News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-06-06
APPALLING DISASTER!
ASweeping Freshet in Pennsylvania
THOUSANDS OF LIVES LOST
TO W.N,S .AND VILLAGES
.4.N.NTHIL.ATED.
$50, OO0,O 900 Of Property Destroyed.

whelming disaster that ever befell a
people of the English race was caused
by the floods and freshets in Penn
sylvania last Friday afternoon. VII
lagos and towns were swept away in
short time and thousands of lives
lost-the exact number not yet being
known, but not fewer than 5000 and
perhaps 10000. The flood of death
which swept down the Allegheny
mountains that afternoon. and over
whelmed the city of Johnstown and
many smaller villages, was the most
appalling catastrophe that has ever
afflicted this country. We have not
space to give a full account of this
terrible disaster. No man, nor any
corps of men, with every faculty that
can be devised, will ever be able to
write story that shall fully tell of the
awful visitation that has made the
valley one vast charnel house 20 miles
long and half mile wide, and that
has stained the bright mountain stream
color that not all the water that can
flow between now and eternity can
ever wash out.
Johnstown is situated about thirty
nine miles west of Altoona and sew
enty-eight miles east of Pittsburgh,
and had between $4,000 and 10000
inhabitants. A short distance away
in the Allegheny mountains, at a level
of about 800 feet higher than the
site of Johnstown, was Conemaugh
lake, whose size had been greatly in
creased by artificial means. The
length was three and one-half miles,
and the width a mile and quarter in
one place, and in some spots there
was depth of 100 feet. The waters
were held in check by an immense
dam ninety feet in thickness at the
base and with height of ITO feet.
1t appears that the owners of the
lake had the utmost confidence in the
strength of the restraining barrier.
Heavy rains for forty-eight hours
had deluged western Pennsylvania and
turned the mountain streams into
angry torrents. Enormous volumns
of water poured down every hillside.
The confidence felt in the stability of
the dam was shaken, and warning was
given to the residents in the valley
below of impending peril. Many
took heed and sought places of safety.
But the calamity came so quickly that
the great majority of the people were
unprepared. 1t was a terrible awak-
ening from dreams of security. Down
the river, in mad, wild rush, came
vast body of water like an enormous
tidal wave sweeping everything before
it. The dam had given way, letting |
loose this large body of water, which
swept in a mass twenty or twenty-five |
feet high down the declivity through
.he valley, overwhelming bridges,
actories, mills, public buildings, pri-
rate residences and the luckless in
labitants who had not fed, in most
lwful whirl of destruction and death.
The story of the disaster at Johns
own has not been half told yet, and it
will be some time before the full extent
If the loss of life can be found out.
Every hour increases the list of dead,
until now it reaches fully 5000. The
portion of the population suf-
fered most, judging from the number
of women and children found in the
swamps of Ninevah. In 10 acre
ield rs bodies were taken out. Of
his number only five were men, the
balance were women and children.
There is scarcely frame house left
in Johnstown. There is only one
frame house standing in Cambria city.
Every house is said to have been
washed away in Conemaugh and Nor
At Johnstown over 800 |
frame houses were jammed together
in heap 40 feet high against the
viaduct of the Pennsylvania
road at Johnstown. All the houses
were destroyed. Many of the in
mates were crushed to death before
the terrible fire began. 1t is thought
nearly 1000 people were burned to
death. Floating down the stream
could be seer hundreds of charred
bodies. In the crushed buildings
which came together scores of pin
oned people begged piteously to be
shot, as they could endure the suffer-
ng no longer. Others were literally
all smashed and squeezed to death
beneath the grinding timbers and
;urging waters.
The first of the villages which the
iood struck was 10 miles above Johns
own borough and on the fats made
)y the junction of q small creek with
Jonemaugh creek. This village was
entirely by workingmen who
ived on the flats in tenements. 1t
vas known as South Fork. 1t had a
population of about 400. Three
niles below South Fork was Mineral
Point, a cluster of workingmen's
ouses about half the size. Neither l
f these towns was part of Johnstown.
;onemaugh was the largest village on |
be creek between the reservoir and
ohnstown. Part of the Cambria Iron
Z Steel Cos works are at Conemaugh, {
nd 5000 or 5000 of the workiDgmen :
nd their families lived there. The i
FORKS of the Cambria company were e
trung along from here down into
ohnstown proper.
From Johnstown to Mineral point
over the Pennsylvania road-bed has :
cen completely swept away. For a
uarter of mile the road is uninjured,
hen comes another complete wreck to
point above South Fork. Twenty !,
even Pennsylvania railroad locomo- +
ives and an unknown number of t
9th freight cars and passenger t
caches are lying in the river bed,
nder the debris of Johnstown, at the ;
tone bridge. The towns of Wood t
lille and Conemaugh borough, above $
ohnstown, are swept as clearly off :
be face of the earth as if they never :
adj an existence. OF Woodville's a
opulation of 1900 souls, barely half C
dozen have been accounted for. |
Yet another horror incident to the T
isaster is to be chronicled. Johns '
OWN like most places in this part of
ennsylvania, largely depends upon l.
atural gas for heat and light. Il
he rush of waters has dlsarranged
he natural gas pipes, and the COM il
ustible fluid, pouring forth in great h
dunn, ignited and fired the debris, Il
uTninQ the wrecks of houses. and in u