Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-06-07
A HORROR UNPkEOLDENr.D.
FROM 5000 TO 10000 LIVES
LOST BY FLOOD AND
FIRE.
Over Sis, 900. 600 Worth Of Property
Lost.
The Horrors Of thu Disaster Accumulate
as Facts Come Ia.

| floating about in every direction, and al
most every piece Of movable timber car
| ried from the doomed city IA corpse of hu-
manity. The disaster overlook Johns.own
about six o CLOCK in the evening and il is
estimated that 1900 persons in this place
were drowned. AS the tr lin bearing the
special correspondents sped eastward the
reports at each stop grew more appalling.
AT Derry group OF railroad officials were
gathered who had come from Bolivar, the
end OF the passable portion of tho road
westward. They had seen but small
portion OF the awful flood, but enough 10
allow them 10 imagine the rest. Down
through the Packsaddle came the rushing
waters. The wooded nights OF the Allie
ghenles looked down in solemn wonder at
the scene OF the most terrible destruction
that ever struck the romantic valley OF
Conemaugh.
Cfinging to improvised RATS constructed
in the death battle from floating boards
and timbers were agonized men, women
and children, their heartrendinR shrieks
for help striking horror to the breasts of
the onlOokers. Their cries were Of no avail
Carried along at a railway speed on the
breast of this rushing torrent, no human
ingenuity could devise a means of rescue,
With pallid cheek and hair clinging wet
and damp to her cheek, mother was seen
grasping H. ating timber, while with her
other arm she held her babe.
The greatest excitement prevailed at
Bolivar and parties of citizens were On
deavoring 10 save the poor uncertainties
that were being hurled into eternity on the
rushing torrent. The tidal wave struck
Bolivar just after dark and in five minutes
the Conemaugh rose from six To forty feet
and the waters spread out over the whole
country. The houses began floating down,
and clinging TO the debris were men, women
and children shreling for aid. A large
number OF citizens at once gathered on the
county bridge and they were reinforced by
a number from Garfield, a town on the OPP
posite side. They brought number of
ropes and these were thrown over into the
boiling waters as persons Iioated by in eff.
forts 10 save some poor beings. For half
hour all efforts were fruitless, until at last
when rescuers were giving up all hopes a
little toy astride single roof managed to
catch hold Of one of the ropes. He caught
it under his left arm and was thrown VIC
lently against an abutment but managed
10 keep hold and was pulled on 10 the
bridge amid the cheers of the lockers on.
The boys name is Edward Hesser, aged
IL
The towns Of Livermore, Salisbury,
Apollo, Leechburg and Arenmore were also
In the track of the deuge, and at eacn of
these places the loss of life is something
terrible, hundreds Of homes swept away,
and the destruction 10 property in the path
Of the food awful TO contemplate.
WORSE AND WORSE.
The first accounts of the JohnstoWn dis.
aster are far below the widest estimates
placed upon the extent of the calamity and
instead of 1000 or 1900, it is probable the
death list will reach 5000, many say TO-
600. The property loss may reach Sl5, 900,
900. 1t Is now known that two passenger
trains, two sections of day express on the
Pennsylvania railroad have been thrown
into the maddened torrent and the passen.
gers drowned These trains were held at
kNFiH af
were laying on siding between the Johns
town and Conemaugh stations. The awful
torrent came down the narrow detile be-
tween the mountains, distance of nine
miles and with fall or 800 feet in that
distance, sweeping away the village of
South Fork, Mineral Point, Woodvale and
CQpemaugh, leaving but one building
standing and wooden mill, where but an
hour before had stood hundreds, and dash
ing on with the roar of cataract and with
the speed Of the wind upon the fair city at
the foot hills. The plane on which but
yesterday sat Johnstown, sits IN the noun
tain like jewel in the queens diadem
The gTclt Gautier steel works sat
Oh this plane and the city
below il, the railroad tracks bounding it at
the base OF the mountains on the north.
Here is where the trains were standing
when tide of water like a catapult came
down upon them with such resistless force
that the heavy trains, locomotives, Pull
mans and all, were overturned and swept
down the torrent and were lodged against
the great stone yiaduct along with forty
one locomotives from the Johnstown round
house, the heavy machinery and ponderous
framework of the Gautier mill, the accumu-
lated debris of more than thousand houses
furniture, bridges, lumber, drift and human
beings. The low arches OF the stone via
duct choked up Immediately aud the water
backed over the entire level of the valley
tt.lip oh % a. n hs of
what, from the water marks, indicate about
thirty eight feet In the great sea thus
formed hundreds, perhaps thousands, were
struggling for life. The scene was one OF
the most narrowing possible for the imagin
alton of man TO conceive. The accumulated
drift gorged up at the viaduct TO IA hight
of forty feet and then took fire
from the upsetting Of stoves or lamps.
Then were strong man made sick az the
sight. AS the flames cracked and roared
among the dry timber of the floating houses,
human bodies were seen pinioned between
the house roofs, locomotives, iron beams,
freight, passenger, Pullman and baggage
cars, heavy iron beams, the greedy flames
licking with haste their diet of human
flesh. The scene was horrible beyond dos
cription. From infancy, few days old, TO
the wasted figures Of age, were burned be
fore the eyes of the beholders, and no res
cue from such fate was possible. Strong
men turned away with agonized expires
slons and women shrieked at the horror OF
the scene The dead has been computed At
not less than 1900, and the number may
even exceed this estimate. This seems in
credible but until the waters will have
abatcd and the work of removing the dead
from this tremendous mass 1t will be i'm
possible to tell how many lives have been
lost.
The Associated Press correspondent was
the first man 10 cross 10 Johnstowu proper
by means of a basket suspended from
cable, as passengers are removed from
wrecked ships Here the scenes were
magnified in their horror
Cinder. Market, Main and Washington
streets are swept clean and all buildings of
whatev character and their inhabitants
seem TO have fed into tue streets at the
first warning Of danger, and others rushed
TO their deaths, for those who remained in
their homes had an opportunity 10 flee To
the upper stories. When the houses were
frame they were foated from their fouuda-
tions and many were saved. The Hotel
! Hubert. brick structure, had 80
/ guests. and % OF these were killed by the
/ falling In OF the hoors and walls. The
Morell library, the school house, Alma
/ HAL, general stores and offices OF the iron
| company and one other brick building are
/ all Of probably 1000 buildings that have