VOL.XXVIII. THK RIVERS AGAIN. More About tlic Cau.e of Their Overflow and the Remedy. to i/ Editor of llw JohmWwn Democrat. ID au article in the Tribune recently, headed "Our City and its Rivers," the writer very keenly calls to uotice our dreadful disaster, loss of life and property caused by waters. The les son was indeed one veey dearly pur. chased. But would it net be well for us, in all sincerity, to look the causes of our disaster and troubles from water squarely in the face, and in doing so we find, in the first place, it is an undenied fact that the prime cause for the loss of so many lives and thousands of dollars worth of property was the giving way of the South Fork reservoir on May 31st last. Of the resetvoir, can only be said there did exist some fourteen miles from our city a death trap longing an opportunity to sweep down and rob us of thousands of inhab itants and millions of dollars worth of property. But did we not know the res ervoir was in existence ? Were we not fully aware of its unsafely ? Was it uot a known fact that unfit material was an nually used in the breast of t hat very res ervoir, which possessed not the required resisting power for so e lormous a body of water'/ And, lastly, were we not fully familiar with the correspondence on the subject that took place between John Fulton, now Geueral Manager of the Cambria Iron Company, then Chief En gineer of same institution, and the officers of the South Fork Sportsmen and Fishing Club' We were told as plain as language could make it by our townsman that the resisting power was insufficient, taking character of material and manner of con struction as a basis for our protection. Certainly no one can deny these facts; they were well founded, and we have the evidence —a ruiued city. This is our dis aster and cause in a nutshell. Now as for our riveis. It is undoubt edly true that our channels in their present condition are insufficient to carry off the water should a large amount of rain fall. But why arc they insufficient to discharge all the waters now ? Were they not also insufficient for several years before the flood '/ It is true that a portion of our present trouble must be attributed to de posits in our channels as a result from the flood, but does the cause solely rest there ss we are lead to believe? Certainly not, xor we have had overflows for several years before the flood. We older citizens who have lived in this valley from 30 to 00 years have no recollection of troubles from high water. No other solution can therefore be given than as we know and see them, and that is a practical game of scientific taking that which does not be long, has been indulged in on the banks of our stream to such an extent that our channels have, within the last few years, been so narrowed that the space left now has been and is unable to discharge all the water and overflows are natural re sults. The Stonycreek, which now seems to so sincerely attract the attention of our would-be philanthropists, urging City Council to grant privileges to change the stream, was in former limes no source of trouble, and why ? Because it then had the average width of 225 fei't. This width our borough fathers in all there wisdom thought was extravagant by fifty feet, and assumed the questioned responsibility to reduce the width to 175 feet and grant permits to fill to that width. A corporation determined to seu the town Council with their reduction of titty fee in width and go fifty better. So that in place of leaving a channel of 225 feet as formerly we now have a channel to con vey off same amount (if rain fall at 125 feet at some points. The same ratio wdl hold good with all our streams in the City limits, and yet the question is daily asked why have we trouble from water souices now ? The lime has arrived when prompt and decided action for our relief is necessary, our City Council to whom is intrusted the task, should at once take the position that private individuals though ever so poor have equal rights with corporations that both are amen able on the same basis, and to that end should negotiate and not allow, as in former years that schemes of various kinds shall form the basis of legislation. The change of Stonycreek would not doubt be profitable at least to the projec tors, who with tears ask to be recognized. That our streams have been encroached on is now beyond a doubt. That the bed of a stream is a higliwav is equally true, If therefore a highway is encroached upon, there is a remedy. The law of Johnstown borough Council without authority narrowed our streams or allowed it to bedone then there is a remedy for restoration, and my word for it, restore to our channels that which was without any well founded authority, taken from it from Coopersdale to the extreme limits of the City. Remove the most scrions deposits from the flood, as well as the stone railroad bridge, and arrange at proper angles the confluence of the various streams, and the result will be as in former years no trouble from water sources, without even the assistance of your