The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-16
BLOWING UP THE DEBRIS
CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE BY
THE EXPLOSIONS.


complaints From Several Quarters
VIII Result in Much Lighter Charges
Being Used-Eight Bodies Recovered
Under the Ruins on Fridav-Prog-
ress Of the Relief Work.
JoHNsTowN. Pa, June I5.-Sunshine
succeeded the morning showers, and this
was the first bright noontide Johnstown has
seen for week. On the general principle
that rain cannot fall perpetually, several
thousand men, who are anxious to clean up
the ruined city, are hoping for fair weather
from this on. The Conemaugh is swollen
and its rushing current serves to re-
mind Johnstown of the day preceding
the food. The water is an advantage
however, as it carries away GREAT portion
OF the impurities lodged along the river
banks. The engineers resorted to 300-pound
dynamite cartridges to clear up that por.
ton of the wreck known as the raft. This
morning the first charge of that size fright
ened the town, and shook houses. Half of
the windows in the Milivale schoolhouse
were shattered. and In Prospect, Just
opposite, chimneys came rafting
down upon the housetops. The next
charge was diminished somewhat.
Adjt. Gen. Hastings was in
formed to-day that the Philadelphia
delegation of Gov. Beavers commission
had started west this morning. Their mis-
sion is understood to be the distribution of
the governors S1,000,000. This morning
the state board of health began a sanitary
survey of the towns of the Conemaugh
valley from South Fork to Nineveh. A COM
piete census of families and a report Of the
condition of health and living will be made.
OBJECTIONS TO THE BLASTS.
Maj. Phillips dynamiters have had
Johnstown in state of nervous terror all
day, and this evening General Manager
John Fulton, of the Cambria Iron Com
pany, dictated forcible protest to Gov.
Beaver, stating that the mills and offices of
the company were being ruined by
the blasts, that Adjt. Gen.
to two requests for its discontinuance, and
that the state would be held responsible for
any further damage done. The message
| was filed in the telegraph Office with in
| structions that it be put upon the wire as
| soon as another blast was fired In the
| meantime, Adjt Gen. Hastings had gained
| communication with Maj. Phillips, and an
| order to discontinue blasting went into eff
| feet. The message did not go the governor,
but General Manager Fulton showed
it to the Associated Press representative,
and said: 81 do not hold Gen Hastings re-
sponsible for this dynamitlng. 1t is the
hight of nonsense, however, to make such
heavy blasts so near valuable buildings.
Ny superintendent reports that the damp
walls of the mills are giving way under the
| shocks, and here in my own office the cell
ing has opened quarter of an inch within
the past three hours Buildings in Johns
town are in too delicate a condition to be
trlfed with by dynamiters."
TERRIFIC EXPLOSIONS.
Maj. Phillips has been engaged since
Wednesday in blowing out the wreckage in
tho channel Of the Conemaugh above the
Pennsylvania railroad stone bridge. He
was anxious to have passage for the water
by this evening, and to that end put in a
500-pound blast of dynamite at noon The
blast was placed under two buildings, one
of which was lying upon the other, and
both of them covered with logs. The ex-
plosion was terrific, and one log, large
enough for mainmast, was hurled 300 feet
in the air. Tne next blast not being placed
SO deep, was a 400-pounder. This one did
all the damage. The report was awful. and
the strongest houses in the city trembled
like leaves. All the glass was blown out of
the windows of the Odd Fellows hall, which
seems to have stood over a stratum of un-
hood the rear wall of a half wrecked Cath
olic church fell upon the Baltimore and
Ohio tracks, blocking them. Chimnevs
ratified down all about, and dishes were
broken in houses in Kernville, half mile
away.
When asked about the matter, Mai. Phil
lips said: "We have used only 1000 pounds
of dynamite to-day. l have ordered several
tons of it. The charges will not be SO heavy
hereafter had no idea that we were do
ing any damage. So far as know, no per-
sons were injured. !"
Soon after the last blast, which opened
the channel of the river, logs formed a
gorge. A gang of lumbermen were put to
work with cant-hooks to clear the stream
CLOTHING FROM MoRToN's CHILDREN.
Adjt. Gen. Hastings is in receipt of the
following:
ELLERsLIE,
ERHNECLIFFE-oN-HUDsoN, June 10, 1889. I
MY DEAR GENERAL: On my return to my
country home find that my little girls from
s to IA years OF age, have been hard at work
since the terrible food at Johnstown, making
children who have survived the recent floods in
your state. l am forwarding to-day by the
American Express Company, free of
per LIST inclosed, made by their hands. or pur-
chased with their own money, with some of
their dresses. My children will feel greatly OBJ
Ug6u IL you Will CauSo bu0 ctObullR 10 De
uted among the little sufferers by the recent
calamity, for whom they feel the deepet sympa-
thy. am, dear general, very faithfully yours,
LEVI P. MORTON.
EIGHT BODIES RECOVERED.
Eight bodies were recovered from the
ruins yesterday, three being identified.
They were William b. Hess, a prominent
merchant, Eapt. O'Connel, an old resident,
and Mary hollsman, his housekeeper. The
bodies of an elderly lady and fair young
girl were found clasped in each others arms
and reclining on a sofa. The others were
so charred as to be unrecognizable.
AN ENGINEERING FEAT.
The opening of the wedge-like raft above
the stone bridge was an engineering feat.
For ten days several hundred mon had been
at work upon the heterogeneous matter,
but only 60 feet of channel had been cleared
when, on Wednesday, William Phillips of
Lewiston and forcs of dynamiters were
put on the work. Six acres of solidly
packed wreckage wedged between the river
banks by hydraulic force that cannot be
estimated, have in three.days melted away.
Large frame houses, hundreds of logs and
monster trees were tangled up and bound
together with wire and iron bars brought
down with the food. The scene this after
noon when the great mass moved down the
river was a remarkable one. The crowds
that lined the shores and now famous stone
bridge raised shout that was heard the
length and breadth of the valley.