The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-07-06
COULDN'T DRIVE
THEM TO SAFETY
Pennsylvania Resort Engulfsd by
Great CIoudburst.
MANY LIVES WERE LOST
THRILLING TALES TOLD BY SUR
VIVoRS OF FATALITIES.
NREENsBURG. Pa. July 5-A wa

I 4 ANA-A-@-N 70 q ~. Ida July "a Wa
/ II terspout Of immense proportions
striking in the vicinity of Oal1ford
( park this afternoon created flood that
( caused a great loss of life and property.
/ 1t is known that at least twenty per
sons were lost and rumors place the
number of dead at more than 100. but
I up until a late hour tonight only two
/ or three bodies have been recovered.
/ having been washed to the banks of the
little creek that runs parallel with the
( park. The name of those known and
/ believed TO have been drowned are.
( Miss Gertrude Keefer. aged 10. of
/ jeanette; Edward O'Brien of Latrobe.
an emplOye Of Brown Ketcham com
+ pany here; Joseph EVERY of Indian
apolis, Ind; Lucy Crum Of Jeanette:
/ Councilman John Light, wife and two
( children, of Greensburg.
/ At 3 o'clock rain hogan to fall I'm tor
rents in the vicinity of the park and
+ spread over a territory covering prob
ably ten miles. half hour later the
cloudburst occurred. The waters in the
lake north of Oakford park began to
swell ana Manager James McGratb. be-
heVing that there was danger of a final
break in the great walls of the dam
hurried among the crowds of pleasure
seekers who had gathered under the
roofs of the eating stands. the merry
gO-rOund. the theatre. dancing pavilion
and other buildings in line Of the wa
ter should the banks break and warned
them TO run TO the hills. on both sides
/ of the grounds there are high Mills. the
park being located in "A ravine about a
fourth of a mile wide and a mile long.
Driven to Safety.
Those protected from the rain did not
want to leave, and until Mn MCGrath
and his assistants entered each building
/ in turn and simply drove the crowds out
into the rain did they realize the danger
/ A half hour after the buildings had been
cleared of the people the waters mount
/ ed the walls of the DAM and within five
minutes water to the depth OF five feet
was flowing over the entire length Of 400
/ rect OF the wall The park or ravine
studded with buildings, the merry-go-
round the laughing gallery and other
amusement places were twisted about and
all but the dancing pavilion and large
lunch stand were knocked from their
foundations. The rain continued to fall
/ i'm torrents and about 4 o'clock forty feet
OF the wall of the dam TO the east gave
way with a crash. The flood beat down
the ravlne with roar that was heard
I Tor two miles half mile down. at the
junction of the GreensbUrg and jeanette
and Park car lines the car barns are
5 located. The entrance gates 10 the park
were lifted and with the force OF a pile
! driver the large posts were hurled by ia.
/ waters against the barn BEYOND was
/ iocated the small waiting room, and ON
/ the track was standing car laden with
people on their way from GrCeusburg
I and Jeanette. The electric storm had
rendered the power south of here use
/ less and the motormau was unable 20
move the ear. The flood struck the
waiting room containing probably a
/ dozen people A number Of them strug-
/ gled to point of safety, but i'm the eX-
+ element that followed IL is not posi-
+ lively known how many were lost. The
: street car was caught and swept INTO
/ the creek and was whirled and tumbled
/ about A number Of the people in the
/ car jumped off. and there are conthctng
/ stories as to the number of persons who
/ were carried with the car.
Thrilling Incident.
/ Among those who were dashed into
! the flood was G.. NJ McClain of Green's
. burg, an expert swimmer. Cries for help
! from two unknown women brought No
/ Claim to their side as they were strug-
Cling in the water. and grabbing 0Otl
about the waist he kept their heads
above the water as the three were car
: ricd in the direction Of Jeanette by the
raging tide The brave fellow held on
! to tire women for a mile and then eN-
. hdusted and ready TO sink. he released
his hold and the women sank. 1t was
7 with the greatest difficulty that he man
aged TO get TO shore. 1t is believed that
/ fully ten people who We're in the car
: were drowned
Standing on the platform near the
whose names nave not neen learned
When the flood came the husband os-
capped. but the wife was carried away
cite
Late tonight many of these who were
first reported missing from GreeensburS
turned up here, and il is now believed
that not more than four or five people
of this place went down in the is=~d
Irwin. Pa. July 5.-The sudden fisily
Of Brush creek tonight caused 10y tbe
cloudbUrst and the breaking Of the Oak
ford dam caused damage in this vicinity
{ of several hundred thousand dollars. and
probably loss Of life.
So sudden was the rise in the stream
that the people living along the banks
had barely time TO run TO the hills. MANY
4 houses and other buildings were swept
away The water is still rising: end az
9 o'clock the freight station at this place
Z was washed from it's foundations and
[ carried down the stream. raking with o.
Z the Irwin bridge. the steel bridge on the
/ to the freight yards. Five loaded coal
cars on the bridge were sTept down II
Dead May Reach Fifty.
1t is now believed that the dead will
number at least fifty and may 90 far
beyond this. The excitement and sorrow
IS SO intense lIdl IL cannot ne ueleI-
mined how many managed TO escape what
seemed to be inevitable death.
Among those known to be lost, al
though it is very difficult to secure
Jeanette.
Oakford park is located three miles
northwest of GreensbUrg and one mile
I from Jeanette. The land embraced bl-
the pleasure ground, one of the most de-
| hshtlul breathing spots in the summc-
time to be found between Altoona and
/ PitJsburg. WAS purchased by the Pitts
burg. MckeespOrt q 0ireensD2-zs Electric
Railway company about SIX years ago.
shortly after the park was. laid out "a
lake was projected to cover six acres.
and the plans rapidly materialized. The
| water was secured by ReVer-failinS
1 springs TWO miles TO the north of the
park. An immense wall was built across
the ravine. 1t possessed a basin cover
ing thirty feet and gently slauting. The
basin was from five to twenty feet deep.
The lake was used for boating and bath
ing By the numerous picnickcrs there
during the summer months.
Tonight the delightful little park and
lake or this morning and the pride of
Greensburg, jeanette and the railway
company is nothing short of mud hole
and there is no likelihood that an at
tempt will be made by the street car
company TO replace it,
/ During the past two months thousands
! of dollars worth Of improvements have
been placed there. A handsome theatre.
fountains and other attractions were
| buiIt and 81 is estimated tonight thar tbe
loss to the company will aggregate fully
S30.C00 all wiped away within the bTief
( time Of ten minutes.
Fortunately, the crowds at the park to-
day were smaller than they have been
H.