LOCAL HISTORY: STOREY, Henry Wilson. HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY PA. Vol. 1 The Lewis Publishing Co., 1907. Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Martha Humenik. There is an HTML version of this book, with page images, on the county web site: http://www.camgenpa.com/books/Storey/v1/ Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm _______________________________________________ CHAPTER XIV. THE RIVERS AT JOHNSTOWN. Beside the very favorable topographical location of the city of Johnstown as well as the invaluable deposits of coal and other minerals, which are within its limits and in the surrounding country, it has an ample water supply in the two rivers-Conemaugh and Stonycreek-which flow through and unite at the westerly end of Main street, and, besides, the pure mountain water furnished to its inhabitants from the several reservoirs built between the hills, have sufficient pressure to throw a stream from any of the water plugs in the business portion of the city to a height of fifty feet. The Johnstown Water company has tapped the Little Conemaugh river and also the Stonycreek, beside having three reservoirs built on mountain streams, namely: Laurel Run and Wild Cat, in 1867; St. Clair in 1877; Millcreek in 1881, and Dalton Run in 1902. The dam in the Little Conemaugh is nearly five miles above Johnstown, a short distance beyond Bridge No. 6, at the old tunnel, and was erected in 1876, and connected with a twenty-inch main. The Cambria Steel Company also have dams in Couemaugh river a short distance west of South Fork and west of Coopersdale. The Stonycreek is tapped about one-third of a mile above Border's Station, some eight miles from the city, with a thirty-six inch main, which was connected in 1891, the inlet being regulated by a valve without the use of a dam. The Stonycreek and Little Conemaugh are divided at Johnstown by Green Hill. The Stonycreek rises near Berlin, in Somerset county, and drains the Southern, or Quemahoning, valley, on the western slope of the Allegheny mountains. The territory adjoining on the eastern slope is drained by the Juniata. The name of Stonycreek was appropriately chosen, inasmuch as its channel was filled with boulders of immense girth and diameter, probably fifteen to twenty feet through. About fifteen miles above Johnstown these large rocks are yet in the watercourse, but in the city and near to it they have been 312 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. quarried and used for building purposes. There are houses in this town of which the foundations were made from the quarries in the channel of the Stonycreek. Now, after a period of many years, it is clear of large rocks. Although the Stonycreek was made a highway in the early days of legislation, it was never used to a great extent. In high water barges have been floated from the Benscreek to town, and pig iron has been shipped by barges from the Stonycreek, by the Conemaugh, Kiskiminetas, and Allegheny rivers, to Pittsburg. The stream has also been used for floating logs from the upper fastnesses of the mountains to the various log booms. The source of the Little Conemaugh is near Carrolltown, not a great distance from Canoe Place, the corner of the Indian purchase by virtue of the Fort Stanwix treaty. It drains the Conemaugh valley, on the western slope of the mountains. The land adjoining it on the eastern side is drained into the west branch of the Susquehanna, and the water thereof flows into the Atlantic, while that of the Conemaugh reaches the Gulf of Mexico. The Conemaugh and Stonycreek, of course, furnished the water to the pioneers for the grist and saw-mills, and both were utilized by the state to provide water for the Pennsylvania canal which was commenced in 1826. The Conemaugh river proper begins at the junction of the Little Conemaugh and the Stonycreek, but it is commonly called the Conemaugh to its source. The first bridge across the Stonycreek was the "Red Bridge," above Hogback tunnel, which was erected about 1800, and was the only means of crossing the stream to get to Johnstown, excepting, of course, the fordings, until 1842, when the Kernville bridge was erected. The first bridge across the Conemaugh was built at Blairsville in 1820; it was a beautiful specimen of bridge building for strength and length of span-two hundred and ninety-five feet-and stood for fifty years or more. It is probable that the first regular fording and ferry on the Stonycreek river was at or about the mouth of the old Feeder, at Suppes' dam. It was in use for many years, and was one of the principal crossings to town, and in fact is still used as a fording. In 1813 Jacob Stutzman came into possession of two, hundred and thirty-seven acres at this place, which was known as "Stony Point," and for many years he and his 313 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. family operated the ferry which was known as Stutzman's ferry. Another fording leading into Johnstown, which the Somerset county people used, was the old Beulah crossing, at Franklin and Willow streets. However, during high water they crossed the Red bridge and came down the Von Lunen road. The Beulah crossing received its name through