followed a
cow-path along the mountain until I reached Mineral Point. Here is where
the flood did its first bad work after leaving South Fork. There had
been thirty-three dwelling houses, a store and a large sawmill in the
village, and in less than one minute after the flood struck the head of
the place there were twenty-nine of these buildings wiped out; and so
sudden had been the coming of the water that but a few of the residents
succeeded in getting away.

As a Boy would Marbles.

Jacob Kohler, one of the residents of the place, said he had received a
telegram stating that the flood was coming, but paid no attention to it
as they did not understand its significance. "I saw it coming," he said,
"with the water reaching a height of at least twenty-five feet, tearing
trees up by the roots and dashing big rocks about as a boy would
marbles. I hardly had time to grab a child and run for the hills when it
was upon us, and in less time than it takes for me to tell it our
village was entirely wiped out and the inhabitants were struggling in
the water and were soon out of sight. I never want to see such a sight
again."

From Mineral Point another cow-path was taken over the mountains. I came
just below the viaduct within about one mile of South Fork, and here the
work of destruction had been as complete as it was possible for it to
be. The entire road-bed of the Pennsylvania Railroad had been washed
away.

At this point a freight train had been caught and all the men on it
perished, but the names could not be learned. The engine was turned
completely upside down and the box cars were lifted off the track and
carried two hundred feet to the side of the hill. Fifteen of them are
there with the trucks, about one hundred feet from the old road-bed, and
turned completely upside down.

Another freight train just ahead of it was also swept away in the same
manner, all excepting two cars and the engine. One of the cars was
loaded with two heavy boilers from the works of James Witherow,
Newcastle.

Rails Twisted Double.

Coming in to South Fork the work of destruction on the railroad was
found to be even greater, the rails being almost bent double. The large
iron bridge over the river at this point is gone, as is also one of the
piers. The lower portion of this place is completely wiped out, and two
men were lost. This is all the loss of life here, excepting two Italians
who were working at the lake proper. The loss in