respective localities of the reservoirs.
The Johnstown reservoir lies about
eighteen miles northeast Of Johnstowni
and is the site OF on old reservoir, which
was one OF the feeders of the Pennsyl'
vania car.al. This sheet Of water was
formerly known as Conemaugh lake
1t is from 200 to 300 feet above the leveI
OF Johnstown, being in the mountains
1t is about three and half miles long
and from mile to one and quarter in
width, and in some places it is 100 feet
in depth. 1t holds more water than any
other reservoir, natural or artificial, il
the United States. The lake has beer
quadruped in size by artificial means
and it was held in check by dam 700 tt
1000 feet wide. 1t is ninety feet il
thickness at the base, and the height IL
4 ITO feet. The top has breadth of oyel
twenty feet.
EIGHTEEN MILES or DEs0LATIoN.
The course Of the torrent from th'