extremely generous Construction Company. J CSTKI. JOHNSTOWN, CAMBRIA COUNTY. PA., FRIDAY, MAY 23, 1890. THE CASE FULLY STATED. Confutation of the Kboubiirg Herald's Charges That We Misstated .Matters in Our Kr|>ort of the Directors' Convention. The Cambria Herald, of hist week says that the DEMOCRAT misrepresented things in its report of the School Direct ors' Con vention. They quote from our paper of the 7th lust, the following: The directors from the new borough of Hast ings presented a decision of the Superintendent of public Instruction setting forth that they were entitled to a vote In the convention. The chairman read some law on the subject and In terpreted It against them, refusing to acknowl edge the decision of the State Department. The llastlugs men were not permitted to vote. Then the Herald goes on to comment, as follows: The truth of the matter Is a llrector got up In the convention and said that one of the di rectors from Hastings had received a letter from the State Department, but that lie forgot to bring It with him. The chairman read tlw school law In regard to the matter, which explicitly slates that new boards can not vote before the organization In June. And It Is not contrary to custom, as Intimated by the DKMOCKAT, to tlx the salary question after the election of a county superintendent. We do not w'sli to get into any contro versy in regard to this matter, but every word we said is true, and the "veracious" writer in the Herald. who is easily dis tinguished by his italics, either through ignorance or for the purpo-e of putting matters iu a light more acceptable to the people of the county, told in the state ments quoted above several thiDgs that are untrue. Mr. John A. Piatt, a director from Hast ings, stated that 1 e was prepared to take oath that the board from that borough had authority from the State Department to participate in the election. Mr. Piatt also stated that he had accidentally omitted bringing with him the letter from the Department. The chairman thereupou produced from a copy of the School Laws this section : That when a new district shall hereafter be formed, such district shall not be considered and recognized as a separate and Independent school district until after the termination of the cur rent school year In which It became a new dis trict, and until It have a full board of directors regularly elected or appointed and organized, except that the directors thereof shall have au thority to levy, assess and collect tax, procure school-houses, and do all other acts necessary to the commencement of the schools for the ensu lng year. Does that " explicitly state that new boards cannot vote before the organiza tion in June ?" Reader, compare the Her ald's statement with the above and see who " misrepresents matters." If the chairman, who would certaiuly make a good judge, if the dispatch with which he disposes of legal questions be a merit, had looked a moment at a decision of the department appended to the above section of the law, he would have found this: The board of a new district may do every offi cial act, during the year next before that In which It goes Into separate and Independent op eration, necessary to the putting of the schools Into full working order, except that of actual opening them for Instruction. The letter received by the Hastings board, in answer to the question whether they were entitled to vote for county Superintendent or not is as follows : DKPARTMKNT or PUBLIC INSTRUCTION,! Harrlsburg, April 29, IS!*). J John .1. Plait, Eng. DKAK SIR : You have a legal right to vote for county Suparintendent on the first, Tuesday In May. Yours Truly, HKNRV HOICK, Deputy supt. Has the Herald anything more to say on the subject ? Our reply has been de layed a little in order to gel possession of the above letter. The right of the Director's to a vote was presented at the convention by a gentleman who would not misrepresent the rnatler, and the de cision was ruled out by the Chairman, either because he aud those who were back of him didn't know any better, or because they did it for a purpose, and that purpose it isn't haul to see. On the matter of fixing the salary there is only this to say : It has been the cus tom in this county for a great many years to first settle the salary and then elect the Superintendent, and the man who wrote the article for the Herald knew he was writing an untruth when he wrote it. If what we say is not correct will he state in what instances for the last fif teen or eighteen years has the Superin tendent been elected before the salary was settled ? Is not that long enough to establish a custom ? Reduced Kates to German linptlsts at Nortq Manchester, Inil,, vial'enusylvanla Rail road. For the benefit of visitors to the meet ing of the Old German Baptists at North Manchester, Ind., the Pennsylvania Rail road Company will sell excursion tickets to North Manchester at one fare and a third for the round trip. Tickets will be sold May 20th to 25th, valid for return until June 25, 1890, inclusive. The exceptionally good facilities af. forded by the Pennsylvania's through trains to the \Ve9t, commend this route most strongly to the patronage of visitors to this mcetiDg. The specific round-trip rate from Johnstown to North Manches ter is $17.39, Conemaugh $17.48. Further information will be given by ticket agents or upon application to Thos. E. Watt. Passenger Agent Western Division, 110 Fifth avenue, Pittsbugh. HOARD GF TRADE. Proceed intra ol die Regular Meeting I.