ly and hidden from sight.

Miss Nina Speck, daughter of Rev. David Speck, pastor of the First
United Brethren Church of Chambersburg, was in Johnstown visiting her
brother last week and narrowly escaped death in the flood.

She arrived to-day clad in nondescript clothing, which had been
furnished by an old colored washer-woman and told the following story of
the flood:

"Our house was in Kernville, a part of Johnstown, through which Stony
Creek ran. Although we were a square from the creek, the backwater from
the stream had flooded the streets in the morning and was up to our
front porch. At 4 o'clock on Friday afternoon we were sitting on the
front porch watching the flood, when we heard a roar as of a tornado or
mighty conflagration.

"We rushed upstairs and got out upon the bay-window. There an awful
sight met our eyes. Down the Conemaugh Valley was advancing a mighty
wall of flame and mist with a terrible roar. Before it were rolling
houses and buildings of all kinds, tossing over and over. We thought it
was a cyclone, the roar sounding like a tempest among forest trees. At
first we could see no water at all, but back of the mist and flames came
a mighty wall of water. We started downstairs and through the rear of
the house to escape to the hillside nearby. But before we could get
there the water was up to our necks and we could make no progress. We
turned back and were literally dashed by the current into the house,
which began to move off as soon as we were in it again. From the
second-story window I saw a young man drifting toward us. I broke the
glass from the frames with my hands and helped him in, and in a few
moments more I pulled in an old man, a neighbor, who had been sick.

Miraculous Escape.

"Our house moved rapidly down the stream and fortunately lodged against
a strong building. The water forced us out of the second story up into
the attic. Then we heard a lot of people on our roof begging us for
God's sake to let them in. I broke through the roof with a bed slat and
pulled them in. Soon we had thirteen in all crouched in the attic.

"Our house was rocking, and every now and then a building would crash
against us. Every moment we thought we would go down. The roofs of all
the houses drifting by us were covered with people, nearly all praying
and some singing hymns, and now and then a house would break apart and
all would go down. On Saturday at noon we were rescued, making our way
from one bu