Evening journal., 1889-06-25
FLAMES SUCCEED FLOOD.
The Remainder of Johnstown
Almost Destroyed.
THIRTY BUILDINGS IN RUINS.

A Serious Fire Wipes Out $500 worth
Of Props,ty-The city seems Doomed
to BE Utterly Desiroyed--FIve Hundred
workmen Discharged.
JoHNsTowN, Pa, June 25.--It was only
due to the direction Of the wind that the re-
mains of Johnstown we're not entirely wiped
out by fire yesterday afternoon The blaze
began at l o'clock with the First ward
schoolhouse, which stood ON the bank of
Stony creek. That building stood on the
upper side Of tho dismal waste which tho
torrent OF water swept clear across the town.
Close by the school building, all j,mhlod up
together, were about thirty buildings, some
Of them in good state Of preservation and
inhabited Next TO these houses was a street,
the only one not yet cleared Of debris and
on the opposite side was a wide stretch Of
ground tightly packed with frame buildings
in all manner Of decrepit attitudes. Still
further above were some Of the best pre-
served buildings in the city. Had the wind
carried the flames in the opposite direction
fire would have destroyed what the aood had
left
The Fire Caused Panic.
As it was, the fire caused veritable panic
in the immediate neighborhood, as It en-
veloped ono house after another in rapid suc-
cession. One Of the abandoned houses had
been a hardware store, and the explosion OF
keg OF powder in it sent tho burning roof
| flying in fragments. thus increasing the dan
ger. Mon we're put TO work smothering the
bonfres that stretched across the open space
with earth, and Ia this manner cut of the
fires hns Of communication to the threatened
| buildings whose occupants were already
moving the remnants OF their furniture.
| This banking of the bonhres with earth and
the veering of tho wind, so that tho burning
emhers were carried into Stony creek, ended
the danger IN this direction
Thirty Houses In Ashes
On the other side the firo met no opposition
until it had reached the ruin packed street.
The militia and gang Of laborers worked
hard IA clearing the street, and then tore
down a number Of houses on the opposite
side. BY this time tho streams Of water from
the fire engines had their effect, and the flre
was uuder control after burning for two
hours, and twenty-five or thirty houses we're
in ash $ The whole population Of the valley
turned out to watch the confagration, and
80 general became the belief that everything
remaining would go up IN smoke that in all
directions people were loading their effects
on wagons preparatory TO fleeing 70 the hills
The money loss will he about s3S,O ,O0e. The
fire was caused by three small boys setting
fire 60 pile Of rubbish.
Five Hundred workmen Discharged.
Tie discharge Of the workmen last evening
was consequent upon an order issued last
week by Col Douglass. tho chief engineer
and has been productive Of the widest dis
content among the contractors. Over 5Ol
names were stricken from Contractor Nc
knights list Of workmen, and many wer,
discharged from the gangs working for other
contractors Mcknight Immediately left for
Pittsburg and brought out the money 10 pay
of his men All OF the discharged men will
leave during the night. II is understood that
the reduction Of the force will be gradually
increased until the contractors have all the
help required.
Dr. Lee, OF the state board Of health YES
terday designated the districts IN Cambria
City upon which no buildings can be erected
for the present
They No Longer Need Relief
/ A. J. Moxham, general manager of the
! Johnstown Railroad company, has given no.
tice that after next Saturday the people In
4 his employ will not he on the reief lists
This was paralelled by a notification from
the East Conemuugh authorities that then
4 people were in no further need Of relief.
i The Pennsylvania Railroad company is
i building boom below the city TO catch the
i debris floating away from the stone bridge
This wreckage win be hauled out and burned
to prevent It's floating and lodging against
bridges further down the river.
(. Father Tahaney has decided to build tenn
porary church pending the rebuilding OF d
/, brick building It is the intention TO expo
dite the restoration Of the municipal govern
4 ernment as rapidly as the police can be oh
I tanned and the local magistrates resume
their Offices. The presence Of 50 many ire
I sponsible persons in the city is still war.
rant for the retention Of the military to keeI
i the pence.
An italian Dynamite Thief
4 An Italian was arrested in the laborers
{ camp last evening with large valise, il
. which was concealed seven one-pound stick
Of dynamite stolen from Arthur Kirk, til,
! dynamiter Loose in the valiss with the ex
piosives were a quantity Of knives, forks
spoons, etc, relics Of the flood A local magis
trate fined the fellow IS and conhscated hii
4 vallse and contents The soldiers then chased
him out Of the camp
b Col. shepard's Good Deed.
r Last evening Clara Barton, Of the Re-
' Cross society, asked Gen. Hastings for trans
v portation for twenty-five Of the more destitut'
/ people, largely females, to Asbury Park, n
I, j., where Col Elliot +. Shepard, Of The Mai
t and Express, has offered 70 maintain then
i for a month. Gen. Hastings promptly fur
@ nished the tickets, end the Red Gross peopl
s | will send them aNay this week
+ syraouse's Won Ranke Library Dedicated
a SYRACUSE, N. Y, June 25 Dedicator,
/ services were held yesterday at the openinl
of the Won Ranke library, presented to tn
Syracuse university by Mrs. John N. Reid
Y Of New York. The collection Of books mum
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