The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-06-04

Joaxsrowx. June 3 "A sd ana gloomy
sks. ssmosf as sid asai gsoorny ~ the faces
under Il, shronlrd 5ohnsfoun today. Rain
TEL ell dxy ana added 10 the missefies of
tse wretebsd peopse TIE great plain
where the best part os Johnstowu used to
stand Is half covered with water. The few
nd walks thar ssexped the flood were =
sew inches rhii:k with bfark. sticky mud.
through which sramped . steady procession
Of peorle. Maiiy women are lsft utterly
deztifnse. The tents where people are
housed whe eeiinot Snd other shelter were
cold end cheefsekx The town seemed Ike
Z great tomb. The people of Johusfown
hare supped 90 full Of horrors that they 20
about In sart Of isze. aud only half resi
ixc their Eriefs.
Az one goes through the streets hc hesrs
the nsishbors greeting each other and
then inqnlrfng. without shcw Of feeling.
hsw many each had lost In his family to-
dsy. I heard . gray-haired man hail
another across The street with this ques-
ton. Il lost Eve. All are gone bat Mary
and T. was the reply. II am worse OF
than that, = said fha hrst old man: II have
only my grandson left seven OF Ms are
gone. And 50 they passed on without
excitement They and everyone else had
heard 80 much OF these Eseioncho,y con
verxations that xcmehow the calamity had
lost It's significance 20 them They treat 1t
exactly as II the dead perxons had gone
away and were coming back IN week.
The mslanehely work OF searching the
ruins for more bodies went ON today In the
soaking rain. There were little crowds Of
mnrbid curiosity hunters sronnd each
knot of wofkingmsn. Even those who
came In from the neighborfp4 towns with
IN idea Of the days strange and ghastly
they had seen one body exhulned.
There were hundreds aad thousands Of
these visitors from the country today. The
effect Of the dreadful things they saw and
heard was to drive most Of them TO
drink. By noon the streets were
beginning to be fall of boisferons
and noisy cosanfrynen who were trying to
eounteracf the strain on their nerves with
unnatural excitement. One.haK OF the
police force, seeing the unseemly sights
that were likely 10 socssgrace;the streets drove
out aud kept out an visitors who had not
good reason sor their presence. After that,
and far into the evening. all the streets
were lillsd wilh drunken Stragelers who
wene trying 10 forgei what they had seen.
One thing that makes the work OF search
Ing for the hodies very slow Is the strange
way that sTeat masses OF objects were
rolled into intricate masses Of rubbish. As
the aood came down the valley of the
South Fork il opliserated the suburb Of
wooavtile. where not q house w3s left nor
q trace Of one. The material they had
contained rolled on down the valley, over
ana over, grinding IL up to pulp and
finally leaving il against an unusually firm
or on an eddy. These masses
contain human bodies, bat IL Is slow work
to pick them 10 pieces. Inside OF one OF
The bsdy of harnexsed horse, o baby
cradle and doll. rocking horse, : tress Of
o wom6n'x hair. aud q piece OF beesEteak
stiil hanging 10 hook
The city il much better patrolled than It
has been AZ any time since the food
bnrg came In aud offered their serv1c 8
One of them shaved his puck by striking
4 man whom he saw robbing ; trunk
among the rubbish. O tremendous blow
over the head. which knocked him sense
less. Several big trunks and safes lie In
full sight on the desoiate plain In the
lower part OF town, but no one dared to
There Is but enc street left in the town.
About l55 houses are standing where
once stood O thousand. Loo is the lowest
estimate oi the number of lives lost from
this town. But few bodies were recovered.
II Is directly above the ruins. and the bod.
les have fioAted down into the dam where II
burned Wa king tarough the town reveals
asesolafe sight Only about . able bodied
nea have survived and are able 30 render
any assisiaHfc. Men and women eau he
seen with black eyes, bruised faces and csft
heads They were injured in the Soosi.
aud since that have nos slept Their faess
hare turned sickIy yellow aud dark rings
surround their eyes. Many women have
sueeambsd TO nervous prostrstion. For
TIVE DAYS but litt.e assistance could he rend-
cred them.
