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

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342 THE STORY OF /('//.YSTOUW.
lines in cheeks latch' rouiuled and blooming. Men and women li\'ed long \'rars
in one terriMe week, auing prematurely. Homeless ihoiisani-ls wandered listlessly,
with no SDOtliiii'-; presence to sotteii the blow which had ir.tlicted an incurable
woiuid. Hundreds sat on the hills and gazed wistfulh' upon the desolated
waste, all the\\hiie beinoaning their IfU'ed and lost. Earth had no solace
for the gn.iwing ache whii h e\"en Time, the great healer, can ne\'er efface.
Heaven pity the icy, stolid, unnatural being whom the agonizing spectacles
'.
eiicounterid on ever\' han'l did not mo\ e to tearful svmpatlix'
James Elgin came to Johnstown on i\Ionda\- after the llood to attend the
wedding of his sister, fixed for \\'ednesda\-, June 5th. He kiu-w that a disaster
had taken place, but had no idea that his famil\- was invohed. His agony
may be imagined upon learning that his mother and three sisters had been
dro^vned and that his father was demented over the calamity. The old gentleman
was cr\'ing like a child, and asking those he met ;
" Did you see them ' Did you see them go down ' They will come back for the wedding tonight.
She isgi.ne for her bridri! wre.-ith "
C_\rtis Elder, solicitur of the Cambria Iron Companx', returned from
Chicago in the forenoon, \\'ater surrounded his residence, hindering him from
getting home. His wife and daughter stootl on the porch, wa\ ing their
handkerchiefs to welcome him. During the afternoon he procured a boat
somebody had constructed of ri.iu.;!i boards and endea\-ored to reach his famih'.
The craft upset, spilling Mr. Elder into four feet of water. .He waded back
and entered his brother's hor.se for a change of clothing. \Miile he was putting
on dry garments the rlood o\'erwhelmed lohnstown. His elegant home
wa^-- utterly ilestroyed. Mrs. and Miss Elder going down with the wreck, to be
seen no more. The husband and father w-as spared, his life blighteij bv a sorrow
that can have no alle\ iation this side the grave. Death, inflexible and
unrelenting, had stilled the voices whose sound was sweetest music and prevented
the meeting so fondly anticipated. Both ladies were singularh" amiable
and accomplished. Miss Eklerwas a loveh- girl, and her untimeh- fate,
in the flower and beauty of winsome maidenhooil. excited profound regret.
Could the Scottish bard's elegv be applietl better :
" The [.ireiit's heart that nestled fon.l in thee.
Th.i: he.irt, how suTik, a prev to grief and care!
So duck-d the woodbine suett'von av'edtrce;
S.J from It ravished, leaves it bleak and hare.
Policemen John Reese climbed on the roof of his house and was assisting
his wife when the building fell, crushing the lad\. She threw a kiss to
her husband with lier dv'ing gasp, as the \i-aters closed over the faithful heart
whose last thn.ib showed the (juenchless, unselfish love that is Hea\en's
choicest gift tn man.
Tw-o of the fifty persons ',vho died in the Hull>ert House were Miss Carrie
Diehl. of ShippenshiirL;. and Miss Jennie W'l'IIs. of Tioga count\', a teacher in