01 Jun 1889
Page 5
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This newspaper page contains 31 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Pittsburgh Dispatch
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date
Jun 01, 1889
Page
5
Reports describe residents gathering and pondering whether water would reach their homes as authorities searched for survivors. Questions hung in the air as friends awaited any update on the scene of the disaster.
The floodwaters advance toward the city with predictions of 26 to 28 feet by tomorrow. Boatmen report rapid rises while officials warn of possible washouts upstream and floating bodies from Johnstown. Captain Jacobs notes water climbing hourly and the likely crest near Water Street if the trend continues.
Colonel J. J. Lawrence and Mr. C. B. Shea, noted fishing club members, feared for their sons after telegrams reported delays at South Fork due to washouts. News of the dam burst reached Pittsburgh as anxious families gathered at the Sportsmen's Association, seeking updates and assurances.
Citizens recall the long history of concern over the South Fork dam in Johnstown. Bank official J H Willock cites expert examinations deeming the structure safe yet residents, engineers, and a Cambrian Iron Works report confess lingering unease. The dam’s past failure and efforts to reinforce it are discussed amid ongoing vigilance by local groups.
The passage argues the dam was not breached by a culvert, noting the culvert undermined the dam and drained the lake, but was later filled in by the South Fork Fishing Club. It suggests an extraordinary mountain rainfall would be required to wash away the dam and questions the claim of its destruction.
A narrative from West Penn railroad pause details the Johnstown flood killing and sweeping away bridges, houses, and people. It recounts drowning estimates, rescue efforts, and harrowing scenes as water rose to multiple stories pouring through Cambria City and the Point.
STAFF CORRESPONDENT reports a devastating flood 20 miles below Johnstown as rescuers race to save those stranded. Trains halted, tracks washed out, canal dam warnings proved true, and a wrecking train moves to reopen routes while fear grips Lockport and communities along the river valley.
At Blairsville intersecting May 31 a survivor recounts a flood near Lockport eighteen miles from the disaster scene. Elel Benson and others were rescued after persistent water swept streets three feet deep with swift current. He describes debris, wreckage, and widespread destruction.
Philadelphia May 31 Dispatches say the storm worsens hourly. Land slides and washouts disrupt the middle division between Harrisburg and Altoona. No trains west of this area will run until safe. the New York Limited eastbound at Wilmore escaped disaster. General Manager Pugh orders tracks cleared before travel resumes. The Philadelphia and Erie Railroad faces similar disruption with washouts along its line.
A Greensburg dispatch reports a powerful flooding of the Conemaugh river after midnight. Debris and sediment swept through waterways and overwhelmed structures as the floodwaters surged, washing away everything in their path and leaving devastation in Johns town and surrounding settlements.
A rail line bridge at Bolivar was in danger of washing away as floodwaters rose rapidly. A Johnstown bulletin warned of total destruction with hundreds dead, homes piled in wreckage and debris fires trapping residents.
Philadelphia May 31 The tracks west of Johnstown are carried away and the roadbed gone. The river above the bridge is filled with wreckage and drift 40 feet high. The fire is beyond control and Jamestown is washed out.
Chicago reports three men including P C Sullivan Frank Woodruff and ex detective Coughlin arraigned for Dr Cronin murder. Mack claims to hear of Cronin and Mrs Dudley mentions moving near the Carlson cottage. Police probe found Cronin clothes body parts and a coarse vest with five pennies and a cigar while locals urge sewer search.
A bulletin from New Florence 16 miles from Johnstown at 1 30 reports Johnstown has been swept away with thousands of lives lost and only two houses visible.
A Salina dispatch reported the river rising at 16 to 18 inches per hour by 8 O clock and 2:30 a.m. At Tunnelton the water continued to rise. Citizens formed watching groups along the river as the flood threatens more severe impacts.
News report from New York dated May 31 states the Adriatic arrived at quarantine around 9 15 p m. Kilrain was on deck as the news boat departed and said he had a pleasant voyage and was in good health.
Special Telegram to the Dispatch from Harrisburg May 31 reports the governor favors a bill to appropriate funds for improving Philadelphia Harbor.
A special telegram from Harrisburg reports Governor vetoed the appropriation of 59000 to pay the debt incurred by the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburg. The action follows concerns over fiscal appropriations.
In Cornhill's Magazine the author argues that primitive man fought with teeth nails and fists before using clubs and shields. He contends Darwin shows males fought for mates and the heart became the vulnerable target. The right hand gained dominance through fighting tools and crafting weapons, shaping civilized habits of right handedness.
A Chicago Inter-Ocean article mocks electrocution as a modern humane method noting its ease and theatricality. The piece quips about a “sitting down job” and barber chair imagery while describing the shock dose and media coverage, and it laments the fading tradition of the hanging reporter.
New York May 31. Breslin denounces Camp 96 as outside Clan na Gael authority and says no camp may criminally condemn Cronin. He criticizes Alex Sullivan as a cautious lawyer and blasts Chicago police for slow, unsatisfactory progress in the murder case.
Martin George of San Francisco marries Caroline Jenkyn of England after a ten year wait rooted in Cornwall. The couple, reunited aboard the Cunard liner Gallia, wed at Rev. C. J. McCanner’s residence with Officer Stevens present. The bride travels in travel attire, age 23, and will relocate to San Francisco after a week in New York.
A group of young people attended a pop-corn sociable at a leading Albany church. Boys pocketed corn for the girls and a hard fragment later proved to be a small bone from a human foot, slipped into a pocket by a medical student, causing laughter and embarrassment.
Poets such as Pope Byron and Keats discuss pronunciation of vase with phrases about dainty figures and fashion. They note fashionable English speakers use a broad vowel between vaut and gaze. The piece weighs Parnassus over Belgravia in choosing pronunciation.
The Treasury Department estimates a net decrease of 8,000,000 in the public debt for May despite nearly 12,000,000 paid out for pensions. The Treasury surplus is now reported at 54,000,000.
A Pittsburgh era tale recounts a criminal lawyer who protected a client by engineered court delays and a border escape to Canada. He later outwitted prosecutors to save another murder suspect, highlighting corruption and tactics of defense attorneys amid a tainted legal system.
The notice advertises a full line of solid colored India pongee silks for Tic at 400 a yard and fancy printed India silks at 0¢ per yard. Also offered are French wool cloths at Zea yard and French latines in bold designs at Dow yard with season’s most choice effects.
An advertisement touts Hamilton's Music House at 91 and 93 Fifth Avenue offering Decker Bros Kanabe and Fischer pianos and related gear. It promises low prices and easy terms, claiming the best piano options and guaranteed satisfaction to save buyers time and money.
Prices list for linen goods, bead mantlets, Fichus Lace Silk Wool wraps and children's Jersey blouses in colors and trims. Ladies Soutache braided Directoire Jerseys offered by the dozen, plus suits in wash fabrics and silk and wool costumes.
Listing promises finest ready to wear suits with styles and prices guaranteed and invites inspection. Also notes dedication of St John’s R C Church at Phillipsburg Pa on Sunday June 2 with train from depot at 8 40 AM and mentions New American Latinos weekly sale items at 438 440 priced 12 cents.
A fragmentary notice from Renshaw & Co at Sans Liberty and Ninth describes wine warranted strictly pure juice in pint and quart bottles for various purposes. It mentions retailers and delivery to customers, with unclear quantities and pricing due to damaged text.
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