the road leading to Stoyestown from Beulah-the same Beulah whose people sought to make their town the county seat in 1804. In addition to the footwalks made during the low-water season, another method of passage across the Stonycreek for foot travelers was either by the ferry of Adam Trefts or that of Joseph Haynes. Mr. Trefts' ferry was about where the Haynes street foot-bridge is now swung, and the Haynes ferry was off Market street. Gray's ferry, operated by William Gray, plied between The Point and the present west end of the Stone bridge. Peter Daniels ran a ferry on the Little Conemaugh almost opposite the old Woodvale mill. After 1831, when the aqueduct was completed, it was used by foot passengers until the bridge was erected. The ferry charge was three cents for each person, but sometimes, when the water was high and the current strong, it would cost a fip to cross by either ferry. The two most important fordings on the Conemaugh and the Little Conemaugh were the Broad Fording, near the Cambria bridge, and another near the Walnut street bridge. The highways on which these fordings occurred were the main thoroughfares through the Laurel Hill Gap and to Ebensburg. The Broad fording was about four hundred feet in width, hence its name. It had a good bottom, but had deep water, which frequently ran into the beds of vehicles. It continued in use until the erection of the Cambria Toll Bridge, in 1853. The fordings near the Walnut street were many, and were important crossings for the people going to Ebensburg and to Westmoreland and Indiana counties. One was located in the rear of the Cambria offices, another about the present site of the Walnut street bridge and a third several hundred feet below. After the canal was in operation the Laurel Hill road was practically abandoned. Where the Woodvale bridge is now located was a fording used from the earliest days of pioneering in going to Hilde- 314 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. brand's grist-mill, at Sylvania, subsequently Conemaugh, but incorporated as East Conemaugh borough. The first flood which inundated what is now the city of Johnstown was the "Pumpkin Flood," in the fall of 1820. Both rivers were high, but the Stonycreek swept everything within reach-pumpkins, cattle, barns, houses, fences, etc., and on Vine street, which was lower then than now, the water was "fence high." Paul Benshoff farmed the land which now includes the Fifteenth and Sixteenth wards, and all his stock, crops, etc., were destroyed except one cow, which was rescued at the point where Coopersdale is now located. The next overflow was that of 1847, caused by the breaking of the South Fork reservoir. The water was from four to six feet high on the "Island" and the lower parts of the city. The waste weir from the Basin and the overhead bridge from Canal street to Portage street, were destroyed. A short distance below where is now located the Baltimore & Ohio Station, the northerly bank of the Canal was washed out for a distance of a hundred feet. Boats which were in the Basin were washed through the break and carried away, passing under the acqueduct, and one of them knocked off the corner of Gaffer Davis' brick house on "Goose Island," which was still standing at the time of the flood of 1889, when it was swept out of existence. In 1859 both rivers were in flood, and that portion of the town below Walnut street, as well as the mill, were entirely inundated. Until 1868, when the Kernville bridge was taken the town was subject to overflows on account of ice gorges, but since that time, has not been troubled in that way. Daniels' Bottom, now the Eleventh Ward, was always much affected by these ice overflows, and frequently Mr. Peter Daniels and Mr. Henry Cauffield were unable to plow and plant their spring crops until late in the season. The highest overflow, previous to the flood of May 31, 1889, was that of June 7, 1887, before the removal of the old railroad bridge which spanned the Conemaugh river where the Stone Bridge is now located. The Fifth, Sixth and Seventh wards and all that part of town below Jackson street, were covered with water, it being eighteen inches deep in front of Quinn's store, on Clinton street. That flood made a high-water mark, and surveys were made for the purpose of locating future buildings. 315 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. The flood of May 31, 1889, caused by excessive heavy rains throughout the central and western parts of Pennsylvania, and by the breaking of the South Fork reservoir, was, of course, the greatest the city has ever known, but reference to it will be made hereafter. On February 17, 1891, the business and lower portions of the city were submerged by reason of both rivers being in flood. The volume of water discharged from the Little Conemaugh was 12,950 cubic feet per second, and from the Stonycreek 22,000 cubic feet. The flood, of 1887 was exclusively from the Stonycreek, when there was a flow of 30,000 cubic feet per second. The Little Conemaugh was normal. In 1891 the Conemaugh below The Point was widened to 260 feet, which it was believed would give sufficient relief, but on May 20, 1894, the lower portions of the city were again under