Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-06-01

The Chicago and New York day ex-
press and all the other eastbound trains
are supposed to be laid up between Cres-
son and Pittsburg
When Pugh was shown a copy OF the
Associated Press dispatch from Pittsburg
announcing the breaking of the dam
near Johnstown, he said that this report
confirmed dispatch received from Will
more tonight, which stated that it had
been reported to the Pennsylvania Rail-
road operator there that the South Fork
dam had broken, and that the water had
carried away the telegraph tower at the
South Fork station, and also portion of
the eastbound freight train. The tele-
graph operator who was in the tower
managed to escape, but several of the
train hands are reported drowned.
THE DAM OR RESERVOIR.
The reservoir, or dam, at South Fork.
which is said to have burst with such
terrible results, is described by gentle
man acquainted with the locality in
which it was situated, as for the use OF
the old Pennsylvania Canal. 1t has been
owned for several years by number OF
Pittsburg gentlemen, who used it as
fishing ground. The gentlemen who
gave this information said that if the
report of the bursting Of the dam was
true, he had no doubt that the damage
and loss of life were fully as great as in"
dicated in the dispatches.
The conductor of the east-bound limited
express who reported the safety OF his
train, also said that a report had reached
him of the breaking of the dam. Gen
eral Manager Pugh said tonight that he
could not understand what was ment
when he received the dispatches an
nouncing damage to the tracks at Lilly'ss
ON THE WAY TO THE SCENE.
BRADDocK, Pa, May 31.-[En route
to the scene of the disaster The
telegraph wires being down, abso-
lutetv, for elk or seven miles below
the immediate scene of the disaster, and
being in unworkable shape for three OF
four miles distant, it was 7:30 O'Clock
before anything like an accurate outline
of the effect of the tidal wave could be
learned. The chief officials of the Pitts
burg end of the main line of the
Pennsylvania Railroad received most of
their first information from the signal
tower at Sandy Hollow, six miles west of
Johnstown.
WAIF FROM THE WATERS.
At 7:45 o'clock a boy was rescued by
the men in the signal tower of the Rail-
road Company. His name is unknown,
but he said that with his father, mother,
over the breast of the new stone railroad
few seconds later and they were all
drowned 30 far as he could tell.
DRIFTING WITH THE FLOOD.
The railroad operators officially report
that before dark they were able to count
1l9 persons clinging to buildings and
wreckage or drowned and floating in the
current. If this information is to be
credited, the damage in the town proper
must be in the nature of
A CLEAN SWEEP.
AS early as l O'Clock an alarm was sent
to Johnstown that there was danger
from the dam. The railroad officials
were notified, and in very short time it
began to carry the people from the town
to places of safety on the regular trains
and on hastily improvised rescuing
trains. Superintendent Pitcairn, of the
the Western Division OF the Pennsylvania
Railroad, was on his way to South Fork,
and was notified of the impending
| trouble.
| AN UNPARALLELED DISASTER.
"Such thing has never been heard of
| BEFORE" said he, tonight, "and nothing
short of waterspout could have caused
such damage Lilly's is little mining
town of about 800 or 400 inhabitants.
For the water to rise high enough to OBJ
struct the passage of trains is unprece-
dented.
NOTHING BUT wATERSPoUT.
A dispatch just received by me, says
that the water is rushing over the tracks
at height of at least five feet above the
rosdbed, and this, say, could be brought
about by nothing short of waterspout.
| have no doubt If our operator at Sandy
Hollow said he saw bodies from Johns
town floating down the river, as reported
in the Associated Press bulletin, that it
is true, as his tower is located right on
| the bank of the river.
RIVERS ON THE RAMPAGE.
HUNTINGTON, Pa, May 31.-The inces-
SAINT rain during the past seventy-two
hours has overfowed the streams to an
unusual degree, to-day's downpour being
the heaviest known. In consequence of
the washing away OF the Hyndman
bridge on the Bedford branch of the
Pennsylvania railroad and the under
mining OF the railroad bridge at
Dallas, Bedford was to-day cut off
from intercourse with the outside world
and is likely to remain 80 for several
days. The rise in Paystown branch at
Everett is 30 great tonight as to sub
merge the principal streets, compelling
many families to desert their dwellings.
The Juniata river here is made pictur-
esque with floating out buildings, tim
ber, uprooted trees, and remnants of
destroyed farm buildings, with here and
there the carcasses Of horses and cattle.
Ten families in Portston, a suburb of
this town, were driven from their homes
this evening, and much of their house.
told goods was washed away. The
growing grain in the immediate vicinity
of Huntington is nearly all destroyed,
and it is feared that this will be the re-
suit all over the county.
ESTIMATED LOSS OF LIFE.
BOLIVAR, Pa, May 31.-A courier from,
the scene of the food near Johnstown
reports that the loss Of life will reach
1900.
FEARS OF FURTHER DAMAGE.
VILLA MsPoAT, Pa. May 31.-Reports
at 10 o'clock tonight are from points up
the river. At Clearfeld the water is
considerably higher than in 1885. Two
or three bridges have been carried away,
and there are fears for the safety of the
boom at Lockhaven. A large force. OF