The wounded remained uacare1 for In
some houses. cut or by water. and died
from th ir lntarses alone. Some were
alive on sunday. and their shonss could be
hs ard by & ose on the xhorcx
A man caught stealing q gold watch Ii
Eow In the temporary Jail of what is left OF
the town. A shot was fired a. him, bat re
was net wounded lhe only thing that
saw. q him from iynehing vas fhs small
ness of the crowd.
The services in the chapel from which
the bodies are Barred consisted merely Of
prayer BY one OF The survivors. No ming
ter was present Each cetirs had iescTlp.
live card on IL, anSs ON the grave . similar
card was placed. 50 that the bodies Can be
removed later by friends.
The C;amhrfa hospital has now 800
pctienss Dr. Burkwlth. with 3 corps Of
aides. is ta charge. Two OF the patients
A. II
patients are doing well. the ansgsfsi tn
the appssr part pf Jobnstown II fnll 20
osersfswlug Many have been carried 10
70 the surrounding houses. Hospitals
we're established a. Gonemangh and
minor points. nat little coui.. be learned Of
how mang pstsents ther contained and
how fhsS were faftne.
4 miracle. Is il u called, that happened
in the burca Of fhe tmmaeu ate Cuocsp-
sion has csased . tremendous sensation.
A large number ~ persons sill testify ~
ta tfae nature of fae event. and the circam.
stances are really remarkable Devotzons
usre IA progress Friday 9hea the wefer
was tslsd with people af The tlrss haf
when sae aoise of the food WAS heard the
haksensa 20 ret out Of the
way Ebey succeeded as FAR AS escaping
from the water h concergsst- aud INA . few
minutes shs chnsch wa> fsftly submerged.
sae water reaching sftzen feet up the
SIDES and swiyliag &rnHnd the czsrners
srrsensly. The eaasisnz was badly
wrecked. The k,enches were torn
snsire structure, asssh Ins'ds assd oasssdr.
and fairly dsssnAn led Yesterday morn
reg wisea an entfanee vas fas cesis the rysiss
appeared 10 be complete Uns ek4ecf
alone bad s~cap<s3 shs xasers wrAfs- TIE
statue ef tie Blessed Virgin. fisAt asd t-ees'
decorated and Aaasne>i hsesa1s% sf tie 1sy
stef &c aassS. VIA as nE1ssfsksEf - Tie sssx Il
was gnaoe- The Ea~GEs warren - gaE :
zern analssnrssa17 and unsnlssess- Aegks
on the w3ii saawxzi that tae <Erfsee ef the
water had rfsen 70 hlxht Of hskeea fses,
wh1se siie statue fAd keec fire from al
casssAss wtfA the ligasd- Evsfx one saas
has xeta flse sszfHs ard It's surrounding
il ssrz N convinced thAs gae sussgesaf was
: Esisarnsosss ere. &a1 sxna = the nsazi
So gSsssal the eGksr s&Eors 81 fAe sapSr
IA ufs4-
TAefe are Aaess ths-fy Cashasie Priests
xsa ns1ns heee. - 10 are cssuzsnE fhem
setyss 80 he care OF sAe azGk asa wet nssest
ESsAup fael4H has asgnulxf~a tsfnosa<
hssspaf@1 far sfzis stxh1Hs aaod. Aad ali sys
1svpssnx themes ives 10 nara woFk - s1sf
sssssy What these J4os1& Nssul1 havs
sSsszse usfhcut tie SISTERS u . 1fsztsit cues
glen. Amoax The PRIESTS hare are ksy
fa<sasz4 tzssS3n. Go BEL, Fsas r1s~. Gaia
gssey. TycEgxe1a, n<senesswxs Hur2n. Cot
essr.a, p<x1sn. aast<. Emsth. o'Ieanez sszs
IxMShzN-
j. kass,Es. /. keeksez,e<. of fslguhs-x
k&uHlea me Eao<gns AI Gas sxn ascsbss
gernrs and ai& &u<sse tasa3iy k1s< eexs
lse1. end NeFpAs5 II @<&kf1x fer te4 q
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