THE JOHNSTOWN DISASTER.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 313, 18 June 1889, Page 2

THE JOHNSTOWN DISASTER.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE.

Lownox, Juno If. The exoitement over the Johnstown disaster ie no* beginning to enbeide. Through the courtesy of the Bov. W. 8. Fraokelton (at Sydney), who spent a long time in Panoelvania and who visited the Conemaugh Valley, an opportunity baa boon given to acquire further information no to the scene of the terrible disaster and its probsble causae. In the year 1874 the tame district was the scene of a great flood by which 220 people lost their lives. Johnstown, whore the principal lose of lite has occurred, ie situated on the Conemaugh Biver, which in formed by a number of small streams flowing down the numerous gorges and valleys descending from the Alleghany or Appalachian Mountains. Those commencing in the northern parts of Alabama and Georgia traverse the States of North Carolina, Tonnes* see, Maryland and Pennsylvania at a distance from the Atlantic, to whioh they run nearly parallel, of from SO to 130 miles. The various ridges of which the system is composed are known as the Blue Ridge, North Mountain, Jackson Mountain, Cumberland Mountain, Laurel Mountain, ha., and It is at the foot of the last-named spur that the town of Johnstown Is situated. Between these ridges, which are for the most part wooded to the summit, are a number of fertile, wellpopulated valleys, though the country they enclose Is generally rocky and barren. The range has a mean elevation of 2800 ft., though in some pointe there are peaks whioh rise to g the altitude of 6000 ft., and an enow** crowned during the greater part of the year. The general character of the soenery is picturesque, thickly wooded, abundantly watered and endowed richly by actum with many-hued flora. The Conemaugh Valley is one of many valleys whioh run in a sigsag fashion west, ward from the A Ueghanles. It is situated at the conflux of a number of smaller valleys down which rapid mountain streams flow. In the spring time these are man creaks, but in the rainy season and in the summer time, when they are fed by the melted snow from the mountains, they are changed into roaring torrents. Along the sides of all these valleys settlement has taken place, the villages mostly being perched oa.the hillsides aboyw the reach of the flood waters. Along the main Conemaugh Valley then are several towns, notably Altoona, Crosson, Harrisburg and Johnstown, when are numerous iron furnaces and manufactories. The Penney!, vanla railway runs along the southern side of the valley, and has a number of viaducts, some with stone superstructures and otben merely iron suspension bridges | whilst others again are the Beamingly frail wooden structures so common on the American rail* ways. The town of Altoona Uat the head of the main valley, situated where the Alleghany mountains descend towards the eastern slopes of the great undulating plains of Pennsylvania. Some miles further down is the town of Cresson, whore there Is a lofty railway viaduct, carried over a rushing mountain stream, which in times of flood rises to a height which dwellers in the mountainous regions of the colonies can well appreciate. Below Cresson the valley widens, and the main stream which flows at the base of the mountains is fed by numerous tributaries, all flowing from the serried spurs of the Alleghenies, until as it approaches Johns stown it becomes a considerable stream, Thia in ordinary weather is from 10ft to 18ft deep, and in flood time, when the snow water comes down, is transformed into a deep, dark, flowing river, carrying away in Its resistless course everything that dares to impede its progress towards the Conemaugh Biver, whioh from Johnstown flows a grand stream into the Alleghany River, thence to the Ohio and finally to the mighty Mississippi, The Conemaugh Vail-v forma a broad watershed, the recipient of many a mountain stream, and at all times is liable to inundation. Along the banks of the rivulet from Cresson to Johnstown there are erected a number of homesteads, the country residences of the plutocrats of Pittsburg, betides farmhouses, with sloping fields of grain, and a number of iron furnaces and manufactories, amongst them being several kerosene oil warehouses. About 15 years ago considerable damage was done to the railway line through the breaking out of the waters and the rush occasioned through the melting of the snow on the higher peak of the Alleghany Ranges, Chiefly to counteract thisa huge reservoir was erected on the southern side of tbe Pennsyl, vanla railway line between Cresson and John* stown, with the view of keeping the overflow from the line and damming up the water so as to prevent an over-flow in case of flood. This reservoir was strongly constructed, and, M the cable messages would betoken, was regarded by the inhabitants in the township below as perfectly safe, no matter how great the floods might be. The reservoir, which has caused such a terrible loss of human life and involved so great a loss of property, was not Utilised for the purposes of water supply to Johnstown or the more distant city of Pittabury, 60 miles further down the Conemaugh Valley, but was merely constructed to pre. serve the railway line and the contiguous towns and villages from the sudden floods whioh periodically ooour In these districts. The town of Johnstown, which contained about 8000 inhabitants, is situated st the base of these converging streams and valleys and at the junction of tbe Pennsylvania and Ohio lines of railway. It is, or was, of consider, able importance, its chief trade being in iron. It was also a large depot for the timber trade which is extensively carried on on the western slope of tbe Alleghenies. There won in thtk vicinity of Johnstown a number of large furnaces employing thousands of hands, ths largest being situated at Huißshuy, soma distance below whan the catastrophe happened. The town was in a valley at the foot Of ths Laurel Ridge, and ths country below is flat and undulating so that the waters from tbe flood would spread themselves without doing any great amount of damage. Mr Frackelton's theory as to the Muse of the fearful catastrophe is a most natural and feasible one, He soys that tbs enow on the mountains above the Conemaugh and its numerous tributary valleys begins aa a rale to melt during the months of April and May. when generally *tben are alsoheavy rains, The rains this season during the latter month have bean exceptionally heavy, as floods have been reported in all the States on the western slope of the Alleghenies. The rains have broken through tbs crusts of snow, the surface of which has been honeycombed by the sun's rays beating upon it. They have also taken awv large blocks of ice, generally found in a cone shape, and these together

----- — —-r-i iuw« bOgemvr with ths snow water* have natural!* found their *v into the reservoir, causing • tremendousl strain upon the lower portibm of •* ™ m • w»ter thus piled upTnot being able to And an overflow, has found out the weak plane* in the dam wall, and the enfll. tration of the water hu caused it to make it* way through, and thus by glow degree* the whole mau hue given way. carrying devastetion and death in it* seething, heattlona eourw. There were also large boulders in the reservoir which, oanied away by the rueh .**?",* »»ay with them in their iuriou* whirl trees, houses, fsnos* a* whatever came in t|ieir way. Ono* the date having given wav the'flood-waters, multiplied a thousand fold by th* dammed up wetete of the reservoir thus suddenly let loose, would sweep down th* valley, an Irresistible cataract carrying death and devastation on It* headlong course, The surprising thing about the whole is that, so far a* we know, no warning was given to the hapless residents in Johns" town and tha other town* situated along the valley, ae the railway line which runs along Ml’ s,i4» Pl »!>• would be comparatively uninjured by the flood, Which at the btnhett estimate could not have travelled at a greeter rate than 40 mile* an hour. With regard to the debris heeomtng ignited, Mr Fraakelton can only account for it by the tact that along the route of ths flood there were several kerosene works. . TP’ goWj«rs> who ware called out to quell the onslaught* of tha brutal raider*- ou person* end property, would probably be Members at the Pennsylvania National Guard, a militia regiment which hat corp* stationed at all the town* throughout th* State end whose denot is situated at Harrisburg, no* tar from the scene of the disaster.