Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-05-25
RAMPANT RIVERS.
PORTIONS OF PENNSYLVANIA
SUBMERGED
Bring Death and Destruct Ion-Johns-
town, wiIiIamsport, Bradford and
Many Other Towns Suffer.

Johnstown, Pa: The awful Cone
maugh disaster of 1889, has been vivid
ly recalled by the cloudburst and heavy
rain fall which lasted in this section
for three days and caused the Cone
maugh river to flood the city and sur
rounding country. 1t is an assured
fact that the damage done in the city
and within five miles of it will amount
to from $50, 900 to $50, 900. The Penn
sylvania Railroad company is the heav-
lest loser. A house, owned by Peter
Seymour, was caught and swept TO
destruction. A three-story building of
Phillip Brown was torn from its foun-
dation and greatly damaged. The iron
bridge was badly wrecked. The store
of Anthony George was submerged,
and although anchored with ropes, the
water swept it away with all its con-
tents. The residences of Emanuel
James and Charles Statler also went
down stream. The swift water under
mined an embankment which gave
way, carrying down into the river
about 200 feet of track and five cars.
In one of the cars were five tramps.
Three of them succeeded in getting
away, but two were drowned. About
SIS, 900 worth of timber belonging 20
the Conemaugh Lumber company went
out, tearing two bridges away. Fifty
feet of stone wall was washed away.
Throughout this county and Somerset
the damage to bridges and crops is re-
ported TO be very heavy. Tom Me-
Featers, a lad 10 years old, was
drowned in,the Conemaugh river while
trying TO ride on log. At South Fork
numerous small buildings were swept
away.
Williamsport: The Susquehanna
reached point 80 feet above low water
mark, the highest ever known, and
flooded every portion of this city TO a
depth of from two TO twenty feet.
The city was cut off from the outside
world by stoppage OF all railway and
telegraph communication, and only a
single telephone wire was left TO send
the notes of distress to neighboring
places. The second night of IL G flood
the water reached its highest point.
There was very little sleep for the ter
rorized citizens, and when at midnight
ir was known that the water was sub
siding there Was n feeling of relief in
every heart. At midnight the big log
boom containing 5000, 900 feet went
out with n mighty crash and roar.
Three bridges went down as they were
struck. Household goods and store
stocks had been moved to second and
even third stories. The property loss
cannot be estimated for some time but
it cannot be less than Sl,00O,O1O. The
gas and electric light plants being
submerged there was no light on the
rushing waters for three nights. The
only mode of transportation about the
city was by boat. The loss TO corps
and farms cannot now be told. -Four
miles of railroad track was swept
away. Over $4,000, OOO feet of logs
were swept away at Lock Haven.
bradford: Twenty streets were
under water TO a depth of four feet.
Over 40 families in the river district
were taken from their homes in boats.
a large number of business houses
were flooded on the ground floors.
Loss over $4,000.
Pittsburg: Two lives were lost in
the flood. Adrian Weichel, aged 81
years, was trying to rescue team OF
horses near Etna, about / o'clock,
when his feet caught in the harness
and he was drowned. A few minutes
later an unknown boy about Is years
old was drowned in Allegheny while
catching driftwood Both bodies were
swept down the stream.
These are but few of the many
towns and cities practically flooded
and drowned out. At Huntingdon the
Juniata raised % hours and surround
ing towns suffered severely. At
Stoverstown Mrs. Jacob Miller was
drowned while trying to save her
household goods. The Susquehanna
flooded ut least a hundred towns and
an estimate by Pennsylvania railroad
officials of the damage to towns along
their lines places the losses at not less
than $1,000, 900. Five new county
bridges in Huntingdon county have
been destroyed, making an aggregate
loss of about 100000. At Everett,
Elmer Wagner was drowned. The
two children of John KnoskolSy at
NanticolIe, aged respectively ten and
eight, fell into a swollen creek and
were drowned. Warren used beats
for street cars.