The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-06-13


gap in the dam, but the whole length of that
basin, as it winds irregularly back among the
hills, is three miles, and all the water in that
area OF three miles by mile and a quarter
passed out through the gap in the dam and
poured itself upon the devoted valley below in
torrent 20 feet deep and 200 feet wide. Rush
ing through with velocity almost inconceiv-
able for so vast a mass, it took a full hour to
exhaust the reservoir, the tremendous pressure
from behind urging the flood on to its most
disastrous work. Something of the awful force
of the torrent can be seen on the land below
the dam. Formerly it was densely wooded
little valley, nearly straightaway for half a
mile. where it turned so abruptly to the right
as to make almost right angle. The creek,
| coming down through sluiceway and down the
mountain side, wandered in q crooked course
| through the bottom of the valley. just before
the turn it swept out good way toward the
| left, and made on the right bank long point
OF land. This point was very heavily wooded.
On the opposite bank was high bluff, covered
| with forest down to the waters edge For
| three-quarters of the distance from the dam to
the curve the formerly wooded flats are low,
| covered with gravel, coarse stone, and big
| rocks, ~ feet deep at the upper end and not
| less than 10 at any point The creek runs
through the 40-foot gap where the waste gates
| used to be, and through deep gully in the
| mass of gravel and stone There is no vestige
| curve begins. where formerly there was a
| bridge, the deposib of gravel is thin, but the
! heavily wooded point on the other side has dis
| appeared, and gravel 10 feet deep covers the
| spot. On the opposite bluff the trees have been
stripped away and the side of the hill torn out
| for 40-feet up, clear evidence of the terrible
| force of the torrent asnit whirled about the
| right-angled turn. The surface of the little
| half'mile valley suggests nothing more foreibly
| than that the system Of hydraulic mining used
IN the gold regions had been worked here for
long time. The debris is still of heavy rock
and gravel. THERE'S no light dirt in it. The
rush of waters carried with it everything but
the heaviest that it picked up. Many of what
have evidently been the largest and heaviest
rocks In the face of the dam lie broken into
fragments against some other rock upon which
they were hurled.
SCENES IN AND AROUND THE STRICKEN CRY
Notwithstanding the fact that the people all
over the country are responding generously
for the help of the needy citizens of the Cone
maugh Valley, great suffering still exists.
There is little or no food to be had, and cloth
ing and the other necessaries of life are very
short. Most of the people have lost everything
they possessed, and as communication has been
entirely cut off from the outside world suffer-
ing has been great. The relief corps, however,
are doing their utmost to forward provisions
and clothing, while tents and other army stores
have been forwarded by order of the Pres-
dent.
FINDING THE DEAD BODIES
Hundreds of willing hands are at work nm.
earthing the bodies, and from the aumber of