The story of Johnstown : its early settlement, rise ... - JohnstownCafe

Slick
156 THE STORY O/' JOZ/XSTOWX.
flooded the first story of our house, at tlic corner of I'wcnty-t.iu'hth and Walnut streets. I was
employed by CharUs Mun a^ a cisarmaker. and r.iri\ on I'l Ida) afternoon went home to move
furniture and carpets to the second story of the house As near as I can tell it was about four
o'clock when the wdiistle at the Gautier mill blew About the same time the Catholic church
bell -ranc;. I knew what that meant and I turned to mother and sister and said: 'My (iod,
we are loit " I lo. I:ed out of the window and saw the fl,)od, a uall of water thirty feet hi:;h,
strike the sieel uorks They melted quicker than 1 tell it The man who stopped to blow the
warning whistle must have been crushed to death by the falling roof and chimneys Me mmht
have saved himself, but stopped to '^ive the warninq. Four minutes after the whistle blew the
water was in our second story We started to carry mother to the attic, but the water rose
faster than we could climb the stairs. There was no window in our attic \\'e were bidding
each other good-ln e uhen a tall chimney on the house adjoining fell on our Mof and broke a
hole throu.i^h it Then we climbed oiu.on the roof and in another numient our house floated
away. It started down with the other stuff, crashir.'^. tuistinL; and quiverin., I thouyht e\ ery
minute it would ;:,'o to pieces. Finalh" it was shoved o\er into water less swift and near another
house. I found that less drift was forced against it than acainst ours, and decided to get on it.
I climbed upon the roof, and in lookinf; up saw a bii; house comins; down directly toward ours.
I called to sister to be quick. She was liftin.^ mother up to me I could barely reach the tips
of her fingers when her arms were raised up. svhile I lay on m\ stomach reaching do'.', n .Vt
that moment the house struck ours and my loved ernes were carried away and crushed by the
big house. It was useles.s for me to follow, for they sank out o£ si.ght. I floated down to the
bridge, then back with the current and landed at \'ine street. I saw hundreds of people crushed
and drowned "
Tlic adventures of \l. W . and wife, witli those of his father and
mother, were qnite excitiriLT and (.H\ersilied.. Their homes were on Stonvcreek
street, adjoinino- tlie wall which hems in the stream, coasideix-d an eas\- prev for
the current which annuallv \i.-ited the town. Sliortl\- after three o'clock on
Friday the huge body of water crept over the poiches. At four o'clock the
families emerc,fed from their hinises and >;ot aboartl the dia_\wa,oon of W. S.
Weaver. Two large horses w ei e attachetl. dri\-en li\ John Schnabel. and the
wagon started for the hill. The contents of the reservoir, looknig like an immense
\oliime of smoke, struck them and turned tin- horses around, dashing
them against a tree in front of the ri sidence of Harr\' Thomas. All saw the
poor animals in a struggle for life that ended, in death. The human freight in
the wagon was left in the branches of the tree. One of the innumerable buildings
carried away b\- the ocean irf waters struck it, when it tumbled as thmiLdi
it were a match. Down the party came with a crash aiul landed in water up
to their necks, graspmg and plungnig for something mr wiiich tliey might sa\'e
tl eir li'ces. An old stable chanced to stop. Under it Mrs. fl. \V. Slick w-as
hurktl and lost to view, luit qnickl}" came to the surface. The strong arm of
her husband graspetl her and placed her on tlie root, where she evinced fortitude
that would ha\e done cretiit to the bra\est of men. Mr. Slick's father,
Gi-or'je K.. an iinalid. was seen clinging to the debris, wholh- obli\-ious of his
perilous situation. He was dra^oLtl to the frail roof of Mrs. Slick's mother.
who sat by him from the o'clock that e\ening until noon of Saturda\-. the