The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-07-22
KILLED BY BURSTING DAM
oak'ord Park, Pa, Swept Away an
Scores Of Victims Perish.
WALL OF WATER 40 FEET HIGH

fleeing Victims Are Caught ir Narrow
Ravine-Men, Women and Ch hildren
Are Drowned, Crushed and Electrocut-
ed in tho Disaster-Car With Pa'sen-
gers " a,hed From Bridge.
Pittsburg. Pa.-Another horror piml'
lar to that Of the great Johnstown Hood
occurred at Oakford Park, half mile
from jeanette and between this place
and Johnstown, when. by the breaking
Of dam scores of pleasure-seekers out
for a holiday were drowned.
The exact number Of fatalities is not
known, and perhaps never will DE
known. Many bodies were swept
away. while others were found crushed
and unrecognizable. the victims having
taken refuge in 4 building which col.
lapsed. Still others were burned and
blackened from having come in contact
with live electric wires.
The accident came so suddenly that
the people were caught penned IN
small space, and were unable to escape.
The dam which burst was known as
Oakford Park Lane dam. 1t was
forty.foot embankment. damming
number of small streams. Four hun
dred people had assembled at the re-
sort. The day had been beautiful
one, but warm and sultry. Suddenly
the skies darkened, and severe storm
swept over the park. The rain fell in
torrents. It was the worst cloudburst
ever known in this part of the country.
Many of those at the: park sought
shelter in the car barns. while others
huddled in q small building occupied by
4 restaurant. While the storm was at
its worst there was crash like thun-
der. Forty feet of the dam had given
away. and a wall Of water forty feet
high swept down on the pleasure seek
ers, who were caught in the little val
lev which forms the park. There is
sloping land on either side of a small
stream known as Brush Greek. and to
this higher land the terror stricken peo-
pie fed Many of them. however, could
not get away.
When the wall Of water was seen ap-
preaching there was panic in the res
taurant building. The forty people
who had taken refuge there male
frantic effort to escape. which resulted
in the frail building collapsing. Some
were trampled to death in the excite
ment which followed. While others
were hurrying across the street car
tracks the trolley wire fell aud caught
them. How many were killed by it
will never be known.
A trolley car which contained from
fifty to seventy-tive people was cross
ing the bridge over Brush Creek. The
motorman saw the great wave of water
coming. and put on all the power. 1t
was another race for life, but the wave
ran the faster, and when the car
reached the centre of the bridge the
water struck it. The bridge was swept
aside as though it had been a log. TAX
ing the car with it.
A number Of bodies have been taken
from the car but many others were
washed down the valley. A volume of
water about forty feet high and be-
tween 400 and 500 feet wide swept
through the narrow valley north OF
Jeanette. washing everything before
it. West Penn Station. Jeanette Ma
nor and as far as Pitcairn are scene
of ruin. Hundreds of houses have
been washed away along the banks OF
the creek which parallels the PennHyl-
vania Railroad. and has its outlet at
the mouth of Turtle Greek into the
Mononguhela River.
George Wilhelm, Of West Jeanette,
thirteen years old, was with eight boys
playing cards in stable. The other
seven floated away on the roof and
were rescued, but Wilhelm was
drowned. James Westwood, thirty
five years old, Of Penn Station, was
drowned. His wife and three children
were rescued. Mrs. Levi Baker, of
Penn Station, was sick in bed. Her
house was carried away and she was
drowned. John Machjusky, forty years
old, was drowned. George Williams,
thirty-fiv years old, was drowned. His
wife was saved. Alex Victor was
dashed against tree and died from his
injuries. Mrs. Nigga and her four chill
dren were drowned.
Three members of a family were res
cued on a house floating past Jeanette
Manor. An unknown woman was
drowned at the Manor. John Sewers
and wife, of Greenburg. were rescued,
but in serious condition. An unknown
man, about fifty years DID, was found
drowned at Penn Station.
M. A. Coffee, the superintendent Of
the traction line, estimated the loss at
the park at about forty Walter Haw-
thorne, twenty-one years old, Of Scott
dale, saw the flood coming. He caught
a telegraph pole floating by and was
rescued. He estimated that Of forty
people caught by the flood only five
were rescued. All the places of amusc-
ment in the park were washed away.
The dam at jeanette was, like the
one which broke at JohnStown, at a
pleasure resort. Several years ago a
resort was established about half a
mile from jeanette and called Oakford
Park. Several small streams run
through the valley close to the park,
and it was decided to make a miniature
lake. A dam some forty feet high was
built. creating q lake about half mile
long, quarter of mile wide, and
tifty-five feet deep. 1t was known as
Oakford Park Lake.
The resort is on the line Of the Penn
sylvania Railroad and receives it's pat
ronage from Greensburg, Manon, IT.
win, Derry and other small towns in
the vicinity.