The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-06-06

nearest the river was demolished. It's
locomotive is gone entirely, perhaps. be-
cause the other train acted as sort OF
buffer for the second one. The latter has
twenty-five on thirty cars that are unin-
Jured. Apparently they could move on as
soon as that wonderful locomotive, No.
1909, that stands with steam up at their
head, gets ready TO pull cat. A second
many places. literally washed from beneath
the cars. Some Of the trucks, also, are
turned half way around and standing with
wheels across the track. But the force
cars themselves unharmed. They were
loaded with dressed beef and provisions
They have been emptied TO supply the hun
CRY in Johnstown.
In front of engine No. 1909 the water
played some of its most fantastic tricks
with the rails. The debris Of trees, logs
and planks and every description of wreck
age is heaped up in front OF the engine to
the headlight, and is packed in so tightly
worked all day without clearing it all
away. The track is absolutely gone from
the front of the engine clear up TO beyond
Conemaugh. Parts of it lie about every
where. twisted, turned upside down. stacked
crosswise. one piece above another, and in
one place a section of the left track has
been lifted clear over the right track, runs
along there for ways, then twists into its
proper place.
ENeu stranger are Tue tIlckS tue WateI
has played with the rails where they have
been TORTOISE from the ties. The rails are
of steel. and of the heaviest weight used
They were twisted as willow boughs In
spring freshet in a country brook. One rail
lies in the sand in the shape of letter IS"
More are broken squarely In two. Many
are broken within q few feet of fish-plato
coupling them to the next rail- and the irag-
ments are still united to the plates. Natural
law would seem to show that the first place
w haVa al "
joint.
There is little to indicate the late pres
ence of a railroad from here TO the upper
part of the Conemaugh. The little plain
which stood the bulk of the town, is wiped
out There is not the slightest indication
that the center of the plain was any thing
but fo0d-washed gulch in some mountain
collection of ruined railroad equipment:
Three trains stood there when the flood
swept down the valley. On the outside was
a Dbcal passenger witk three cars and
lOsometiys It stands ss there the1s yet the the
track, but comparatively unInjured.
Somehow a couple more locomotives
have been run into the sand-bauk in front
A freight train stood on the track whereon
a large collection of smashed cars has its
place now. 1t was broken all to pieces.
Inside of all was the day express, with its
baggage and express cars. and at the end
three yestibule cars. 1t was from this
train that number of passengers. fifteen
more, were lost. When the alarm came
most of the passengers fed for the high
ground. Many reached it; Others hesitated
on the way, tried to run back and were
lost. Others STAYED on the cars and after
the first rush of tn flood were rescued alive.
Some of the freight cars were loaded with
lime, and these leaped over the vestibule
and, set on fire by the water, quickly had
the cars blazing. Three of the vestibule
cars burned down to the trucks. These
and the peculiar iron frames of the vesti-
bules are all that show where the cars
stood.
The reason why the three trains were not
s destroyed drsn entirely s se% i pPps to be
house. filed with engines. 1t was
large building and probably
forty feet high to the tops Of the ysntlla-
witnesses say, was SO high that these yenti-
latOrs wero beneath it. The round house
was swept away to its very foundation.
and the Hood played iack-straws with the
part of it went down each side of the trains.
saving them from the worst of it's force.
Thirty-three locomotives were In and
around the round-house and the repair
shops near. Of these twenty-six have been
found. or, at least. traced, part of them
being found scattered down into Johns
town, and one tender was found in Stony
creek. The other seven locomotives are
gone; not trace of them has been found
up to this time. 1t is supposed that some
of them are in the sixty acres of debris at
Johnstown, above the bridge. All the
locomotives that remain anywhere within
sight Of the round-house, all except those
attached to the trains, are thrown about
in every direction, smashed, broken and
useless, but for old iron. The tenders are
all gone. Being lighter than the locomo-
quickly carried away. The engines were
apparently rolled over and over in which
ever direction ran the current which had
hold of them, and occasionally were picked
up or whichever way chanced to be most
convenient to the food. Most of them lie
in five feet of sand and gravel with only q
part showing above the surface; some are
| out in the bed of the river