*t Evening—Chances for a Public Building Not (ioml. The regular meeting of the Board of i Trade was called to order last evening by Vice President .Mos'-s. The roll was called and a quorum an swered to their names. G. W. Mcses, G. VV. YVagner, James Quinn, Scott Dibert, 8. Dean Cannan, Geo. K. Shryock, P. S. Fisher, John Hannan, G. A. Hager, Chas. Suppes, J. M. Shumaker, Cbas. H. Griffith, P. L, Carpenter, were present. The minute of the last regular anil special meetings were read and approved. Reports of Committees being called for the Committees on Manufactures, Real Estate, Finance, Municipal Affairs, Sta tistics, Publication and Arbitration had no report. The Treasurer's report was read as fol lows : Dh. • To amount on hand at our last meeting, $1270 72 'To amount received from the secretary. 54 on Total $1321 72 CR. By amount-paid c. T. Frazer $25 uo By amount paid Johnstown Elec tric Light Co. 8 13 $ 33 13 Balance $1291 SB GEO. A. HAGER, Treasurer. The report was received and ordered tiled. The secretary read a letter received by the Special committee on Public Building for Johns town, from Hon. Edward scull, as follows: HOL'SE OK REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D. c., April 28, lsuo. lion. 1,. I). Woodruff', MY DEAR SIR: I have the letterof yourself and colleagues, a committee of;the Board of Trade, relative to an appropriation for the erection of a Government building In your city, of course, 1 stand ready to do all In my power to meet; your wishes In this matter, but 1 do not think this Is an auspicious time. You will observe on an ex amination of the House calendar, a copy of which I mail you, that It contains a very large number of bills of a similar character. The Com mittee or. Public Grounds and Buildings has had Its day, or rather two days, during which It pro cured the passage of a number of bills, four of which were for buildings in our Slate. It Is not probable that It will get another day dur ing this session, but If It does, It will call up bills In their order on the calendar. Apart irom this there Is no other way of getting a bill considered except by "unanimous consent." The objection of a single member prevents the privilege being granted, and gentlemen having bills on the cal endar will, In defense of their own rights, object to have bills below them taken out and passed- It is current rumor at this time that the enor mous sums of money which would be required to erect but a tithe of the bulldlugs that are asked for, and bills for wblch are on tbe calen dar, has attracted the attention of the Execu tive. and that, If passed, will not meet with his approval. The committee has now on Its tile a large number of bills not acted upon, and probably will not be during this session. If, howeer, on due consideration, your committee thinks It would be In the Interest of the project to have a bill Introduced, at tbls session, It will afford me pleasure to do so. Truly yours, EDWARD SCCLI.. Tbe Secretary read tbe following bills, wbicb were approved aud paid : A. E. Blain, janitor, $8.33; C. T. Frazer, rent for April, $25 ; L. D. Woodruff, $3.00; Ramp & Horan 75 cents; W. J. Rose, $1.02, Tbe names of Win. C. Kreiger, Assistant Casbier of tbe Liizens Bank and Wm. A. Donaldson, were proposed for member ship and under tbe rules were laid over until tbe next regular meeting. The river question was freely discussed. They Hud Heller Aequlc*ett. To the Editor <ll the'Johmlorcn Democrat. Ihe enemies of Dr. Bcalc since they bave failed through the congregation aud I he Presbytery to effect his defeat are now making use of the columns of the Tribune to villify him and anuoy the church. It would have been very much better for them, when they had collided their strength, and at least two instances found a majority of the actual members and con tributors of the congregation ugaiust them, and the recent action of the com mittee, in which the pastor and congrega tion was sustained, to have quietly ac quiesced aud either withdiawn from the chuich oraccepted the u ill of the majority. Neither Dr. Buale nor his supporters are necessitated to go through the town with a petition pleading for money to pay his salary, nor will he have to issue an execution against theparsonage to liquidate it. As long as he can be prevailed upon to remain with us, which we hope will be for many years, his salary will be pro vided for and promptly paid. ANOTHER MEMBER. Carriages Itnn by Gas. One of the recent inventions is carriages to be propelled by gas generated from benzine. The motor is placed in the rear over the main axle and the benzine is carried