water. Both rivers were high, but the Little Conemaugh was wild, and between the hours of 11:15 and 12:15 midnight rose six feet. Again on March 14, 1907, the city was under water to a greater height than at any previous flood, barring that of 1889. After the flood of May 31, 1889, General Hastings raised the elevations on The Point by depositing a large amount of earth taken from cellars and streets while cleaning up the town. Also in 1891 after the city was organized, the lower part of it, up to Market street, was raised; the average fill being about five feet, as follows: Tide Eleva- Tide eleva- tions, 1906. tions,1887. Main and Market 0 1164.78 1164.78 Main and Potts Place 3.9 Main and Walnut 3.67 1164.85 1161.18 Main and Morrell Place 7 Main and Union 6.5 1164.79 1158.29 Main and Johns 9.7 1166.51 1156.81 Washington and Market, 0; Washington and Potts Place, 2; Washington and Walnut, 0. The sea levels at Johnstown, and the high water marks in the flood of June 7, 1887: 316 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. Sea Levels. Flood of June 7,1887. June 7,1887. Walnut and Locust, curb 1161.56 1164.85 Walnut and Washington, curb 1164.03 1165.26 Walnut and Main, curb 1161.18 1164.85 Market and Main, curb 1165.27 1166.12 Market and Lincoln, curb 1166.18 1167.73 Foot of Market, street 1165.84 1166.39 Franklin and Stonycreek, curb 1168.19 1169.94 Franklin and Main, curb 1169.06 1169.69 Franklin and Locust, curb 1168.32 1169.09 Clinton and Main, curb 1168.99 1170.66 Top of rail, S. & C. B. R. at Bedford street 1173.44 1171.80 Top of rail, opposite South street 1172.40 1173.71 Somerset and South, curb 1169.92 1171.93 Franklin and South, curb 1170.99 1172.14 Bottom of waste weir, Wildcat dam 1325.33 ....... Bottom of waste weir, St. Clair dam 1353.07 ....... Bottom of waste weir, Millcreek dam 1357.88 ....... South rail, P. R. B. station at Johnstown. 1184. ....... Bridge Seat, S. & C. R. R. bridge 1181.34 1176. Top of rail, S. & C. R. R. at Hogback tunnel 1201.06 1198. Top of rail, P. R. R. at Fairfield avenue 1159.31 ....... Stone base. Peelorville Schoolhouse 1352.45 ....... Top of Indian Mound, Westmont 1783.56 ....... Highest Point, Grandview Cemetery 1657.40 ....... Elevations of high water of the Conemaugh and Stonycreek rivers at Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Locations. Elevations above tide at Philadelphia. June 7, May 31, Feb. 17, May 20, Mar. 14, 1887. 1889. 1891. 1894. 1907. Coopersdale Pumping Station. 1143.70 1144.2 1146.8 Ten Acre Railroad Bridge. 1152. 1151.81 1151.7 1157.8 Mouth of Hinckston Run. 1158.72 1160.42 1157.1 1159.6 Below Stone Bridge, P. R. R. 1163.57 1159.2 1164.7 Above Stone Bridge, P. R. R. 1164.46 1164.65 1161.3 1165.6 Franklin Street Bridge. 1169.94 1168.94 1170.2 Poplar Street Bridge. 1172.52 1174. Valley Pike Bridge. 1178.58 1179. Walnut Street Bridge. 1165.26 1166.64 1165.4 1168.2 Railroad Street Bridge. 1179.25 1184.2 1184.9 Main and Walnut Streets. 1175.05 Main and Walnut Streets. 1164.88 1184.95 1165.18 1166.99 Main and Union Streets. 1164.90 1165.2 1166.13 General Offices, C. I. Co. 1174.20 1167.2 General Offices, C. I. Co. 1184.35 The measurements for 1889 were taken at 3 o'clock, and at 4:15 p. m. The first effort made to erect a bridge at Johnstown was under an Act of Assembly of April 10, 1835, reviving the act for the construction of bridges, and extending the time for comple- 317 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. tion for a period of two years, and authorizing the governor to incorporate the Somerset & Conemaugh Road Company, which intended to build a bridge at Franklin street, across the Stonycreek river. On March 30, 1836, another act was passed, repealing a portion of the first act, but authorizing the company to build a bridge and extending the time for a period of one year. But these efforts were unsuccessful. In 1842 a joint stock company was formed and a bridge was erected over the Stonycreek at Franklin street. Allen Rose and Jacob Braillier were the carpenters, and Martin Hannan and Thomas Howe laid the masonry. It was built 300 feet long and 12 feet in height, with an eighteen-foot roadway, and was covered, as all bridges were in those days, and being a toll bridge, cost a foot traveler one penny to cross. In 1857, the north span was washed away, and was replaced, with the addition of a sidewalk which had not been provided on the first one. It was known as the Kernville bridge, and gave splendid service until 1866, when it was washed away at the time of what is known as the "big ice gorge." To replace it, an iron bridge, the first of that material in this vicinity, was erected by the Phoenix Bridge Company, and when it was taken down in 1887 each piece was marked by the contractor, so that it could be reconstructed at Poplar street. An elegant iron and steel bridge of one span and 175 feet in length was put in its place, with a roadway of 30 feet and a sidewalk of 10 feet on each side. This bridge was destroyed in the flood of 1889. The power of the water was sufficient to lift this immense weight of iron and steel, and carry it two hundred yards below its abutments, but the braces, angle irons, etc., were so twisted and bent that it was not practical