Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1904-08-19

tense brevity and clearness, did she
send out with ceaseless, untiring eff
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
worked with the nervous yet sternly
controlled energy that well earned for
her honor and glory this title, later
lovingly bestowed. Always she
licked and tapped with the speed and
surety, the unerring rapidity and pre-
cision 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, merciless. stinging. The
floors grew damp, the thick murky,
oppressive atmosphere yet more heav-
lily humid, and at last the rising wa
tiers 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
| momentary cessation Of her eager
efforts, Mrs. Cgle, 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 We're to save from her
| own tragic end the lives Of many 9TH
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.. Parke's Mortified prediction.
1t was plainly evident that the dam
must burst shortly. But still, with the
! shadow of death upon her, 10 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-contained,
impersonal and unassuPing than the
last
YOUNGSTOWN, Pa, May 31st, 3 p. m.
ITO Cambria Iron Company, Philadel-
phia:
eve 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. III. NJ. OGLE, Manager"
This was the simple reply, called
forth by an imperative question. but
quite bare of dramatic eloquence, as
of any unnecessary description or de-
tail, that marked the conclusion of
Mrs. Hetty Ogle's earthly endeavors
A moment more the wire sounded, al
though with a strange, tlrobbing vi
bration never before heard. A mo-
ment later, and then with a low.
strange murmur, speedily deepening
to a mighty roar, the tossing water
foaming about the edge OF the dam
high above the doomed city seemed to
climb suddenly skyward; q towering
wall forty feet high, stupendous, aw-
full, led by thick volume of curtain
like mist, instantaneously interposed
itself between the dam and the breath
less spectator, and then to all mere
human intelligence and knowledge the
life of the patient heroine" went out.
The maddened water, as later in
yestigatfon decided, first loosened and
tore away the heavy stones rip
rapPing" the top of the dam, then
forced clear opening thirty-five 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 vestige
of civilization within five minutes.
Then, heavy with tons of wreckage,
laden with houses, dead bodies, all
manner of horrible debris and plumber,
the seething, murderous, unrestrained
torrent Of water rushed upon Johns.
town proper. The valley narrowly
sharpened at this point, so that the
wall of water, scarcely to be seen,
according to the few eyewitnesses who
survived its merciless onslaught, for
its varied burden of horror, rose higher
than ever. 1t literally fell upon the
helpless city, burying thousands be-
meath its overwhelming weight in an
instant, swelling, advancing, receding,
foaming, twisting and turning. until
the whole of Johnstown was but one
tremendous whirlpool, with awful.
quivering objects, big and little. borne
aimlessly, INTERESTINGLY about. Not
until the stone viaduct below the city
successfully opposed its course for a
brief instant did the mighty and cruel
devastator know let or hindrance.
And even this brief opposition but re-
suited in a calamity yet more terrible
than all that had gone before.
The presumptuous viaduct was rent
and torn but an instant later, the an
CRY torrent with much of its awful
burden rushing over and through it,
passing finally to the distant sea, scat
tering and strewing death, wreckage.
ruin and disaster for miles as it raced
and hurried, depositing thousands of
the unknown dead at New Florence
and Nineyah, towns between Johns
town and the conjunction Of the Cone
maugh and Kiskiminetas Rivers. But
the low, diagonal arches of the bridge
had in that infinitesimal period of re-
sistance acted as huge and mischievous
strainers, and dread mountain of
mingled earth. rocks. houses, rubbish,
furniture, dead and dying animals, and
human unfortunates, dead and dying
also. was piled high above Them This
was the huge heap that later took fire
from the numerous lighted cook-stoves
which were being used in preparing
the evening meal when the unexpected
disaster came. And somewhere In the
stupendous funeral pyre thus ignited