in a receptacle under the seat. It holds enough for a trip of eighty miles. The gas mixture is ignited in a cylinder by an electric spark. The motor is started by simply turning a lever. A link chain belted to a wheel in the rear applies the power. In its make-up the carriage is something like a tricycle, having only three wheels, and is guided precisely the same way. It is easy to increase or di minish the speed and the carriage can be stopped in a moment. The system can be applied to large or small vehicles. The cost is comparatively low. The speed is from ten miles an hour down to that of a horse car. ♦ ♦ • Subscribe for the DEMOCRAT. THE CITY'S SCHOOLS. ' The Number of School* iu the New City, Organization of the Hoard of Controller*, and Other Intrreating Matter. The number of school rooms furnished the city by the several boroughs as follows : Johnstown, 24 ; Millville, 14 : Conemaugh, 4 ; VYoodvale, 2 ; Cambria, 2 ; Grubbtown, 2 ; Prospect, 1 ; a total of 49. Johnstown borough lost 10 rooms by tbe flood. Conemaugh—deducting those in the new building—4 ; Wood vale 2, and Cambria 2 ; a total of 18. It is likely that within a very short time all these rooms will have to be replaced, making about seventy schools. And the giowth of the city will in a few years give the. city a sufficient number of schools to entitle it to hold a separate institute. The number of sclioo s necessary is seventv fiv.. One of the first duties levolving upon the Board of City School Controllers after organization will be the choice of a City Superintendent for a term of three years at a salary to be fixed by the Board of Control lers. Many of the matters pertaining to the organization of the Board of Controllers and the management of the school gov ernment of the city are best told by the following paragraphs taken from the law on the subject applying to cit'es of the tbild class : The Board of School Controllers shall annually organize on the first Monday of June, by the e'ection of a President and Secret try, by a vote of a majority of members elected theret'. The Secretary shall receive such salary as the Board my determine, aud shall give bond, If thereto directed, with such security as tbe Board may require, conditioned for the faithful performence of his duties and ac counting for and delivery over of all moneys, books, accounts and vouchers which may come into his possession. No member of the Board shall be eligible to any office or employment under the Board to which compensation is attached. The City Treasurer shall be ex-officio School Treasurer, and before entering upon his duties he shall give bond to the city school district in such amount as the Board of Controllers shall approve, with two or more sufficient sureties conditioned for the honest and faithful discharge of his official duties, and the safe keeping and payment over of all school moneys entrusted to his care. He shall receive such salary from the school district as the Board o 'School Controllers shall fix and determine before his election or appoint ment. When the said Controllers are sat isfied that the school tunds in the hands of the City Treasurer are endangered from any cause they may require ad ditional security, and in case of default in the giving thereof, may elect a tieasurer to serve until another City Treasurer is duly elected and qualified. The City Controller of auy city of the third class shall exercise the samv author ity and supervision of the finances and ac counts of the school district as lie does by law with reference to the finances and ac counts of ciiy affairs, and he shall coun tersign all warrants for the payment of money out of the school treasury in the same manner that he countersigns city warrants ; his compensation for such ser vices shall be fixed by the School jj oart i prior to his election, and he shall he re quired to give bond to the school dis trict, wilh surety or sureties, coudilioued for the faithful performance of his duties. The law provides that where a city is made up of several heretofore separate districts, each such district shall discharge its own obligations, wLich shall be ad justed in the aunual levying of taxes until all the debts contracted prior to consolida tion shall lmve been paid, Finding of the German Lutheran Church Hell. The bell belonging to the German Lu theran Church was discovered iti the Fif teenth ward on Monday evening by Offi cer Martin. It was in a stable, and lie was attracted by the sound while walking through an alley near by.