to attempt to again use them for that purpose. The Edgmoor Bridge Company were the contractors for the present Franklin street bridge, which was opened to the public on February 3, 1891. It is 225 feet between abutments, with a roadway and sidewalks of the same width as the bridge of 1887. The borough purchased the stock of the old Kernville Bridge Company in 1868, and made it a free bridge. The old Franklin street bridge was transferred to Poplar street in that year-1887-but was reduced a panel at each end, thus making it 175 feet instead of 245. This was the first 318 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. bridge at Poplar street, and two years after its destruction in the flood of 1889 was replaced by the present structure. Until 1887 it was the custom to have a notice posted on both ends of all bridges to the effect that a fine would be imposed on any person driving a horse over it faster than a walk. But one of the conditions of the Franklin street structure built in 1887 was that it should be strong enough to allow a horse to pass over it at the will of the person driving, and the obnoxious notice never appeared on it, nor its successor of 1891, nor of any of the other bridges. In 1888 the Valley Turnpike Company finished its bridge across the Stonycreek at Moxham, between Stonycreek and Upper Yoder township now the Eighth and Seventeenth wards. The Valley Turnpike Company also erected another toll bridge from the upper end of Moxham to Ferndale soon after. On the 13th of April, 1868, Governor Geary signed an Act of the General Assembly incorporating the "Stonycreek Bridge Company," wherein Jacob Fronheiser, Jacob Fend, Lewis Plitt, John Geis, Jacob Wild, Conrad Suppes, and Jacob Swank were authorized to secure subscriptions to erect a footbridge over the Stonycreek, "at or near the lanyard of Jacob Levergood on the one side, and the mouth of Haynes street on the other side of said stream." The bridge had to be completed within two years, but the company did not succeed in procuring sufficient money, and it was not built. It seems that this location for a bridge has been a favorite one for many years, but its promoters never succeeded until March, 1896, when a light suspension footbridge was swung. The first bridge across the Little Conemaugh was erected in 1829, and stood for one night, when it fell of its own weight. It was what is known as a "straining-brace" bridge, and was a single span. It was located between the Walnut street bridge and the aqueduct, nearer the latter than the former. About this time the aqueduct was constructed, and horses, with their riders, passed over it on the towing-path, but it was not wide enough for a vehicle. The first successful bridge for the use of all kinds of travel was a two- span frame bridge, erected in 1848 by popular subscription. It was replaced by another in 1853, which stood until 1862, when the boroughs of Johnstown and Millville erected the first municipal bridge, under power of an Act of 319 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. Assembly passed March 15, 1862, of which the preamble is as follows: "Whereas, The Boroughs of Johnstown and Millville, in the County of Cambria, have erected at their joint expense a bridge connecting said boroughs on the Conemaugh River, at Johnstown, etc." The Act then gave jurisdiction to the Burgess of either borough for punishing violations of ordinances thereon. It was called the Lincoln bridge in honor of the president, and continued in use until 1883, when a single-span iron bridge of 110 feet in length, and the first of the restricted kind, was put in its place by the two boroughs. It was destroyed in the flood. The present Walnut street bridge was commenced February 4, 1890, and part of it was washed away February 16, 1891, but it was rebuilt and opened to the public March 4, 1891. By the Act of Assembly of April 4, 1856, John Murray, Jacob Fronheiser, James H. Pennel, John Fenlon, David Prosser, C. P. Murray, P. Cauffield and William Howard were appointed Commissioners to receive subscriptions for the "Conemaugh Bridge Company." The intention was to construct a bridge across the Little Conemaugh at Woodvale, but the promoters did not succeed in securing sufficient subscriptions, and the project failed. In April, 1861, however, the county commissioners erected a two-span frame bridge across the Little Conemaugh about where the present Woodvale bridge is located, but when it was about finished a freshet swept every stick of it away. Wesley J. Rose and George W. Easly were the contractors, consequently the loss was theirs, and they at once replaced the bridge, but before the second structure was completed Mr. Easly enlisted in the Union Army and was elected Captain of Company H, of the Tenth P. V. Regiment, recruited April 26, 1861. On February 21, 1862, Governor Curtin signed an Act of Assembly authorizing the Commissioners of Cambria county "to make settlement with the said George W. Easly and Wesley J. Rose, and to allow them such compensation * * * as may seem just and reasonable," which they did. That bridge was replaced by an iron structure built in 1884, by the boroughs of Woodvale and Conemaugh. On July 16, 1884, the county