The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-07-27

| ful-what wonder she shivered and
| shrank,
But the insdious temptation to pur-
| chase this life at the cost of others was
speedily vanqulshed. Almost before
she turned from the key ticking out
the awful tidngs Mrs. Ogle was on her
way to deliver the message into the
| Keeping Of the no less heroic assistant.
| Daniel Peyton, the Paul Revere of the
Johnstown disaster, the man who,
| riding madly through street after
street to call frantic desperate, un-
| needed warnings to others. lost in the
end his own life. Mrs. Ogle without
the loss of moment hastened back
to her Office and instrument.
Message after message. each one like
| the sharp stroke of a sword for terse,
| tense brevity and clearness. did she
| send out with ceaseless. untirlng ef-
forts. The various telegraphic cen
tiers of Johnstown were first notified
of the terrible, oncoming danger then
| the work began anew with regard
| to the towns. villages and factories
| lying in the inevitable course of the
| torrent. Always the patient heroine"
worked with the nervous yet sternly
! controlled energy that well earned for
| lovingly bestowed. Always she
licked and tapped with the speed and
surety, the unerring rapldity and pre-
cislon born of long practice. Always
she stated the case clearly. and pointed
out the danger plainly, yet with never
an unnecessary word.
The rain poured down in torrents,
kissing, merclless, stinglng. The
floors grew damp, the thick murky,
\ oppressive atmosphere yet more heav-
| lily humid, and at last the rising wa
ters crept in upon and over the rooms
of the first story, flooding the tele-
| graph office several feet deep. and ever
mounting higher. Then, with scarce
a momentary cessation of her eager
efforts. Mrs. Ogle, who had always
maintained a telegraphic instrument
in her sleeping-rOOm, removed to the
second floor of the building. From
the instrument there hastily arranged
! she continued to send out the warning
messages that were to save from her
ers until-it was too late to send more.
Only a glance from her elevated sta
ton was needed to evidence the truth
of Mr.. Parkes Mortified prediction.
1t was plainly evident that the dam
must burst shortly. But still, with the
| shadow Of death upon her. no hint of
terror, distress or personal sugges-
ton Of any kind marked the quiet
words of repeated warning. The first
message was no more self-contalned
| impersonal and unassumlng than the
| last.
"Johnstown, Pa, May 31st, 3 p. m.
ITO Cambria Iron Company, Philadel-
phla:
| ave cannot reach your office. Wa
ter immense. Washing out Lincoln
Bridge. The house full. We are on
the second floor. Water still coming
up and threatening ruin. This Is my
last message.
MRS. II. NJ. OGLE, Manager"
This was the simple reply, called
| IVA III ~ az iiAAPflAhl'' h'9AiOh. bul
quite bare of dramatic elodueuce. as
of any unnecessary description or de-
tail, that marked the conclusion of
Mrs. Hetty Ogle's earthly endeayors.
a moment more the wire sounded, al.
though with a strange. throbbing vi
bratiOn never before heard. \ mo.
ment later, and then with low,
| unuaIfixy 1nAnanf,,,,
to mighty roar, the tossing water
foamlng about the edge of the dam
high above the doomed city seemed to
climb suddenly skyward; a towering
wall forty feet high, stupendous, aw-
full, led by a thick volume of curtain
like mist. lnstantaneously interposed
itself between the dam and the breath
less spectator, and then 10 all nero
human intelligence and knowledge the
life Of the patient heroine" went out.
The maddened water, as later in
vestigatlon decided, first loosened and
tore away the heavy stones rip
rapplng' the top of the dam. then
forced a clear opening thlrty-dve feet
in width through the supporting and
supposedly impregnable earthworks.
The whole occurrence took place with
: Incredible rapidity and suddenness,
and the fertile valley intervening be.
tween the dam and the city OF Johns.
: town was swept bare OF every vestlge
OF civilization within hye minutes.
Then, heavy with tons of wreckaCe
laden with houses. dead bodies, all
manner of horrible debris and plunder
the seething. murderous. unrestraIned
torrent of water rushed upon Johns
town proper. The valley narrowly
sharpened at this point. so that tn,
wall OF water, scarcely TO be seen
according to the few eyewltnesses wh'
survived It's merclless onslaught, fo
, its varied burden OF horror. rose hlghe
, than ever. 1t literally fell upon tn
, helpless city. burylng thousands be
meath Its overwhelming weight In al
, instant, swelling. advancing. receding
! foaming. twisting and turning. unit
the whole of Johnstown was but on
, tremendous whirlpool. with awful
quiyering objects. big and little, born,
aimlessiy. unreslstlngly about. No
until the stone viaduct below the Gig