Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-29

houses on Levergood street were twisted
around and moved six and ten feet. On
Bedford street Just beyond Levergood street
originally stood the Hager block. 1t was
three-story brick business building, and it
was entirely demolished. The upper apart
ments at the time were occupied principally
by sewing women. Twenty-seven of these
women were drowned in the building and
only one person in the entire structure
escaped. He was a boy named Howe. On
the site of this building now stands two
shanties, one used by George Kiper as
drygoods store, and the other by George
Shapine as novelty store.
STORES WHERE DWELLINGS STOOD.
On Rose Wesley's lot there is new plan
ing mill. Before it was occupied by her
dwelling. Mrs. Davis dwelling, which was
wrecked, has been rebuilt as a frame. VIM.
H. Levergood is erecting a brick store
further up street, into which he will remove
his hardware store. A large vacant lot
marks the spot where the residence of c.
Ludwig went down to ruin. Everybody in
side of it was drowned. George Shrader has
built two storeroons on the place where his
dwelling stood last year. The brick resi-
dence of the lamented Jacob Swank has
never been rebuilt, but on its site man
named Hartzell now runs s small store.
And thus, all along Bedford street, where
there used to be residences there are places
of business now. No doubt the cheap char
acter of many of the houses will be made
better in year or two.
CHURCHES NOT YET REBUILT.
On jackson street the large plot OF ground
covered by the ruins of the Catholic Church
is still bare. That was the church which
burned during the flood. Ever since then
the services have been held in a small frame
shed erected in the rear of the ruins. The
fence that surrounded the parsonage is still
standing. To the left of the rear end of the
church property is substantial brick resi-
dence erected by Andrew Foster. At the
corner Of Jackson and Locust streets, where
the frame residence of Theodore Zimmer-
man, the attorney, was washed away, and in
which he was drowned, nothing has yet
been built Nor has the German Lutheran
Church yet been rebuilt. 1t was entirely
swept away. The key of the building was
the only thing that survived.
ENCOURAGEMENT IN SPITE OF LOSS.
This key figured in pathetic little story
The pastor of the church, Rev. J. P. LIGHT
enburg, his wife, and their family of four,
all perished. The oldest member of the
church, Mrs. Ludwig, aged 90, lost all her
children-four-in the waters, and to her
the sexton of the old church gave this key
as keepsake. But the grief Of her mis-
fortunes was too much for her, and in six
weeks she died, clasping the key in her
hands.
Nearly half the membership of this church
fell a prey to the watery monster, but in spite
of the terribly reduced numbers, there is
now being erected on the lot adjoining nice
brick schoolhouse, three stories high. It
belongs to the congregation.
MELANCHOLY LANDMARKS.
On every one of the four corners Of Jack
son and Locust streets there is yet vacant
lot, the ruined cellars still jammed full of
bricks and rubbish. Around on Locust
street the new two-story brick dwelling Of
Mr.. Umversagt, ST., will have triple room
in it. DR.. Zimmerman has erected brick
residence since the flood, but where Charles
Ruth's house stood there is nothing stand
ing but shanty. A new house is about to
be built there, however. But on the other
side, from jackson street down, Locust is
entirely bare, not single building yet hav-
ing been put up where the convent form
erly stood, or where private residences were
thicklv built up.
On Clinton street the new frame Burgroff
buildings are rebuilt about as well as they
were before tne uOou. Iney occupy 1UU feet
front, and contain several stores.
WHERE THE HUBERT HOUSE STOOD.
The Kast property. which was swept
clean by the torrents, is replaced by smaller
frame buildings, used principally as store
rooms. A wide gap still lies bare and ugly
as reminder of the spot where the finest
hotel in Johnstown stood. No steps what
ever have yet been taken to rebuild the
Hubert House, where 80 persons were
drowned, or even to clean off the lot on
which it stood. Across the street three
story brick is occupied by the palace Cigar
Store and a shantv. Formerly McAteer's
Hotel stood there. Gels, Foeter & Quinn,
before the South Fork dam broke, kept the
finest drygoods store in Johnstown, little
farther down street, but to-day the lot where
it stood is vacant.
In the opposite direction, on Clinton
street, may be seen the old Exchange Hotel
building. 1t is a low, white three-story
brick building, and is said to have been the
first hotel in the city. 1t was celebrated in
Portage railroad days. Yet to-day, with all
its age, it still stands, while such large and
new smnTtures a. the Hubert House were