commissioners appropriated $1,000 toward 320 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. its construction. It stood until 1889, when it was, like all the others, destroyed by the flood, and in 1891 it was replaced by a substantial iron and steel bridge. On the 18th of April, 1853, the legislature authorized James P. McConaughy, George S. King, Evan Roberts, James Potts, E. B. Gageby, Cyrus L. Pershing and J. A. Cox to create the "Cambria Bridge Company" to erect a toll bridge "at or near the Broad fording, in Conemaugh township," which they accordingly did. Notwithstanding its great value to the public, it was not, a financial success, and on November 27, 1865, the General Assembly authorized a dissolution of the company and a sale by the sheriff. The bridge of 1853 was a Howe truss, of four spans, each 90 feet in length, and after it was disposed of the Cambria Iron Company built an iron bridge on its site about 1870. This bridge was washed away in 1889, and its successor was built in 1891, when the other city bridges were replaced, and was located one full square below Branch street, opposite Railroad street, whereas the bridges of 1853 and 1870 were at the entrance of Branch street. In 1880 an iron bridge was erected across the Little Conemaugh, between Woodvale and Franklin boroughs, above the street-car barn. This changed the route of travel to Conemaugh, which had been via the Bluff crossing to the Franklin side of the river, where the horse-car tracks were, and along the fair grounds, where the trotting track was, as well as the baseball grounds. But bridge, road, street-car tracks, cars, barns and fair grounds were swept away- even the soil down to the gravel-by the great flood of 1889. A new steel bridge was built in May, 1896, to replace the one destroyed. The Pennsylvania Railroad Company built a single-track iron bridge across the Conemangh river on the present site of the Stone Bridge, in 1852, and in 1864 it was made wide enough for double tracks. It was replaced in 1887-88 by the present four-track stone arch structure. The right of way for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company was procured October 21, 1879, and the road was completed within a year. A three-span single- track steel bridge was built across the Stonycreek, between what is now the Seventh and Eighth wards. In the tripartite compact of 1882, between the boroughs of Johnstown and Millville and the Cambria Iron Company, it 321 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. was agreed that the Cambria Iron Company should construct a railroad bridge across the Little Conemaugh at The Point, with a passage way on the upper side for foot travelers, and should build a railroad along the northerly bank of the Stonycreek river up to Bedford street, leaving an opening for Beulah Fording. The bridge was built shortly thereafter and was used up to the time of the flood of 1889, when it was also destroyed and never replaced. The filling for the railroad was partly made, but it was not even finished, as far as Market street. In 1890 the Cambria Iron Company erected a steel bridge over the same stream, a short distance, above the Railroad street bridge and below the Stone bridge, for the purpose of hauling coal from the Mill Mine in Yoder Hill to the boilers by means of a cable. In the same year the Westmont Incline Plane Company built a steel bridge across the Stonycreek river, below Union street, for the accommodation of its patrons. In 1896 the Pennsylvania Railroad Company erected a steel bridge across the Little Conemaugh at the Woodvale Factory for the spur to the new freight depot. In 1874 the Cambria Iron Company erected a single-track bridge over the Little Conemaugh at the old Basin-Feeder Dam, in rear of the Gautier Works, for the purpose of receiving raw materials for their Works from the Pennsylvania Road at Conemaugh, shipping their finished products by the same road over bridges at Branch street and Morrellville, but high water destroyed all of them, and the Morrellville bridge was the only one replaced, and that in the fall of 1889. After the Cambria Iron Company became possessed of the old Basin and Canal bed, and Old Portage roadbed up to Franklin, they used the old wooden aqueduct for a railroad bridge until 1868, when the Phoenix Bridge Company put up an iron structure which was destroyed in the flood of 1889. The next year it was replaced by a single-track steel bridge, with a foot-walk on the lower side. In the latter part of the sixties a modern bridge was built by the Johnstown Manufacturing Company across the Little Conemaugh, in the rear of the Woodvale Mill and Factory, to haul coal from the Coshun Hill to these industries. It was also used for teams until taken down some years ago. In 1890 the Cambria Iron Company erected a wooden railroad bridge Vol. I-21 322 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. at about the same place, or a little above it, to take the place of the one in the rear of the Gautier Works lost in the flood, but this bridge was removed by the company in the winter of 1894, to allow the ice, which had gorged at that point, to pass off. The single-span bridge of the Pennsylvania Railroad hereafter