Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-06-13
THE VALLEY OF DEATH.
WOE WROUGHT ny THE WRATH
OF WATERS AND FIRE.
The Death Roll Of the Fated Conc
masgh Valley. as Now Esti.
mated. May Very Likely
Foot Up 10000.

4 Sudden frcshrl is reported in the Nortl
Fork River. east of .luhuaiown. IA. in tn
Allegheny Mountains The food has resulte,
in an awful catastrophe The North ForL
reservoir. above the town broke. aud tn,
immense volume of water rushed down To III,
city. carrying with il death aud destruction
Houses with their occupants we're swept
awsy, and scores. probably thousands. o
people we're drowned.
As further Information concerning the dis
aster in Western Pennsylvania becomes more
and mnrr precise. it does nut lbatt one tittle
of lis horror Rather it adds 10 il Not
only do the scenes which are described appear
all tile more dreadful rs is atnrili the carer
they are brought TO the imagination but il
seems only too probable that the liunl reck.
onng in loss of life aud material wealth win
/ prove far more stupeudous than has even yet
been supposed
l The very greatness OF the destruction pre-.
vents the possibility Of an areiirate estimate
Beneath the eliasily ruins OF the once happy
! towns and villages along the pathway OF the
deluge. who shall say how many victims lie
I bufiedf Amid the rocks and woods that
border the broad track of the waters. whu
shall say how many more lie bruised aud
mnngied aud nnrecugnizable wc,lgrd between
powders, or massed amid debris and rubbish
or hidden beneath The lirapeI np deposits Of
earth, and whether all Of them shall ever bs
found and given the last touching iiies7
Already the air Of the little valley. which
a few days ago was smiling with all the health
of nature and the conieniment Of industri.
ousman, is waxing pcs;ilcruus with the awful
oder Of deeaying human bodies Buzzards,
invited 10y their disgusting instinct gather
for promised feast. and SIT aud glover on
neighboring perchcs or else circle round and
round in the blue empyietn over the luca-
tiOn of nnfricndcd corpsls known unly 10
their Keen sense OF smell or @isiou
To say that lohnstowu is a wreck is but
stating The fnris Of the ease. Nothing like IL
wns ever seen in this country Where long
rows OF dwelling houses and business blocks
stood lew days ago. ruin aud desc.
lation nov nrigi supreme Probably fifteen
hurdrd houses have h,rH swept from the
face OF the earth rs compici els as il they had
never lsTu erected
Main street FROM end 10 end is piled fifteen
and twenty feet high with lrltfis aud In some
Instances u Is as high Us The roofs of the
houses This great MASS Of steckage fills
the ST reef nom curb Ca curb, and frequently
has crushed The buildings ia nnal filled the
space of the remainder, adding iirw terrors to
the calamity There is not man ia the place
who can give any reliable estimate Of the
number al houses that had beea swept away
City Solicitor kurhn. who should be very
good authority ~ this matter. plnr-. the
number nj iillref hundred.
Ffom lie woullrn mill nliuve the island 10
the bridge. distnnceo f probably two miles,
n strip Of territory nearly half milein width
has laen swept clean, not stick o timber I
nor one brick ON top of another /
left To tell the story. II is the /
most complete wreck that Imagination /
could portray. Al day hong men, women
and children we're plodding about tie desc /
late waste looking in vain 10 locate the /
boundaries of their former homes Nothing
but a wide rxpanse of mud ofnansnted here I
aud there with heal s Of DRIFT WOOD remained
howcsef iot their contemplation
IL is perfectly safe TO saY TINT everys LOuss
IN the city that was not located well 40 un
the hillside was either swept completely away
or wrecked 50 badly thni rebuilding gill h.
absolutely necessary.
Here aud hire bodies cun be seen sticking
in the ruins. Some of the most prominent
citizens are 10 be seen working with might
and main 10 get al the rrmuius OF relatives
whom tliey have lurated There j. no doubt
that Wild a. the cstiiuutrs OF the loss 81 life
and damage Ia property have beeu. il is
even larger than iliorc Is any idea uf Close
on 60 1000 residences lie ia kidding wood
at the lower end uf the town An idea of thr
sccentricity Of the Hood may Ice gathered
from the fact that houses that serp situated
at Woodvale aud points above Johnstowu
are piled mt the lower end 81 the town. while
some massive houses have l,-tu lifted aud
carried from the lower end as far as the ertn-
stcry at the extreme upppr portion 81 the
town. an through he ruins nie scattered
The most costly furaiture aud siuf. goods OF
al kinds.
number OF Hungnrians collected about
; number OF bodies at Cnnbria which had
been washed up aud began riiling he trunks
A lter they had secured all the contents they
turned their attention To the dead The
shnstly spectacle presented hy "a. distorted
eatufes OF thusr who had itsi their lives
Turing he food had no iuiluenf- upon the
yhouls who acted more like wiid beasts than
iuman ieiags They look every article from
he clothing on ho dead bodies not leaving
anything uf value or nnytiiiug that would
'erve Ia identity the irmnins Ai,rr fhe mis-.
,rennts had removed all tiirir plumber To
Try ground dispute aToss over division
Of the spoiis. pitched battle followed aud
or "a time the situation was alsftning Knives
Ind club, were used freely As result sew
raj of the cnuibatanis we're seriously
wounded and left un the ground their fellow
not making any Attempt Ia
enlove them from the ield oi strife fhey
ave just hung nnn over ncur the ruilfond
@ he telegraph ppc iar cutting the finger
VI Of dead wonlan Us ur'lcr In g,'t a mig.
Just as the shadows began to iat mp
IN III. eaith psuty of thirteen Hun.
.arian- were noticed siraltl,ilY lirking their
Vny along the banks OF the Con-maugh.
oward Sang iloilow Suspicious of their
~: ,Inse several farmers armed themselves
md started 10 pursuit Saon their must
lorribie fears reaisged Tile llungnri
ms ~erc out inr ilnn,lrr Lying upon the
iorr hey came upon the dead and m9nglcd
'ody 81 Nnnnn npon whose perSun there
Vere a nuinberuf tiiukeis Of irwety and two
diamond rings In thrir ea.erncss 10 -ecurs
he plumber the Hungariaus got iuio a
quali5ir during Whici, one 81 the number
everest the finger nrou which were he rings
md stat ted on ran with his fearful prize
The Tes"'iina nature Of The d,ssl 80 wrought
pon the pursuing farmers. Win hy this time
gere close n; band, that they gave immetii-
lie CHASE some of tie ilungarianS showed
glIt. hut i.rine ouinumhcr,d xefe compelled
o lce Tor their lives Nine Of the hfiris-~ IS.
apcd. bat 'nnT we're literally driecu ints b.
urfriuar fir yer arli "a Their death