The evening world., 1889-06-01

rushed to the bridges to give aid to those
who might float down OH the maddened scr.
but as the terrific food approached they
saw how f%ruitless would be their efforts and
how dangerous their attempt, and rushing
from the bridges would reach the shore Just
in time to see the structures rent and torn as
sunder, their ruins added to the floating
debris.
The struggles of the helpless victims In the
water were heart-rending in the extreme.
At Bolivar thel waters spread in Ave
minutes over the whole country, and houses
went floating down, men, women and chill
dren clinking to the debris, shrieking wildly
for aid.
The people of Garfield, on the opposite
side of the river. rushed TO the stone bridge
below the town with ropes, and these we're
thrown over into the boiling water in An
endeavor to save some poor beings.
But all efforts were ~fruitless until q lad
astride a shingle roof managed to catch q
dangling rope.
So swift was the speed of the torrent that
he was hurled violently against an abutment.
But he managed to retain his grip On the rope
and was hauled up on to the bridge.
He was John Hessler. and he related an
awful experience.
~ 10 yCulb jul, Nv "hb bpOhuluk
the day with his grandfather at Cambria
City.
There were also there Theodore, Edward
and John KNIT and John Kintz, jr.; Miss
Mary KNIT, Mrs. Mary Kintz, Miss Treacy
Kintz, Mrs. RIGA Smith. John Hirsh, four
children and the father and grandfather Of
young Aessler.
All were lost in the food.
''ShOrtlV aftar X o,nlnnk ~ cnN.a wanna
Hessler. there was o rush and roar of waters
and we heard screaming people outside. Our
home was en- the side hill and my father said
the water would not reach us.
THE houses further down were being
swept away, and we all went up into the
third story 1 was scared and 1 jumped upon
a bed. 1t was an old-fashloned bed. with big,
stout posts.
1.-THE water reached. that floor and kept
rising till my bed was afoat. My grand
father, my father, John Kintz and John
Hirsch climbed out of q window with Mary
and Mrs. Kintz, but / staid on the bed.
1t kept rising, and finally the big posts
were pushed through the ceiling. 1 crawled
out through one of the holes made that way
and got on the roof.
There 1 saw the men who got out of the
window on trees. Mary and Mrs. Kintz
must have drowned, and Miss Smith was also
drowned.
The water kept rising and the roof began
to float down OF the tide. 1 saw grandfather
and father. caught in the tree by the water,
covered over and drowned.
John Hirsh and the four children were
also drowned in a tree. My roof parted and
then I sailed away at awful speed. Live
bodies and corpses were all about me in the
water. l would hear somebody shrek in the
water and then see him disappear.
"All along people on shore tried to save
us. but they could do nothing, the water car
ried us along SO fast. Only a very few wore
saved"
A man named Young. living in YOUNGSTOWN.
fioated down the flood on a bit of loor. He
held two women in his arms.
At the upper bridge. Bolivar, a rope was
thrown to them. Young tried to grasp it
and hold fast to the women, one of whom
was his aged mother but he was jerked away
from them.
Then he bravely dropped the rope and fell
back upon the raft, again taking the women
in his arms.
A little further Town the frail raft hoated
toward the edge of the food. Young seized
the oyerhanging branches of q tree and had
succeeded. by Herculean efforts in placing
the women on the upper boughs of the tree.
when the heavy debris of a bridge came
down on the flood, struck the tree, tore it
from the ground and hurled it into the
water, drowning all three.
Young's heroism filled the minds of the
distracted spectators only a few moment to
give place to admiration for that of a mother
who, floating under the bridge on the roof of
a shed with her two little ones in her arms.
shook her head sadly when a rope was low
cred to her and chung more closely to her
babes.
The mothers sacrifice was averted at Coke
vile, a little further down, for all three were
rescued.
A little girl, kneeling. her hands clasped in
prayer, passed down on the torrent on a bit
of flooring.
There was q beatiic expression on the
white, frightened face as she passed on to
death a little further on. where her raft was
shattered against a tree.
To add to the horror ofthe flood. the debris
caught fire at Johnstown, and floating bon
fires illuminated the desolated valley.
U~nfortunates were compelled to leap from
their burning RATS into a death not Less sure
in the torrent. and their shrieks as they gave
up all nope were terrible to the ear.
1T WAS A VALLEY DEATH-TRAP.