referred to is about on its location. As will be observed, all the bridges in this vicinity were destroyed in the great catastrophe of 1889, and the finance committee of Johnstown, consisting of W. C. Lewis, John D. Roberts, James McMillen, Cyrus Elder, Geo. T. Swank, A. J. Moxham, and Tom L. Johnson, expended for temporary bridges at the various places the following sums of money: At Mineral Point, $50; at Poplar street, $363.84; at Franklin street, $410.86; at Woodvale, $609.24; at Walnut street, $2,761.20; at Cambria, $2,833.21; for permanent bridges at Franklin, Walnut, Cambria and Woodvale, $75,000; total, $82,028.35. Before the temporary bridges were erected, and within a few days after the flood, Secretary-of-War Proctor sent pontoons belonging to the Federal Government, which were anchored in the Stonycreek, at Poplar and Franklin streets, and were of great value for the passage of people and teams. A number of citizens, of whom Daniel J. M. Stackhouse was one, succeeded in getting a rope ferry across the Conemaugh in the rear of the Cambria Company's office on Sunday after the flood. This was of great use to the bereaved and their friends, and Mr. David Boyle rendered great assistance by constructing a raft and ferrying people from Frank W. Hay's residence to the Presbyterian Church, on Main street, on Saturday, going across the cut made by the Conemaugh river, where the water was five feet deep. In 1890 the finance committee referred to above of which James McMillen was chairman, employed Mr. Carl Schenk, of Cincinnatti, to make a survey of the Stonycreek valley, to ascertain the best method to prevent future overflows. He made an elaborate examination, and prepared maps from actual surveys, etc. He recommended the filling up of the old bed and that a new channel be made for the Stonycreek from Poplar street bridge to the base of Millcreek road, keeping close to Yoder Hill, the bed to have 225 feet at low-water mark and 250 feet at the top of the embankment, which would straighten the conduit. The opposition was strong, and no one person desired to under- 323 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. take the labor of prosecuting it, although ample capital was offered to purchase all the property that would be taken. The Board of Trade secured the services of Mr. J. J. R. Croes, of New York, who made a survey of both rivers, and prepared photographs, maps, and drawings of every essential thing affecting or likely to produce overflows, which report was made June 19, 1891. In the report of Mr. Croes, one of his conclusions is as follows: "As regards the rivers within the city limits, the inundation of that part of Johnstown south of the Little Conemaugh in floods such as (from experience of 1887,1889 and 1891) may be expected every second year, is caused almost entirely by the contraction of the channel of the Stonycreek, between the south end of Market street, and the point where the Valley Pike strikes the river, about 1,000 feet below the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad bridge." Until about 1870 the average width of the Little Conemaugh, within the limits of the city, was 195 feet, and that of the Stonycreek was about 288 feet, and the Conemaugh, below The Point about 350 feet. However, some filling in spots had been done previously. To understand the situation at that period it is proper to consider the topographical conditions of the city, as well as other causes. Johnstown is situated in the valley, between the Prospect and Yoder Hills, which are 3,700 feet apart at Franklin street; 2,800 feet at Walnut; 1,400 feet at the Stone bridge, and 1,700 feet at the Cambria bridge. Above Franklin street, the valley between Green Hill and Prospect Hill at Adam street, is 1,800 feet; at Singer street, 1,800 feet; at Church street, 800 feet and in Woodvale 1,400 feet. Above Franklin, between Green Hill and Yoder Hill, at Adam street the valley is 1,800 feet; at Horner and Bedford streets, 1,300 feet, and at Poplar street 1,300 feet. Thus it will be observed that the business portion of the town was somewhat limited, and with the increased demand for the products of the iron and steel mills, and the increased facilities required for transportation, succeeding the Rebellion of 1865, it became a necessity to have more room, and ground was made on both sides of the rivers, which caused the officials of the boroughs of Johnstown and Millville on March 28, 1882, to agree-in which they were supported by public opinion-that 324 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. the width of the Little Conemaugh should be fixed at 110 feet, and the Stonycreek at 175. It was a mistake. The following tables show where the rivers have been narrowed. The width of the Little Conemaugh river in 1854 and 1907, at the several points given in feet was thus: 1854. 1907. At The Point 112 125 At Union street 262 125 At Walnut street bridge 150 125 At Market street 114 125 At Franklin street 242 125 Above mouth waste weir 262 125 At Smith's Foundry 188 125 Below Basin Feeder Dam 150 125 At the Basin Feeder Dam 562 125 At Woodvale bridge 225 125 In 1854 the average width of the river from the dam down to The Point was 195 feet. The space between the southerly line of Conemaugh street and the Little Conemaugh river, in feet, was thus: 1854. 