Telegram-herald., 1889-07-12
THE CLOUD-BURST.
IT'S Esogs ylCIIaS sgggER ElCaI.
ssssfal fefss@s sx~ssss fS4sss If eisi-
s~Tsty ess~ss4 Isks D4s4ss<s s@s tss
sss.t O4s a. J~Ass ~ . q. r~-fks
stsx4sss ksset Eis..Asrs.

JezSsEUss. n h. Jaly a. Tuesdays
Disaster develops f2oTs kgrrQfs e-cA 4-f
- sstx @nge cclagI1saes. - : t0sD II ths
sa4ss I4szs. gU1eT ala4oss lie sssls cifcuns-
stances, tas sila scsaes of tie nood ~ IAs
Censuaaaga q have besa rspsstsd Ab0tAsr
u.ad a4m bAs given S4y. another Tos
sTselr las oTokeh loSss aad another
ng.d h@s bsen seat dosn = x&i.sy
Essa TIE stons arch bridge rsagpsaGs &ad
Ysay. fstSi pAst Ia this second Jshnstowa
ssory Nothing is lacklug IA Tie -imiligads
except tAAt lhs l0Ss u ne Sad property IA
this oass ls Oaly an echo VI tie great
g01nsto~n disaster. aud In t1ls case
there is al extraordinary phsnoue
ron Of Raiars. The clouds came
together a. goEnstOen a. ) o'clock
Tuesday afternoon IS they met they
burst, and al ocean " water fell from
them Added - the waters rTom the dams
II lad washed Away Il seat Hood through
the little valley of the CayadattA Seven
" I've persons were washed away. light
persons ~sgs killed; Immense amount
ot property was destroyed, AZ railroad
traffic = as suspended
Tuesday y ~ an excessively hot day in
JObustown At o clock II was 100 degrees
In the shade Suddenly at half past the
tao clouds had quickly appeared ia
the almost clear sAy. The two clouds
were seen at O'clock To circle
around each other for a few minutes and
then swept together with q deafening cr ash
OF thunder. The place where they met Is
half barren knoll, three miles and a half
northeast Of Johnstown Persons who
were watching the phenomenon say 1t
was like a dam burst In the sky on as
though the bottom had fallen out of an
aerial reservoir. The water came down,
not in drops. but fell IN mass
like a solid body At the knoll IL drove
trees into the earth, nattened out a space
clear of vegetation, and left other evidences
OF great pressure. The united clouds
swept over the hills through a part OF
Johnstown and down the valley Of the No
hawk, where they spent their force. All
the streams that dow through and center
In Johnstown became roaring foods
The trst bridge across the Cayadutta In
Johnstown is u solid stone arch structure,
called the Perry street bridge. just above IL
was one OF the dams. Water Was pouring
over the dam at clock and through the
mill In d small Niagara The towns-pe
pie gathered IN thfongs 20 Bee the strange
spectacle. Twenty live or thirty OF
them stood on the stone arch bridge,
under which the water was tearing and boil
Ing In a food clear headed policeman
who stood ia the crowd saw that the bridge
was shaking and trembling. lie ordered
the people 10 get of, aud when they would
not go he started to drive them with his
CLUB. Just then the thing happened
that he and some others had fore
seen The wall OF the NcVane dam
broke IL let all the imprisoned water
down upon the dam at Hollis Mills just be-
low and tossed that clean ont of the way.
Then the solid wall OF water came down
the valley. shot Is straight Us can
non ball for the dam az Hulls, and piled
that and the rest OF the debris IL
had collected against the stone arch
bridge Half OF the old structure melted
away like snow. Before they had the
slightest hint OF what had come upon them
twenty five people who had been standing
on the bridge were struggling In the water.
They were swept in a second through the
ruins OF the bridges and fur down the
stream, cingiag TO timbers or dashed about
al the mercy OF the waters
The dam in front of the Perry street
bridge was ike the South Fork dam, not
much better than mound OF mud IL it
lost. As long as il lasted it turned the flood
and divided ii, so that u stream ran round
the side OF the mill aud then through a
sluiceway and across the street further
down The instant the dam broke IT let the
full force OF the flood down upon tho Hale
mill as well as on the bridge, aud away
went the mill, belterskelter. The big
ten-ton water wheel was sent flying
with the rect and left standing upon
end Parts OF tie milI and It's ma
ebinery and roof can be picked out
OF the mud all along the banks OF
the Caysdutta a hundred yards below
the Ferry street bridge the Hood struck the
Bridge street bridge 1t left nothing but
the abutments. little further along 1t
ran into the West State street bridge, Gn
iron structure, unusually strong. aud
sent it spinning Then 1t spread over
and around the Market street bridge
and left it whole, but dashed t. pieces
tive railroad bridges and three dams,
one after another. Securing the
town Il swung along tho valley, taking out
the only two bridges II could find, ard
finally hurled itself, yellow tide, into the
Mohawk The storm cloud did not follow
the valley OF the Cayadutta. down which
Il sent 20 big a food but went unexpected
ly In another direction II left o broad trail
OF accidents behind IT, 1t beat ali the
crops into the earth, knocked down trees
aud unroofed houses as IL moved down
from the bluff
Tuesday afternoon. during the heaviest
part OF tAe storm, Main and Dleecker streets
In Gloversvills were flooded with water
The new pavement IN B!eecker street was
torn np foT several bioekE a number o;
residences ia the upper psTt OF the town
are entirely surrounded BY water The
foundation walls OF new stone build
Ing now In course Of construction on
/ North Msia street. GlOVeTsyille. were
partly carried away Several small build
inxs are partially ruined, their foundation
being undermined Many Of the bridge
on country roads along the valley are gone
and some aeids of grain are partially GOV
cred ssh water The loss 70 property a
/ GlovsrzYuls vii probably be covered bl
f g. 20. Il Is quite hkely that ss.ooc wil
/ cover a. the damage wrought by tat
storm
Al sammonsviile. four miles below Johns
town the uster-v heel o. the big ulil "a
carried away bat no other damage "a
Gone At BeTryville = mile below Sam
uasnavilie. TIA dam at CiaBpsrs mill va
I washed away The general belief is ths
f the ho0d wss csHssd b. = cloud baTst aea
/ J0hnssowR. the tbeerT being confirmed a
F the fact that - usies mills tlIse aud
F haif niles up ths creek. 10 damage Ts
dCne the dsra 81 that place being al right
6aFxSsEvas Pa Jay I.-CBs Of ia
most destructive storms that ever eoourre'
ia -as section passed over tse Rortherl
er3 of tA@ cosntT Wednesday eveoiug
( Rsin fell in torrents and the creeks to
( M rs sroaad ovaraorsd. crep- = whs
hsv and osR being carried co
ths streams Everv hrfdgs On Pcs
creeks from Crab Tree % salts