Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-06-07
THE GREAT FLOOD.
Johnstown's Horror.
5000 70 5000 LIVES LOST
Most Appalling Calamity In
American History.
FIRE AND FLOOD CLAIM THEIR VIC
TINS.
nigh WATER IN THE Potomac.

I
PAHANNoCK AND SHENANDOAH
RIVERS OVERFLOW, WITH DAM
AGE-OTHER INTERESTING IN
CIDRNTs OF THE GREAT FLOOD.
The great flood which swept through
the Conemaugh Valley in Pennsylvania
on Friday last, proves to be the most
horrible disaster Of the kind it has ever
been our duty to chronicle. The latest
information renders II probable that the
bursting Of Conemaugh lake and reser-
yoir. to which the calamity was largely
due, has resulted in the loss OF from TO-
600 to 1900 lives and in the destruction
Of many millions Of dollars worth oil
property. Hundreds Of people have been
left homeless and destitute, and active
measures for their relief have already
been inaugurated.
Fifteen thousand strangers crowded
the scene OF the disaster on Sunday, and
at this writing six hundred bodies have
been collected. Several vandals caught
removing jewelry from the dead bodies
OF women and children along the river
were hanged by indignant citizens.
Conemaugh lake and reservoir laid
fourteen miles above JohnstOwn. IL
was the property Of a number OF wealthy
gentlemen in Pittsburg. who constituted
a corporation called the South Fork Fish
ing and Hunting Club. The sheet of
water was situated in the mountains from
200 to 300 feet above the level OF johns
town, was three miles In length, from
one to one and a-quarter miles In width
and in some places said to be 100 feet
deep. The original lake had been quad
rupled in size by artificial means, and
was held in check by dam from 700 to
! 900 feet wide. The dam was % feet In
thickness at the base, with height OF
10 feet aud a breadth Of over 20 feet at
the top. The great body OF water In the
lake had been swollen by the continuous
rains, aud finally swept away the I'M
memse dam which had been built 10 re-
strain it and rushed in a mighty and
irresistible flood upon the country below
It. growing in volume and strength as 1t
Joined the Conemaugh creek and the
already swollen streams along which II
poured. The course Of the flood led II
most OF the way through narrow
V-shaped valley. -Four miles below the
dam and ten miles above Johnstown lay
the town of South Fork, at the junction
Of small stream with Concmaugh creek.
1t had a population Of about one thou
sand four hundred. Three miles below
South Fork wa- Mineral Point. cluster
of workingmen's houses about half the
size. Neither Of these towns was part
OF JohnstOwn. COnemaugh, ten miles
below the lake and four miles above
Johnstown, was the largest village on
the creek between the reservoir and
JoInstOwn. IL Is often spoken OF as
part OF Johnstown Station. The streets
OF the two towns ran into each other,
and the space between the two stations
was we'll built up along the creek. Part
Of the Cambria Iron and Steel Company's
works were at COnemangh, and five or
six thousand Of the worklngmen and
their families lived there.
Between Conemaughi and JohnstOwn
borough was string oftenements along
the river wich was called Woodvale.-
Possibly 5000 workmen lived In them.
Further down were Johnstown and its
cluster Of sister towns, Cambria City
and Conemaugh bopugh, with a total
population of about 10000. Johnstown
was in the sOuthwes part OF Cambria
county, at the forks where Stony creek
and Conemaugh creek form the Cone
maugh river. IL was on the Pennsyl-
yania Railroad, thify-hInc miles south
west OF Altoona, ana seventy-elght miles
east Of Pittsburg. The people of the
town were the employees Of the Cambria
Iron and Steel Company, their families
and small storekeepers. Three-quarters
OF the population lived In small frame
tenement houses On the flats by the river
around the works OF the Cambria Com
pany. The Cambria Company owns al
most all the land, and the business and
professional men andthe superintendents
Of the company lived on the hills away
up from the creeks, The creeks become
the Conemaugh river right at the end OF
the town, near where the big stone Penn
sylyania Railroad bridge crosses the
river.
For more than year, II Is said, there
had been fears Of disaster Of this char
acter. The foundations OF the dam we're
considered shaky early last spring, and
increasing leakages were reported from
time to time. The people, it Is stated,
were warned OF the break In time to
have made their escape, but the warning
was not generally regarded. The water
began pouring into Johnstown about
one O'Clock Friday and the fun violence
struck it little later, and not till then
was the extent OF the danger appreciated.
Those who had time fed to the high
grounds, but hundreds Of people were
caught in the flats and were buried be-
meath falling walls or were washed away
IN their kraIl frame houses, which were
soon torn to pieces IN the fierce tide or
wrecked against the railroad bridge,
where much Of the debris lodged and
piled up to a great height.
The most awful elimination OF the aw-
iul night was the roasting Of hundred
or more persons In midhOod. The ruin
Of houses, old buildings and other strue-
lures which sWept against the rail fOad