1907. At Johns street 38 100 At Union street 37 138 At Morrell place 19 104 At Morgan's 30 96 At southeast corner Washington and Walnut 45 93 The width of the Stonycreek river at the same period, in feet, was as follows: 1854. 1907. At The Point 300 300 At Union street 281 228 At Walnut street 282 200 At Market street 394 330 At Court alley 262 160 At U. B. Church 280 175 Above Franklin street, bridge 262 175 At Willow street 318 175 At Haynes street 282 175 At Dibert street 262 245 At South street 262 128 At Everhart street 300 225 At Poplar street bridge 300 225 The average width from Poplar street bridge to The Point in 1854 was 288 feet, and in 1907 it was 206. 325 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. The space between the property lines on the southwesterly side of Water and Somerset streets and the Stonycreek river, at the same periods, in feet, was thus: 1854. 1907. At Napoleon street 75 150 At Mrs. Parker's, southwest corner Franklin and Water streets 38 100 At Taney's drug store, at southeast corner of same 37 80 At Willow street 56 100 The number of feet from the property line on the northerly side of Stonycreek and Vine streets to the Stonycreek river was as follows: 1854. 1907. At Johns street 19 106 At Union street 93 105 At King street 75 94 At Walnut street 75 120 At Carr, west end 56 120 At Carr, east end 19 80 At School alley 19 56 At Court alley 18 96 At Franklin, above bridge 75 120 At John Thomas' 38 110 At Levergood street 56 106 From the westerly line of Baumer street to the Stonycreek river, comparing Baumer street with the Old Feeder, up to Cherry street, it is thus: 1854. 1907. At Bedford and Baumer 45 110 At 300 feet above 57 90 At 300 feet above 83 90 At 300 feet above 30 104 At 300 feet above 30 120 At Spruce street 38 120 At Cherry 57 42 As to the mouth of the Conemaugh river below the junction of the Little Conemaugh and the Stonycreek, in feet, it is thus: 1854. 1907. At Stone Bridge 300 260 At Railroad street, in Cambria 450 260 At Hinckston's Run 318 260 At City line 300 260 The channel of the Conemaugh river below the junction of the Little Conemaugh and the Stonycreek rivers is 260 feet 326 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. wide; this width, was fixed by the ordinance of 1890, which also made the standard width of the Little Conemaugh 125 feet, and the Stonycreek 225 feet. Prior to 1882 the channel of the Stonycreek came up to a stone wall on the westerly side of Vine street, known then as Stonycreek street, which street was about 38 feet in width in front of John Thomas' residence, then Dr. Lowman's. Before men decided to build a large city in this valley the views along both rivers were as beautiful as anywhere in the mountains. The high ranges hide the sunlight from one side of the stream in the morning and the other in the evening; an eminence extending from a range of mountains, cuts off the channel from a direct course, forcing it back around the hill to within a short distance of where it was broken, as at the Viaduct and Bridge No. 6, on the Conemaugh, and at Benscreek on the Stonycreek. The bottom lands were cultivated on either side, with the white farmhouses and barns among the cherry and apple blossoms; and in the dense forest the trees in foliage covered the hills and dipped their branches in the stream, with the blossoming dogwood to add to the charm. One of the most beautiful scenes was the view from the top of Benscreek Hill, where the Stonycreek makes a graceful curve around Hogback. Everything thereto belonging was pleasant to the eye and ear except the name-Hogback. The bottom lands were rich and fertile; the hills on every side were high and covered with trees of mountain growth; the banks on either side had foliage sufficient to outline a division between the water and the cultivated fields; the rippling Benscreek flowed into the Stonycreek, above an uncultivated island, decorated with the trees of the forest; and the Hogback eminence extends from the river to the range of mountains of which it is part, like a cape in a placid sea. To the south is the embryonic village of Millcreek, with its mill and toll gate, and a few houses for company, and near by the old brick residence of the man who was manager of Benscreek charcoal furnace, when the battle cry was "Polk, Dallas and Shunk, and the Tariff of '42," and when pig metal was hauled to Johnstown in the winter and shipped on the Canal in the summer. All this lay within a knot's length of the top of the hill, and away beyond were the hills of Somerset and Scalp Level, and to the west the apparently unbroken Laurel Hill. All in all, it 327 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. was one of the most beautiful views on the Allegheny mountains-a sight fit for a goddess. But man's ingenuity and civilization have robbed this fair valley of all its natural charms; trolley poles have taken the places of the giants of the forests; railroads trace their barren paths; and a modern amusement park is located where the many of God's first temples stood. THE ELEVATIONS IN CAMBRIA. It is sometimes important to have