Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-06-15

iuS Oh ores WAS Deguu near JOAnS10Wn
These were primitive furnaces, where
charcoal was the only fuel employed, ant
the raw material and product were trans
ported entirely on wagons. but they
marked the beginning of the manufac
ture OF iron in this country.
Three-quarters of the %, 900 people OF
the town swept away last Friday lived in
small frame tenement houses On the fats
by the river, around the works of the
Cambria company. The Cambria com
pany OWNS almost all the land, and the
business and professional men and super
~intendent Of the company live on the hills
away up from the creek. The creeks be.
come the C0nemaugh river right at the
end OF the town, near where the big
stone Pennsylvania railroad bridge crosses
the river.
towns of its size in the state. Its tonnage
Ohio roads was larger than the tonnage
Of many cities three times its size.
The iron and steel company is one of
the largest iron and steel corporations in
the world. 1t had its main rolling mills,
Bessemer steel works and wire works at
Jamestown, though il also has works in
oshS' pboISc wis JIG ~ Sodt htuCS
and leases in the south, in Michigan and
in Spain, besides its Pennsylvania works.
1t had in Johnstown and the surrounding
villages 4, 900 or 5000 men usually at
work. In flush times ii has employed
more than c, 900.
The reservoir that broke loose was part
OF the Old Pennsylvania canal system.
At the head On the Conemaugh creek,
back in the mountains ten miles from
Johnstown and about 300 feet higher
than the YOUNGSTOWN fats, was a small,
natural lake. A club called the South
Fork Fishing and Hunting club, was or
gained some years ago and got the use
Of the lake from the Pennsylvania com
pany. Most of the members of the club
live in Pittsburg and are prominent iron
and coal men. Besides them there are
some Of the officials Of the Pennsylvania
road among the members. They IN
creased the size Of the dam until il was
over 100 feet high and 90 feet thick at
the base. 1t was about 90 feet thick at
the top and about a fifth of a mile long.
This increased the size Of the lake TO
three miles in length and a mile and a
quarter in width. Ii was an irregular
oval in shape. The volume of water in
1t depended on the time Of th" year.
When II" dam broke the lake was very
ful on cunt of the recent rains.
1t is universally reported that the dam
was never satisfactory. 1t always leaked.
For a long time it was provided with a
Waterman whose business il was 10 at
tend the safety gate. In case of a sudden
rise or the gradual accumulation Of water
above a certain height it was the business
Of this man TO open this gate and allow
the excess to escape. OF late years this
mans services had been dispensed with.
The reservoir had passed INTO the hands
Of men who utilized the lake as a pleas
ure resort and a gigantic fishing pool.
They discouraged the opening Of the es-
cape valve because the fish went out with
the water. The lake was a beautiful
sheet of water and was a popular tour.
lists resort.
OF the other towns mentioned in the
catastrophe South Fork, the first struck
by the flood, was ten miles above Johns
town borough and on the flats made by
the junction of a small creek with Cone. |
maugh creek. This village was occupied
entirely by workingmen, who lived on
the flats in tenements. 1t had q popula-
ton of I 400.
Three miles below South Fork was
Mineral Point, a cluster of ~workingmen's
houses about half the size.
Conemaugh was the largest village on
the creek between the reservoir and
jamestown. 1t is often spoken of as a
part of jamestown, though the railroad
station IL two or three miles up the creek
from the Jamestown station. The streets |
of the two towns run into one another, !
and the space between the two stations is
well built up along the creek. Part of
the Cambria Iron and Steel company's
works are at Conemaugh and 5000 or
5000 Of the workingmen and their fami-
lies lived there.
Between Conemaugh and Johnstown
borough was a string OF tenements along
the river, which was called Woodville. |
Possibly 3, 900 workmen lived in them. |
They were slightly built of wood, many
of them without cellars or stone founda-
tons. There was some substantially |
built houses in the borough at the Fork.
Below Jamestown was New Florence, |
Bolivar and other villages mentioned in
the report.
Besides owning fats, the Cambria
company owned the surrounding hills.
In one of the hills is limestone, in an
thS Sohiy III hClC " u NV a Il
away. Johnstown was at the foot Of
these three hills, which meet in double V
shape, Conemaugh creek flowing down
the other. The hills are not 80 far distant
that a man with a rife on any one could
not shoot to the others. They are several
hundred feet high and so steep that roads
run up them by a series OF zigzag grades.
In normal times the C0nemaugh river
ia but a few hundred feet wide. The
bottom is stony. The current is so fast
that there is little deposit along the bank.
1t is navigable at no time, though in the
spring a good canoeist might 60 down it If
he could steer clear Of the rocks. In the
summer the volume Of water diminishes
so much that q boy with q pair of rubber
boots on can wade across without getting
his feet wet, and there have been times
when a good Jumper could cross the river
on the dry stones.
Below Johnstown, after Stony creek
has Joined the Conemaugh creek, the
volume of water increases, bat the
Conemaugh throughout its whole length
is nothing but g mountain stream; dry in
the summer and roaring in the spring.
1t runs down into the Kiskiminitas river |
and into the Allegheny river, and then
on to Pittsburg, following the windings
Of the ~river--twice as far as the straight
line.
The river nasses through q porre u n |