* He thought he recognized the sound, and reported to Rev. Glasgow, who, with several trustees of the church, went down and fully iden tified it. The bell was brought up yes terday afternoon to the new school build ing, tn course of erection by the people of that church. It will be placed in position at once, It bad been found shortly after the flood by Mr. Richard Howe, and not knowing to whom it belonged, he had it placed where it was found. Throng l ' Mlglity Water*. Altoona Tribune. Mr. D. K. Ramoy has in his possession e volume which has an interesting history. It is the minute book of the Allegheny synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and it passed through the Johnstown flood. It was in sad condition when res cued, but after passing torough the hands of Bookbinder W,C. Loudon, of this city, looks almost as good as new, the discol oration of the leaves being ths only traces of the flood left. Our Lutheran friends will be glad to know that this lespository of their church minutes has been saved and rehabilitated. Subscribe for tbe Democrat. The Danger of Overflow*. To the Editor of the Johiutown Democrat. I have just read what Mayor Hose ha.4 to say on the question ef Stooycreek overflows, and having previously noted an engineer's repc rt on changing the channel b< ck to the foot of the hill, and having heard opinions, wise and other wise, of leading citizens, permit me to ask how, in the name of common sense, such a change would avert the danger of freshet oveiflows? Sunpose the water should he diverted from its present chan nel to that mapped out by the engineer, what good would come of it, other than dispensing with bridges between Johns town and Kernville? Or suppose the present channel should be widened to its original size, or to the extreme of 400 feet, or, for that matter, to 600 feet, is there a sane man in or about the town that really thinks it would give the de sired relief to the lower part of the town ? So long as that stone obstruction stands 'below the junction of the two streams, no changes in the chaunel of the Stony ceek that can be made whether by wid ening it or by diverting the water into a new one, will or can obviate the menace Of danger to life and property caused by overflows. It requires no engineering skill to see that those narrow arches ot the stone bridge wiil cause overflows every time a freshet brings down trees, logs, roots and dirt. They are skillfully and admirably adapted to catch and hold such things un til a dam of many feet is created. Then what ? Why, with no outlet for the water, it will necessarily and naturally back up over the emb aikment, aud flood the lower end of the town. The terrible flood of last May would not have caused half the destruction of life and propei ity it did, had there been no bridge with narrow arches below the junction. It is well know that the logs that came down on the rise clogged up the outlets at an early hour on that fatal Friday, and backed the water up to Wal nut street, then to Market and even to Franklin, and finally caused the Stony creek to break through to Clinton street. Who does not know that the two or three feet of wafer on Franklin street at 2 o'clock was the lesult of the big dam down at the railroad bridge ? , .Go on then, making an ado about nar rowing ihe channels of the Codemaugh and Stonycretk, attributing overflows to that work, and closing your eyes to the real cause of danger, aud see what you will accomplish by affording relief to buildings down about the Point. Squander money in widening or changing channels, and pay no attention to that .fearfully dangerous obstruciion in the form of the stone bridge, and overflows will continue to mock at your fears. Oh, for a little common sense to the real cause of danger. Lest some one should say this is writ ten by some one interested in ground made by narrowing channels, permit me to say I am only A LOOKEK ON IN VIENNA. HED MEN PARADE. Three Thou*aui| Ilriive* March Through the Streets at Scran ton SOBANTON, May 21.—Delegates from 300 tribes of ihe improved Order of Hed Men gathered in the Great Council of the State here to-day. Music Hall was completely filled when at 10 o'clock Great Sachem W. G. Myers called the meeting to order. Rev. D. C. Hughes, of Scranton, invoked the Gieat Spirit. The Great Sachem de livered an address on the history of the orde' and then introduced Mayor Fellows, who offered the freedom of the city to the tribes aud gave them a hearty welcome. At 3 o'clock the members of the order paraded. Three thousand braves in picturesque costumes were in line, and the streets down which the parade passed were densely crowded. All the Philadelphia braves have their squaws and papooses. Among them arc Great Sachem Myers, Great Sachem elect John McCully, Great Junior Saga mi re Conley, Deputy Great Sachem Conn and Richard Vaux, Randall's successor. This evening " The Farm in the West, or the Indian's Revenge," was played in -Music Hall for the benefit of the order. Clicrry-McCube. Although our sister borough of East Conemaugh very decidedly said she would not consolidate with the new City of Johnstown, some of her fair daughters, it seems have not such decided opinions upon the question of annexation. We arc led to this remark because of the mar riage Tuesday ot Miss Mattie McCabe, daughter of the late Thomas McCabe, to Mr. 8. A. Cherry, of Manayunk. The writer has known Miss Mattie as a bright school girl, an obedient and studious pu pil, and an estimable lady of much worth. It is a pleasure to her friends to know that she has taken for a husband a gentleman who is