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

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HEROISM IS VARIED FORMS. 1
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ill" it. There was onh' tlie crash of buildings between the interruption of the
sohl; of eartli and its continuation in hea\en. Another Avoman. whom the
(lood widowed, said :
" I hunttd a \or\i time vesterdax fnr tlie foundations of my little home, but they were swept
a\v.iv. \\Ve tlic- dear facta of the fri.-inJs u ho used to gather around our table liut God doesn't
own tliis side alone owns th.e other side too, and all is well whether we are here or there
,
You who are left livin:; must go to v.orl; with a will Be men, be women !
Tliere were herciines wliose deeds rivaled those of the sterner sex. On
Tuesday morning; hrborers piiUin^ over a wast pile of timber and miscellaneous
matter on Main street found I'eneath the mass, whicli was as hi^^h as tlie second-stor\-
windows, a \ouns v.oman and a puny infant. The u'irl must lia\e
been handsome in the flush of youth and health. She had seized the helpless
babe and endeavored to hnd safety by lli^^ht. Her brown hair was hlled with
sand, and a piece of brass wire was wound around the head and neck. A
loose cashmere gown was partially torn fr(jm her form, and one slipper— a little
bead-embroidered affair—co\'ered a silk-stockinged foot. Each arm was tightly
clasped around the baljy. The rii;idit\- of death should have passed away, but
the arms were fixed in their position as if composed of an unbendable material
•nsteai.i of muscle and bone. The fingers were imbedded in the sides of the
baby as if its protector had made a final effort not to be separated and to save
if possible the fragile lite. The faces of both were scarred and tiisfigured from
contact with floating debris. The single garment of the baby — a thin white
slip— was rent and fra\'ed. The body of the young woman was identified, but
the babe remained unknown. Probably its father and mother were lost in the
flood.
Delicate ladies, nurtured in luxury, braved disease and danger, slept in
sheds and attics and ate the roughest food that they might nurse patients
whom the strain brought ni'-;h the gates of death. Florence Nightingale. Emily
I^'aithful and Elizabeth Fr\' had their counterparts in these gentle messengers
of goodwill towards men." Their soft touch smoothed the pillow of the
d\'ing, cooled the aching brow and chased awa_\' pain as medicine could ne\er
have done. Before their gentle presence vice and meanness cowered. They
cheered the discouraged, comforted the berea\ed. relie\ed the suffering and
inspired the wavering. The depressed took courage, the despairing received
a fresh stimulus to honorable effort.
Children also exhibited heroic traits. Dr. James J. Fronheiser, General
"Superintendent of the Cambria Iron Works, lived on Main street. His house
was one of the last to go. aiul he himself, his wife, two daughters, son and bab\.
Were thrown into the racing torrent. His wife ami one daughter were lost.
He, with tile baby, reached a }>iace of safety, and his ten-year-okl bo\- Jacob
and twelve-\ear-old uirl Mamie tloated near enough to be reached. He caught
Mamie, but she cried :
" Let me go. papa, and save Jacob. My lei; is broken and my foot is caught below."