Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-07-15
AS AT JOHNSTOWN
FLOOE FROM BURST RI2nERvOIRs
IN NEW YORIxs STATE.
HOUSES WRECKED; PEOPLE DROWNED
Five Bodies Taken from the Wreck
agc-Two, and Probably Three
More Known To he In the
Debris.

POUGHkEEPSlE, n. l., July III ne
two large reservoirs I'm the Ffshkill noun
tains. which supplied water to the towns
OF Matteawan and Fishkill, burst their
walls at 2 o'clock this morning, and the
water that was released swept through
the Dutchess Valley, causing ruin and
death. Five bodies have been taken from
the wreckage left in the wake OF the
food. and there are known TO be two.
and probably three, more bodies beneath
the piled-up debris, which is all that re-
mains of three houses that were swept
away by the mighty torrent.
The names of those whose bodies have
been recovered, as officially given out by
Coroner II. Il. Bevier, OF Matteawan, to-
night, are:
Mrs. JOHN CONROY, aged 36, wife or
the engineer in Timony's brick-yard; ;
her body was badly bruised by contact
with trees and wreckage, and was covered
with mud.
Mrs. MARY FERRY, aged SS years.
widow: her body was in the worst con-
dition Of all the victims, being covered
with mud and bruises.
WILLIAM FERRY, aged years, son
Of Mrs Ferry: body was in good condi-
ton. except for bruises about the head.
John SRUKA, a Hungarian, Is years
old. u
PHfLAMENA DELUKA, an Italian
Girl wears Old: the body was not mutt
lated.
The missing are:
John CONROY, aged years, son
| of Engineer Conroys.
JULIA CONROY, aged years, daugh-
| ter of Engineer Conroy's.
An unknown Hungarian, whose brother
declares that he was drowned.
Vanburen and Timony's brick-yards on
| the Hudson, just below Dutchess juno
ton. are a mile distant from the site OF
the lower reservoir. Without warning
| the food reached them through the
ravine. and made terrible havoc. Build
| ings were torn in pieces and their oc-
cupants carried away in the raging nood.
THE RESERVOIR SYSTEM.
The reservoir is of oval shape, about
500 feet long and 300 feet wide, and 80 or
| o. feet deep. It is used as an auxiliary
supplv TO the regular water-works sys-
tenn of Matteawan and Fishklll Landing
from the main source of which 1t Is
|
reservoir Of this system is considera-
BILE lake. near North Beacon, which has
massive masonry, and is intact. a Sc
| cond reservoir. situated much lower
| down the mountain, which was butt 10
reduce the pressure i'm the pipes, is also
| unbroken. These two have no direct
connection with the Dutchess Junction
reservoir, though all three feed into the
| same pipes.
Superintendent Van Etten, of the New
York Central railroad said that the
damage to the Central tracks at Fish
kill Landing. caused by the bursting of
| the Beacon Mountain reservoirs, involved
| the washing out of 200 feet of the
| road-bed.
Tie body Of Mrs. Mary Ferry was re-
covered this afternoon, dug from mud
and debris 10 feet deep. Thirty-five men
worked all day in the ruins.
Mrs Conroy, ono of the lost, before
her marriage lived at Johnstown, Pa.
where the great food occurred several
years ago She was rescued there by
John Conr0y, who afterwards married
her.
BRICK-YARD LOSSES.
There are three Of the Timony brick
yards. Two of them are badly damaged.
The north one managed by Frank
Timony. Jr is a total loss. The flood
swept directly over it, carrying away
everything but the sheds Brick-making
plants, wagons carts, etc, were swept
across the railroad track into the river.
AT the northern yard We're sixty
arches of green" brick. 1900 in each
arch The water softened these, and
let the whole down in mass of clay.
A twelve-arch kiln was burning. The
flood put out the fires and practically
ruined the brick.
The Montreal express train arrived at
the scene about three minutes after the
accident. and was tagged through the
efforts of NJ. II. Reilly, an employee Of
Timony's.
Boardinghouse-K Keeper Murphy lost
about 81. .OC0 i'm cash that had been given
him by laborers for safekeeping. Nume-
rous watches were lsst and several hun
dred dollars by other brickyarders
Fifteen or twenty Of the laborers have
no clothing but that in which they es-
caDed.
Timony's yard had a capacity of 2i000,-
600 brick a year, and employed 200 men,
The loss TO Frank Timony on his brick
yards and dwellings is $4,000 Hammond
q Freedman, who operated a smaller
yard adjoining his, suffered damage TO
the extent of 5000.
About a thousand yards above Muir
phys clearinghouse, directly in the
centre Of the ravine, was a small settle
ment Of Arabs, thirty or forty in num-
ber occupying half a dozen huts. There
is not vestige of the settlement now.
So far as known, no Arabs lost their
lives.