The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-05-27

'Johnstowu John is one of the most
capable messengers in she Treasury
building He has d soo5 record in the
Government service and IS generally
popular de has been a messenger since
1855, and is now stationed at the Office
. Of General SpauldinE Assistant Score
] tary Of the Treasury. He is an alert
&active man, aud has had long training
q dealing with the public.
The real name Of -Johlsrowu JOIN" is
Ohm I. Houston He IS one or The sur
-ivors Of the terrible Pennsylvania dis
lister. and probably knows as much
about 1t as any man left 10 tell Of the
&calanjty that destroyed l0Gg0 lives in q
i few hours. He owes his present position
10 the good sense and c0CIuess shown IT.
4 that memorable disaster. He was the
instrument in saving many lives and
large amounts in treasure
When the Couemaugh dam broke John
WIS on 4 train at JOhnstOwn- He was a
! porter on the Pullman ca- Hebron and
. had charge OF the car There were
4 twenty-three passengers on the Hebron
8 At l o'clock on the morning OF May 81
s. 1SS9, the train was stopped about a
AniIe and = half from Johnstown by {
Cou hill TO bill The engineer put on
be brakes as tight as they would 60
1oJher landslide covered the track q
= hundred yards in the rear, and
~ eanwhiIe the water was rising rapidly
3e food vas Il its fury
On board the Hebron was an invalid
y and her daughter, who was asleep.
4 thought they needed attention first
ugh h cid not know who they were
ter was then running over the plat
n The train had been forced back
re than its length ly The wild cur
Getting these ladies from the car,
~ L made his way 10 the hill by means
- floating debris. It was q terrible
rney- IN forty-five minutes from the
he OF leaving John was back at lue
T assisting the other passengers. a!
whom were gotten out of the car.
- Of the twentE-th-ee passengers most
them asleep when the food struck
he train. only three were drowned enc
Twas q wealthy Mississippi lady who
fiost precious time trying 70 get her val
suables out OF the submerged car Her
who was trying 10 save the
q lewclry. was drowned, and his body was
found in Ohio several days after
The water was rushing At the rate
OF ffty-six miles an hour. and was bear
ing logs. trees. and houses IL wild con
ward Of the Pennsylvania Railroad were
tossed about like finder. Many houses
IN the vicinity had been lifted from
: their foundations. and thousands Of per
sons were making terrible cries for
help In the midst Of all this terror
there was Q gas explosion, and the train
TO which the Pullman was attached was
burned.
With his car gone. John devoted all
his energies and his cool head to the
relief Of the passengers, who were SUI
fering terribly He carried several OF
them across the country by carriages TO
New Bedford Springs. Meanwhile he
learned that the invalid lady and the
sleeping girl were the wife and daugh-
ter OF Major E ". HalfoTd. private sec
rotary 20 President Harrison. COmmu-
nicatiOn was soon opened with Major
Halford. and he joined the refugees at
New Bedford Springs
The faithful porter and hero OF the
train came TO Washington TO report the
loss Of the car and the deaths Major
HaIford returned 10 the city in a few
days and tooE charge OF John. He Sc
cured for the Tescuer o. ms family a
position in the Treasury, which he has
held continuously since II is a0t often
the lot OF a man to encounter such an
experience as that at Johnst0wn- and to
be able to meet 1t cooIly- inrelligently,
and to be the means OF saving numbers
OF lives is a distinction OF rare de
gree