The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1889-06-07
Millions OF Dollars Worth OF
Lumber Swept Away.
The Tidewater Canal Seriously Injured
GREAT LOSS AT PORT DEPOSIT
Freshets in Various Places.

The flood last Friday will long be remembered rs
one OF the most disastrous ever experienced in the
Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, West Virginia
Maryland and Delaware The Susquehanna, the
SanSSab A EPeps tSar Ssr ana S6en
some loss OF life and the carrying away OF millions
OF dollars worth OF property. The browning disaS
ter, however, was at lohnstOwn, Pa, where by the
bursting of lake and reservoir the entire city was
flooded and from 5000 to IL 600 persons were swept
away by an angry, resistless food. YOUNGSTOWN il
situated IN Cambria county, Pa, on the Western,
slope Of the Alleghanies, 70 miles east OF Pttsburg
1t contained about % 900 inhabitants.
Conemaugh lake and reservoir was fourteen miles
above JohnstOwn. The sheet of water was situated
In the mountains from 200 to 800 feet above the
one TO one and aqlarter miles in width and in some
places said 10 be 100 feet deep. The lake was held
in check by dam 30 feet thick at the base 20 feet
at the top and 10 feet in height. The heavy and
continuous rains Of Friday Sweed the water to an
unprecedented height and the barrier, although
immense. was too weak to resist the pressure and
the dam burst, the water rushing down Il narrow
valley upon the Inflated city. Four miles below
the dam and ten miles above Johnstown lay the
Three aHs below EA ihis WAS PSnera POINT With
100 inhabitants, mostly wOrkingmen. Ten miles
below VI The LAKE was Gonemaugh, containing 1900
town proper. Between the two places there was a
string OF houses, in which about 5000 workngmen
had their homes. All of these places shared in the
general and appalling disaster. The water began
pouring into JOhnstOwn about O'Clock Friday and
the full volume struck 1t little later and not till
then was the extent Of the danger appreciated
Those who had time fled To the high grounds, but
hundreds OF people were caught IN the flats and
were buried beneath falling walls or were washed
| away in their lrail frame houses, which were soon
torn TO pieces IN the fierce tide or wrecked against
ed and piled up To great height.
BY the oyrrlllrng OF Stove III one OF the houses
which had lodged against the bridge the wreckage
caught fire. There were crowds OF men, women
and children Oh the wreck, whose pitful cries for
help added 10 the general horror. They were liter
ally roasted in the midst Of the flood. Fifty peo-
Ntarp a sI.anlN Il
and the living and the dead were swept away be-
meath the bridge into the dark flood of waters The
number or the names Of those who persisted in this
awful catastrophe will probably never be positive
" known, but IT probably amounted TO thousands.
Two railroad trains stopped side by side at Cone
maugh Friday night. The conductor of one of
them says he saw rushing down the river what
looked like wall of wateG thirty feet high. The
tI'rnErrS We're notiiled ana nearly all fled up the
is not known how many persons were drowned
ON Monday 100 bodies, recovered from the flood.
W"r" IIhtE III Youngstown and many had already
been buried. Active measures were taken in the
large cities Tor the relief OF the homeless and desi-
tliC people.
Jp 10 Wednesday 1890 bodies had been recovered.
As the waters subsidized body after body was found
partly buried IN the mud along the banks of the
hN" not come to light, have found final resting
place from earth S cares and SurrowS Hospitals
have been formed whichare full OF suffering heart
sick people
The larger portion of ,IOhnstown was swept
entirely away, The streets were oblicratcd, and
places where their once happy homes had stood
The houses from four square miles are piled in
SlNlS acres OF wreCklge, and hundreds Of human
| bodies are lodged i'll the ruins OF their homes
Everywhere there is ruin and dcSolatiOn Cone
maugh being Ncrltabc valley of DEATH Tie
| sights and sounds are hcart-rcndiug- Rachel
weeping Tor her children and refusing to be com
iOrtcd because they are not"
ROBBERY OFTuEDEAD.
An additional horror was given to the scene by
the robbery OF the dead by "A number of Hmgar-
ianS who IN their haste to secure puIdpr cut on
the fingers and pieces of the ears OF dead women
| for the sake Of the iewelry they wore. Some of
| these DrUtcS were Ovcrta<en and driven to their
death IN the river and others were hanged. They
deserved their fate.
THE FLOOD IN THE POTOMAC
The Potomac river was higher than any one liy-
ing has ever known II TO be. The Chesapeake and
ONO Canal is badly damaged and much property
was destroyed along the river front in Washington
1t was necessary To use boats to reach the Bati-
more and Potomac depot and travel on the road
Was interrupted
Tile Shenandoah railroad bridge at IIarpers
Ferry was swept away and the Potomac river
bridge was only saved by being held down by loaded
cars. Three men We're drowned at Harpcr's Ferry
There WAS much damage to crops in Frederick
and Carroll counties. Md.
The loss In Petersburg. Va by the food in the
AppOmattuN is estimated at S2e6,OOO.
a fr"Shct also occurred in James river and its
tributaries bridges houses, fences and crops being
swept away clear through TO the Chesapeake bay