Evening star., 1939-05-30

SoNSiCu iCohS III tIle QdIIl lIldJ llelO
back the waters of Lake Conemaugh
"a splendid fishing grounds 2l2
miles long, IL miles wide, averaging
more than so feet in depth.
A day before the break lone
fisherman came down into the valley
"a pleasant place about 1900 feet
above sea level-and told the folks
to get out. Only arrant towards,
so described by the residents. fol-
lowed the advice and went to the
hillsldes. The brave remained.
And when the waters came, at the
rate of a fast-moving railroad train,
few were prepared for the getaway.
That was at $50 pm. Friday, May
81, 1889. While every American
and peoples of the far-fung world
have heard of the Johnstown flood"
"a byWord in the language of hor-
ror-feW know the story behind the
story. 1t is an epic of American life
as it was lived in the rugged days
that preceded the era that came to
be known as the gay COS.
The Day Before Pay Day.
Settled in 1894, just after the
Revolutionary War, Johnstown, Pa,
was rugged coal and iron ore re-
giOn that had attracted men and
women from many nations. 1t was
incorporated as a borough in 1881
and by the time the flood waters
struck the town was ready for in
corporation as a city-with 25 5000
Inhabitants.
1t was the day before payday at
the mines. Spring was in the air
and festivities were at hand. We'd
dlngS were scheduled for Saturday
the bridal day that never came.
They worked hard, those men at
the mines-10 to II hours a day
for wage Of Sand when they
go paid off they went to town in
big way. Throughout the neigh
borhood, in JohnstoWn and sur
rounding territory, 1873 saloons and
dance halls furnished grog for
thirsty throats and music for dane
ing feet.
Only thing that spoiled anticipa-
ton of a high old time was a rain
fall that had lasted several days.
Spring freshetS were at hand With
the heavy rains, most streams in the
vicinity had become roaring torrents.
Then there were the rumors of that
weakened dam; but that was far up
on the lake, where members of the
South Fork Hunting and Fishing
Club prepared for merry week end.
1t was never to be. Fifteen minutes
after the dam had burst the valley
was flooded. Johnstown was under
water Strong men, mothers with
babes in their arms were swept
away. Houses were lifted bodily
from their foundations and cracked
to pieces like so much matchwood.
One Warning.
Now the tragedy was at hand
and no one to give a word of warn
ing. No one, except one little wom-
an. Mrs. Ogle, who was a tele-
graph operator for Western Union
Soon as she heard of the onrushing
uproar, the terrible march of the
waters, she tapped off the message
to all the towns she could reach
along the Way-doWn the valley.
And they found her dead at the key.
With all lines of communication
down, with railroad tracks of the B.
& o. and the Pennsylvania washed
away. only meager reports of a
nightmare reached the rest of
America
On the morning of June /, 1889,
newspapers carried rambling reports
of what had taken place in Johns
town, Pa; but the stories did not
come from Johnstown. They were
date-lined from Cambria and other
small towns in the valley, where
frantic men and women from the
hills mad run to call for help.
First reports were exaggerated,
naturally. Twenty thousand persons
had lost their lives. The whole town
had gone.
For 20 days the newspapers car
ried first-page stories of Americas
No. l disaster-and even at the end
of that time no one knew the exact