worthy of the love and trust she has reposed in him. The best wishes of a host of friends will follow them both through life and may many tull-blown cherries be gathered by them in their pathway down the stream of time. New Schedule. Trains now run on the Johnstown Si Stonycreek Railroad every fifteen min utes. See time table of the new schedule. NO. 5 SHE WON THE GLOVES. How Northwestern Widow Convinced Inquisitive Man < f HI. Error. St. Paul Pioneer-Press. In one of St Paul's palatial apartment houses lives a young widow—one of those willowv blondes, with brown eyes war ranted to kill at 100 yards. The next time she has occasion to appear in full dress she will probably weat a pnir of 'gloves which she won from a well-known gentleman who has apartments on the same floor. This is how it happened: The gentleman came home one afternoon, and as he passed along the hall to his rooms he saw through the half-opened door of the fair one's room a sight that caused him to stop and exclaim: " What on earth are yo i doing ? " The lady stepped to the door and explained that a new dress had just been sent home and that she had placed her mirror down on the floor so that she could see how the dress looked as she walked past. " Looks all light," said he. " Thai's all you know about it," said the widow. "In the first place it doesn't haug well behind; there is a certain satis faction and peace of mind to a woman who knows that her dress hangs well be hind that the comforts of religion do not give. But the greatest fault with it is that it is so short that I am almost ashamed to wear it." " That's so, it is awfully short," he said, looking down to the widow's graceful ankles as she moved around behind a chair. " But I always did adn ire those embroidered lisle thread " " You don't know wiiat you're talking about; they're not lisle thread, and you have nothing to base an opinion except your too fertile imagination." " Well, I never worked in a dry goods store, but I'll just bet you a pair of gloves that I am right, and that they arc lisle thread." " And you won't ever tell a living soul if I show you that you are wrong ? " '• Never! upon my honor." '• Well, come in and close the door, but remember that I trust you to be honorable in this and never breathe a word of it. And if I satisfy you that you are wrong 1 am to have a pair of eight-button white gloves." "Yes, yes, that's all right." he an swered, impatiently thinking it would be a good bet if he Inst. Widking demurely to a dressing case, she opened the upper drawer aud said : " I bought three pairs yesterday ; here are tne other two, aud you see iliat they are silk, not lisle thread, and they have just a little line up the side instead ol em broidery. " But I thought you were going to '' "Sir! There are some subjects upon which you have no right to think. Never mind what you thought," she continued, as she held the door open for her caller's exit. " Just utilize vriir thinker in re membering that you owe me a pair of gloves." THE RIVER BOUNDARIES. The Mayor ami the City Engineer Take a Trio to Blairsvillo to See Certain Maps. Tuesday morning Mayoi Rose and City Engineer Dowuey went to lilairs ville, taking the Johnstown Accomodation to the Intersection. Owing to the fact that several of the triv'ns were uot ruuuing on time they missed connecting with train that goes down to Blairsvillc. They then set out and walked the three miles to Blairsville. The object of their trip was to see cer tain maps of the Pynnsylvania Railroad, which are in the bands of Mr. Antes Snyder, Chief Engineer of the Right of Way ot that road. They were shown a map of the water courses i.f Ihe Cone maugh from where Woodvale stood to where the stone bridge now is, as they ap peared iu 1857, when the Pennsylvania Railroad was projected. Maps of the present courses of the stream were also shown to the visiting gentlemen, as was a map in part of the course of the Stony creek at both periods named. It is the purposo to get a tracing of those maps, if possible, so that some idea can be obtained that will be of assistance in determining the proper width of the streams to be fixed by the city ordinances. If the natural course and width of the streams wore to be restored, there is little doubt that theie would be any further danger from inundations. Messrs. Rose and Downey returnoil on the afternoon train yesterday, being obliged, in order to get home before evan ing, to walk from Blairsville to the Inter section. LICENSE PLATES FOR VEHICLES. They Have Been Received at the Con troller's Office The City Controller wishes us to state that the license plates for the vehicles for which the license tax has been paid have been received by him and are ready for distribution. The ordinance requires that they shall be placed on vehicles, tho owners of which are required to piy the license, as an evidence that the city law has been complied with. Five cents is now charged for a message over the branch telephone line to Bernard Nees' hotel, Geistown.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers