ger for $250. On May 26, 1884, he also sold a piece containing 36 acres to Henry Stremmel for $3,695.

On May 12, 1869, Louis von Lunen sold to his brother Charles, 13 acres, which lay on the east side of the Red Bridge road, and on November 20, 1877, he sold him another parcel of 20 acres, lying below that road.

The Johnson Purchase: On November 1, 1887, Louis von Lunen sold to the Johnson Steel Street Rail Company, which was changed to The Johnson Company, on December 17, 1888, two pieces of the land, containing 95 acres, for $40,000. The mills were erected on this land. On the same day he sold to Albert L. Johnson of Cleveland, Ohio, ninety-four acres, plus, for $25,250. The Johnson sales included all of the remainder of the Barr tract and the nineteen acres coming from Henry Constable. A. L. Johnson, a brother of Tom L. Johnson, now mayor of Cleveland, made the plan of Moxham and sold the lots. Louis von Lunen also made a plan of lots as an addition to the Moxham plot and sold them. On May 3, 1887, Henry Stremmel sold his thirty-six acres to Alonzo Rodgers for $5,542.50, and on June 29, 1888, Mr. Rodgers purchased forty-three acres from Charles von Lunen for $2,000. On November 19, 1887, Mr. Rodgers sold nineteen acres of the Stremmel land to E. B. Entwisle for $6,600, and on June 28, 1888, he sold the remainder of it, being about seventeen acres, to Charles von Lunen.

Charles von Lunen also made a plan of lots as an addition to Moxham, which he and his executors have sold, and are now selling, as most of the Matthews land lies beyond the city limits,

George Bhram was the owner of the principal part of Morrellville and plotted it for town lots about 1878. Isaac E. Chandler acquired a large part of the Strayer land and made an addition to the Bhram plot. The titles for Coopersdale lots came from James Cooper who laid it out about 1868.

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 riversConemaugh 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 Conemaugh 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 thirtysix 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

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

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

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.