The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-06-04

JoHNsrowN, June 3-It is impossible to
describe the appearance of the main street
of Johnstovn where the houses have been
swept down this one street and became
lodged. The wreck is piled as high as the
second story. A person could step from
the wreck into the auditorium of the opera
house. The ruins consist of houses, trees,
saw logs and reels from wire factories
Many houses have their side walls and
roofs torn up, and you can walk directly
into what had been the s. cond story bed
rooms or go in by way of the top. Farther
up town a raft OF logs lodged in the street
and did great damage. The best
description that can be given
of the general appearance of
wreck is TO imagine q number of children's
blocks placed closely together and then
draw your hand through them in almost
every direction. At the commencement of
the wreckage, which is at the opening of
the valley, one can look up the valley for
miles ahd not see house; nothing is left
but the cid wooden mill.
Charles Luther is the name of the boy
who stood on an adjacent elevation and
saw the whole of the flood. He said he
heard grinding noise far up the valley,
and looking up he could see a dark line
moving slowly toward him. High in the
air would be tossed q log OF beam which
fell back with a crash. Down the valley it
moved and across the little mountain city.
For the space of ten minutes moth
ing but moving houses was seen,
and then the waters came with a roar and
rush. 1t lasted for two hours and then IL
began 10 flow more steadily
The pillaging of the houses in Johns-
town is something awful TO contemplate
aud described. Ii makes one feel almost
ashamed to call himself a man and know
that others who bear the same name have
converted themselves into human vultures,
preying on the dead. Many are carrying
shotguns, ans woe betide the stranger who
looks even suspiciously at any article.
Goods of great value were being sold In
town to-day for a drink of whisky.
Developments every hour make Ii more
and more apparent that the exact number
never be known. All estimates made up
to this time are conservative, and when all
is known will doubtless be found to have
been too small. Over 1000 bodies have
been found since sunrise to-day, and the
most skepticsl concede the remains of
thousands more rest beneath the debris
above the Johnstown bridge. The popula-
ton of JOhnst0wn and the surrounding
towns in the portion of the valley
effected By the flood is or was
Press reporter to-day interviewed
numerous leading citizens of Johnstown
who survived the food, and the coneensus
of opinion was thai fully thirty per cent of
IA4C ACclQCutc VI JO41ttONu huQ CAmD Dr1a
have been the victims of the continued dis
asters of fire and water. II this be true
today the loss of life in the entire valley
can not be lees than 1000 or 5000. or pos
sibly much greater. OF the thousands who
were devOured by the flames and whose
ashes rest beneath the smoking debris
about the Johnstown bridge, no definite
Information can sven be obtained. As lit
tie will be learned of the hundreds who
sank beneath the current and were
borne down the Conemaugh
only to be deposited on the
banks and the driftwood of the raging
Ohio Probably one-th1rd Of the dead will
never be recovered. and il will be q labor
Of weeks 10 even give a close estimate of
the number of lives that were snuffed out
That this estimate can never be accurate Is
understood when il is remembered that in
many instances whole families and their
relatives were swept away and found a
common grave beneath the wild waste of
the waters. The total destruction Of the
city leaves no data to even demon
strate that the names of these
unfortunates will ever be found.
sAu indications point 70 the fact that the
death list will reach over 5000, and in my
opinion the missing will reach 5000 in
number" declared Gen. Hastings tonight
At present there are said 10 be 1000 re
covered bodies The great difficulty ex-
peTienced In getting q correct List is the
great number Of morgues. There is no GEN.
tral bureau of information, and TO COM
municate with the different houses Is the
work Of hours. The journey from the