er mountains equally as
high as those on Stony Creek confine that river to its course. The hills
in Johnstown start nearly a half mile from the business section of the
city. This leaves a territory between the two rivers of about four
hundred acres. This was covered by costly buildings, factories and other
important manufactories.

When the waters of South Fork and Little Conemaugh broke over their
banks into that portion of the city known as the "flats," the business
community turned its attention to putting endangered merchandise in a
place of safety.

First Alarm.

In the homes of the people the women began gathering household articles
of any kind that may have been in the cellar. Little attention was paid
to the water beyond this.

Looking from the "flats" at Johnstown toward and following the
Pennsylvania Railroad tracks, which wind along the Little Conemaugh, the
village of Woodville stands, or did stand, within sight of the "flats,"
and is really a continuation of the city at this point.

The mountains on the south side of the Little Conemaugh rise here and
form a narrow valley where Woodville was located. Next joining this,
without any perceptible break in the houses, was the town of East
Conemaugh. The extreme eastern limit of East Conemaugh is about a mile
and a half from Johnstown "flats."

A Narrow Chasm.

The valley narrows as it reaches eastward, and in a narrow chasm three
miles from Johnstown "flats" is the little settlement of Mineral Point.
A few of the houses have found a place on the mountain side out of
harm's way, and so they still stand.

At East Conemaugh there is located a roundhouse of the Pennsylvania
Railroad, for the housing of locomotives used to assist trains over the
mountains. The inhabitants of this place were all employees of the
Pennsylvania and the Gautier Steel Works, of the Cambria Iron Company.
The inhabitants numbered about 1,500 people. Like East Conemaugh, 2,000
or 2,500 people, who lived at Woodville, were employees of the same
corporation and the woolen mills located there.

Just below Woodville the mountains upon the south bank of the Conemaugh
disappear and form the commencement of the Johnstown "flats." The
Gautier Steel Works of the Cambria Iron Company are located at this
point, on the south bank. The Pennsylvania Railroad traverses the
opposite bank, and makes a long curve from this point up to East
Conemaugh.

Timely Warning to Escape.

At what is