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Newspaper
Indiana Progress
Location
Indiana, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date
Jun 19, 1889
Page
6
The Indiana Progress appears with a pricing line offering terms at 1.50 per year. The fragmentary OCR shows an emphasized or misread headline style and a partial phrase Lancest Pares suggesting a misprinted or truncated line.
The sixth report on The Mineral Resources of the United States will be issued soon for 1638. It covers detailed statistics by year with descriptive material. Principal figures show iron ore consumption, pig iron, steel output, petroleum, natural gas displacement, coke production, and total mineral value for 1895 with state breakdowns and year‑to‑year changes.
A Tuesday evening storm in New York and Brooklyn caused heavy damage. A building under erection at Evergreen and Cooper avenues collapsed, burying six workers and killing two, including a builder’s son. St James Cathedral suffered interior fire, but records were saved. repairs estimated at $75. The storm also toppled part of St Mary’s Star of the Sea church wall.
Jacob Geer and John Durnberger, rivermen who owned trading boats on the river, met in John Prosser's store in Hamilton opposite Wellsvill Ohio. A quarrel over suspicion of a broken marriage led to Durnberger firing a revolver. Geer was shot in the abdomen and returned fire, mortally wounding Durnberger. Geer died after shooting Durnberger, who then fell dead outside. Durnberger, said to be insanely jealous, had earlier attempted to drown his wife and wounded an officer with an ax when arrested, marking a fatal sequence of violence.
A fast express on the Lehigh Valley line between Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre derailed at Sugar Notch at 35 miles per hour. Cars telescoped into a nearby frame house, but no one died. Serious injuries included John S. McGrarty Deputy Treasurer of Luzerne County Geo H Troutman of Hazleton Jobo Laugh principal of Freeland school and Mrs Costello and child of White Haven. Traffic halted all day as crews cleared the wreck due to a broken axle.
A two section fast freight collision on the Cumberland Valley Railroad at Eberraville wrecked the second section into the rear of the first, ignited a fire, and burned about 25 cars including a large stock. Fireman Jacob Zug suffered a broken leg and other injuries.
Perry Walker a wealthy Somerset County former was driven to Dixmont Insane Asylum after declaring he had committed murder during a local trial in which his brother served as juror. He had shown agitation from the case and was committed to the county poorhouse before transfer. The report also notes travel plans involving Des Park and Cape May concerning Mrs. Harrisons grandchild and the President.
The era’s worst disaster unfolds as the South Fork dam broke at about 3 PM, unleashing a 75 to 200 foot flood through Conemaugh Valley. Investigations point to South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club negligence and stopped waste gates as key factors, with widespread wreckage and many deaths reported.
Reports from Central Pennsylvania detail epic floods at the end of May and start of June. Coburn suffered complete ruin with thirty feet water in places, Williamsport tallies 25 deaths, and a wide area including Wellsboro and Lycoming County bridges are destroyed. Total property losses reach millions with thousands homeless and factories and rail lines heavily damaged. Maryland relief efforts begin using Johnstown funds for those at risk.
John J. Rodgers reported to Governor Mahlon H. Dickinson on Juniata valley distress after floods. Lewistown and Newport suffered greatest damage with bridges washed away and hundreds displaced. In Lewistown 219 houses flooded, 29 destroyed, about 1,000 residents affected. Newport saw several buildings carried away and five foot flood depths. Mifflin Patterson, Port Royal and Port Royal area also struck, with homes ruined and inhabitants left homeless. aid and clothing requested for residents and repairs planned.
A Fort Wayne bound train encounter ends with Mia Leila Line of Prospect Hill Johnstown erupting into a loud laugh then burst into tears. Her shifting mood unsettles coaches as she calls family names and sobs, followed by a deep, troubling laugh.
Engineer A. M. Wellington and F. P. Burt of Engineering News condemn the dam as inferior in construction lacking a central wall. Original rammed and watered earth layers show in wreckage. rebuilt section dumped like railroad fill, with no heart wall. The expert notes no comparable 50-foot earth dam in the U.S. without a central wall and criticizes the centerward lowering and potential overflow consequences.
Amid flood debris over Johnstown, bodies identified by pocket items include Oliver A. Kers butcher William A. Bryan switchman Arthur Benshoff book-keeper Ben Gribbin 19 Miss Morris Brindle Wm G Kegg Reynolds Roland and Emma. Two bodies a nun and a woman found at Andersons Ferry. A child’s body found on Oakaf Vanport banks. Tide found corpses in drift piles. Hudson surfaced two more. Fifty-eight bodies recovered by Sunday. Christopher Kemple undertaker’s body found with $3100 missing.
The Cambria Iron Company quickly restarts shops after the flood. The machine shop 100 workers, boiler, blacksmith and six blast furnaces resume full output. Rails expected by end of June. 35 bodies recovered, many mangled. insurance claims settled, 75 policies totaling $200,000 found, 14 doctors lost. First National Bank reopened. charity and parish attendance fall.
The town east of Johnstown named Woodvale suffered a devastating flood washing away 205 of 324 houses leaving survivors on higher ground. The Johnstown Steel Street Railway Company announced plans to move dismantled works from Woodvale to Moxham to facilitate operations and locate near its steel plant.
The official railroad report lists fifteen passengers and a colored Pullman porter as dead or missing after the eastbound Pittsburg to ? crash. Swift Davis of Safe Harbor recounts the escape tale with his wife and three children, two girls missing after the Conemaugh derailment and flood, while a nurse and a Miss Maloney are noted among survivors.
The State Board of Health bulletin assures no epidemic and urges calm. It notes townspeople fear, mentions desertion, and outlines steps for prevention, water safety, and cleanup to aid thousands in the stricken valley. Officials vow swift hospital and sanitary support as cleanup progress continues.
The report outlines Gov. Beaver’s scheme to divert state funds through the Sinking Fund Commissioners instead of direct Treasury withdrawal. A large sum would be deposited with a bank, yielding a nominal interest rate to be used for relief, secured by notes and multiple indorsers. The idea aims to issue billions of dollars to aid Conemaugh sufferers while avoiding direct Treasury disbursement.
A historical account traces a massive rain storm across Central Pennsylvania and neighboring regions from May 25 to week’s end. It details destruction in the Susquehanna basin, Williamsport, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and bridges, with multi‑million losses in lumber, railways, and private property, noting substantial but uncertain total figures across five states.
Reports of drowning in the Johnstown disaster are likely exaggerated by eager reporters seeking scoops. Cities like Charleston and Jacksonville send aid, while floods devastate infrastructure and rails. Doctors count hundreds of corpses, with many children found with loved ones, and the scene shows scarce women yet abundant supplies for survivors.
A violent Sunday windstorm blasted Port Leyden in Lewis County and the southern part of Jefferson County. Trees, fences, and buildings were toppled as churches steeples collapsed or swayed dangerously. One old teaple living there injured, widespread damage reported across a broad area.
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