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History of the Johnstown Flood: Including all the Fearful Record; the Breaking of the South Fork Dam; the Sweeping Out of the Conemaugh Valley; the Over-Throw of Johnstown; the Massing of the Wreck at the Railroad Bridge; Escapes, Rescues, Searches for Survivors and the Dead; Relief Organizations, Stupendous Charities, etc., etc., With Full Accounts also of the Destruction on the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers, and the Bald Eagle Creek.Johnson, Willis Fletcher

History

History of the Johnstown Flood: Including all the Fearful Record; the Breaking of the South Fork Dam; the Sweeping Out of the Conemaugh Valley; the Over-Throw of Johnstown; the Massing of the Wreck at the Railroad Bridge; Escapes, Rescues, Searches for Survivors and the Dead; Relief Organizations, Stupendous Charities, etc., etc., With Full Accounts also of the Destruction on the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers, and the Bald Eagle Creek.

Name: History of the Johnstown Flood: Including all the Fearful Record; the Breaking of the South Fork Dam; the Sweeping Out of the Conemaugh Valley; the Over-Throw of Johnstown; the Massing of the Wreck at the Railroad Bridge; Escapes, Rescues, Searches for Survivors and the Dead; Relief Organizations, Stupendous Charities, etc., etc., With Full Accounts also of the Destruction on the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers, and the Bald Eagle Creek.
Author: Johnson, Willis Fletcher

Johnson, Willis Fletcher

Floods -- Pennsylvania -- Johnstown (Cambria County)

"The occasion is such that the bells might well be rung through your
streets to call the attention of the thoughtless to this great
exigency--in order that a train load of provisions may be despatched
to-night or in the early morning to this suffering people.

"I suggest, secondly, as many of these people have had the entire
furnishings of their houses swept away and have now only temporary
shelter, that a committee be appointed to collect such articles of
clothing, and especially bed clothing, as can be spared. Now that the
summer season is on, there can hardly be a house in Washington which
cannot spare a blanket or a coverlet.

"And, third, I suggest that from the substantial business men and
bankers there be appointed a committee who shall collect money, for
after the first exigency is past there will be found in those
communities very many who have lost their all, who will need aid in the
construction of their demolished homes and in furnishing them so that
they may be again inhabited.

"Need I say in conclusion that, as a temporary citizen of Washington, it
would give me great satisfaction if the national capital should so
generously respond to this call of our distressed fellow citizens as
to be conspicuous among the cities of our land. [Applause.] I feel that,
as I am now calling for contributions, I should state that on Saturday,
when first apprised of the disaster at Johnstown, I telegraphed a
subscription to the Mayor of that city. I do not like to speak of
anything so personal as this, but I felt it due to myself and to you
that I should say so much as this."

[Illustration: THIRD STREET, WILLIAMSPORT, DURING THE FLOOD.]

The vice presidents elected included all the members of the Cabinet,
Chief Justices Fuller, Bingham and Richardson, M. G. Emery, J. A. J.
Cresswell, Dr. E. B. Clark, of the Bank of the Republic; C. L. Glover,
of the Riggs Bank; Cashier James, of the Bank of Washington; B. H.
Warner, Ex-Commissioners Webb and Wheatley, Jesse B. Wilson, Ex-Minister
Foster and J. W. Thompson. The secretaries were S. H. Kaufmann, Beriah
Wilkins, E. W. Murphy and Hallett Kilbourne; treasurer, E. Kurtz
Johnson.

While subscriptions were being taken up, the President intimated that
suggestions would be in order, and a prompt and generous response was
the result. The Adams Express Company volunteered to transport all
material for the relief of the distressed people free of charge, and the
Lamont Opera Company tendered their services for a benefit, to be given
in aid of the sufferers. The managers offered the use of their theatre
free of charge for any performances. Numerous other offers of
provisions and clothing were made and accepted.

Then President Harrison read a number of telegrams from Governor Beaver,
in which he gave a brief synopsis of the horrors of the situation and
asked for the government pontoon bridge.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.