the several elevations above sea level at hand. The first list is correctly and accurately located while those in the second are only approximated. All those in the first list are taken from the top of the rail of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Feet. Philadelphia, at Thirty Fourth street station 70.5 Altoona, Passenger station 1178.9 Kittanning Point 1624.2 East End of Tunnel, at Gallitzin 2125. Top of Tunnel, westbound track, at Gallitzin 2350. Gallitzin, westbound station 2161.1 Arch at Cresson 2022.6 One mile east of Lilly 1952.5 800 feet west of Lilly 1885.3 Bens Creek Arch 1797.9 Portage station 1673.8 Wilmore station, road arch 1583.7 Summerhill station, arch east of station 1562.9 Ehrenfeld station 1519.5 South Fork, arch west of station 1485.1 Viaduct, west of South Fork 1457. Mineral Point station 1414.5 Cambria Steel Co's dam, west of Mineral Point 1334.4 No. 6 Stone Arch Bridge, east of Conemaugh 1311.5 Conemaugh Bound House 1226.5 Woodvale, Third street bridge, llth ward, Johnstown 1186.2 Johnstown Passenger station 1184. Stone Bridge west of station, Johnstown 1180.7 Sang Hollow 1143.6 Pittsburg Passenger station 744.8 ON THE CAMBRIA AND CLEARFIELD DIVISION. Cresson 2022.6 Munster 1938. Kaylor 2044. Winterset 2130. Ebensburg 2034.5 328 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. Feet. Ebensburg at Court House 2138. Beulah Road 1899. Nant Y Glo 1716. Vintondale 1402. Amsbry 1910. Ashville 1844. Bradley Junction 1787. Patton 1734. Garway 1432. Tunnel Siding, near Carrolltown 1985.7 Carrolltown Road 1855.2 Spangler 1467.7 Barnesboro 1450. Cherry Tree 1368. Dean 1610. SOUTH FORK RAILROAD. South Fork 1491. Lovett 1651. Dunlo 2200. Summit 2164. Windber 1689. Ashtola 2107. ELSEWHERE IN THE COUNTY, APPROXIMATED. Susquehanna township: north of Douglass Run, 1700; Garman's Mill, 1429; northeast of same, 1700; southeast of same, 1600; southeast of Spangler, 1600; southeast of same, highest, 1800; Plattville, 1830; northwest of Hastings, 1987. Elder township: Junction of Chest Creek and Bluebaker Run, 1418; west of same, 1800; Hastings, 1735; east end of Mitchell's Mines, 2100; south of same, 2300; southwest of same, 2,000; southwest of Aldburn, 1600. Chest township: above junction of Rock Run and Chest Creek, from 1700 to 1900; Head of North Branch of Rock Run, 1900 to 2100; Head of south branch of same, 2100; St. Lawrence, 2144; east of Thomas's Mill, 2000; northeast of Patton, 1800 to 2,000. White township: Northeast of Glendale, 1500; west of same, 1600; southeast of junction of Rock Bun and Mudlick Run, 1500. Reade, northeast of Flinton, 1600. Clearfield township: Southwest of Dean, 1700; southwest of Dysart, above Indian Run, 1700; west of junction of Clearfield creek and Little Laurel Run, 1700 to 1900; southwest side of Swartz's Run, 1700 to 1945; east of Patton, 1817. Allegheny township: Chest Springs borough, 1969; junction of Beaverdam Run and Clearfield creek, 1650; northwest of 329 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. Same, 1800; northeast of Loretto, 1900; northeast of Wildwood Spring, 3,798; southeast of Loretto Road, 2,000. Carroll township: North of Eckenrode Mill, 1900; south of same, 2000; west of same, 1900; northeast of Carrolltown, 2100; southeast, of same, 2000; north of Leslie Run, 2100; west of Bradley Junction, 2000. Barr township: Nicktown, 1967; north of Vetera, 2094; junction of Blacklick and Teakettle Run, 1766. Blacklick: Belsano, 1828; Pindleton, 2301; Ivison, 1775. Cambria township: East of source of south fork of Blacklick, 2100; north of Winterset, 2064; north of Ebensburg, 2100; south, 2000; southwest 2094; west 2000. Gallitzin township: South of Amsbry, 2100; west of Syberton, 1822; south of Syberton, 1858; east of Syberton, 2200;west of Elstie, 2300; west of Burgoon Gap, 2400; north of Coupon, 2400; south of Ashville, near junction of Clearfield and Beaverdam Run, 1644; south of Sugar Run Gap, 2300; northeast of Gallitzin borough, 2400. Cresson township: Blair Gap, at line of Blair and Cambria, 2332; east of the source of Burgoon Run, 2600; south of Laurel Gap, 2600; north of Summit, 2200. Washington township: North of Lilly, 2097; Big Spring Gap, 2601; south of Big Spring Gap, 2700; north of Ben's Creek, 1900. Portage township: Northeast of Bobs' Creek Gap, 2700; south of same, 2700; Puritan, 2000; south of Portage, 1700 to 1900; south of Martindale, 2555. Summerhill township: South of Mock Creek Gap, 2600; head of Beaverdam Run, 2500; east of Wilmore, 1555; head of Birch Run, 1976. Adams township: Near Bedford and Cambria line, 2800; at Blue Knob, in Bedford county, 3136; north of Bear Wallow, 2700; southwest of same, 2700; west of Rachel's Run, 2700; north of Dunlo, 2566; southwest of Llanfair, 2500; north of Allendale, 1900; head of South Fork branch of Conemaugh river, 2700; east of Onnalinda, 2444. Croyle township: North of Lovett's, 1800; west of Mud Run,1925. Munster township: East of Kaylor, 1900; west of same, 2155; east of Noel, 1900; Luckett's, 2048; head of North Branch of Little Conemaugh river, west of Munster, 1989; head of Clearfield creek, 1900. The elevations in the City of Johnstown and vicinity will be found in the chapter on the rivers and floods.