The Penn's Grove record., 1903-07-10
KILLED BY BURSTING DAN
0akiord Park, Pa, Swept Away an
Scores Of Victims Perish.
WALL OF WATER 40 FEET HIGH

WALL OF WATER 40 FEET HIGH
Fleeing Victims Are Caught in Marrow
Ravine-Mcn, women and Children
Are Drowned, Crushed and Elcctrocut
ed in the Disaster-Car with Passeny
gers Washed From Bridge.
Pittsburg, P~a.-Another horror SINH
lar to that Of the great Johnstown food
occurred at Oakford Park, half a mile
from jeanette and between this place
and Johnstown, when, by the breaking
of a dam scores Of pleasure-seekers out
FOR a holiday were drowned.
The exact number of fatalities is not
known, and perhaps never will be
known. Many bodies were swept
away, while others were found crushed
and unacceptable, the victims having
taken refuge in a 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 a
small space, and were unable to escape
The dam which burst was known as
Oakford Park Lane dam. 1t was q
forty-foot embankment, damming a
number Of small streams. Four hun
dred people had assembled at the re-
sort. The day had been q beautiful
ono h11t ~, opI cr,1%nr Crl75o-Jr
the skies darkened, and a 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 a small building occupied by
a restaurant. While the storm was at
its worst there was a 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
ley which forms the park. There is
sloping land on either side of a small
stream known as Brush Creek, 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 a panic in the res
taurant building. The forty people
who had taken refuge there made a
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 and caught
them. How many were killed by it
will never be known.
A trolley car which contained from
fifty to seventy-fve people was cross
ing the bridge over Brush Greek. 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 cal 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
1t. West Penn Station, jeanette Ma
nor and as far as Pitcairn are a scene
OF ruin. Hundreds Of houses have
been washed away along the banks Of
he creek which parallels the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad, and has It's outlet at
the mouth of Turtle Creek into the
M~onongahela> River.
George Wilhelm, of West jeanette,
thirteen years old, was with eight boys
playing cards in a stable. The other
seven f1Oated 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-iye years old, was drowned. His
wife was saved. Alex Victor was
dashed against a 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 a serious condition. An unknown
man, about fifty years old, 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 food only five
were rescued. All the places of amuse-
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 q
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 q miniature
lake.. A dam some forty feet high was
built, creating a lake about half a mile
long, a quarter Of a mile wide, and
ffty-ive feet deep. It was known as
Oakford Park Lake.
The resort is on the line Of the Penn
sylvania Railroad and receives its pat.
ronage from Greensburg, Manon, IT.
win, Derry and other small towns In
the vicinity.
Professional High Diver Killed.
Before a crowd of 5000 persons I. r.
RprgOuiSt. Of Rock Island a nrofnS.