Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-06
MARTIAL LAW In JOHNSTOWN
A Great Demand For Laborers and
No Loafers Wanted.
ONE THOUSAND FUNERALS.
With Little Formality and With But
Few Mourners the Nameless
Dead Are Hurried I'M
der Ground.
The Work of Relief

YOUNGSTOWN, Ia, June DIX uays nave
elapsed since the great disaster and the tenn
porature remains low and chilly in the Cone
maugh valley. When it is remembered that
in the ordinary June weather of this locality
from two to three days are sufficient to bring
an unattended body to degree of decay and
putrefaction that would render it almost
impossible to prevent the spread of disease
throughout the valley, the inestmable bene
fits of this cool weather are almost beyond
appreciation. The emanatons from the half
mile of debris, above the bridge, are but lit
tie more offensive than yesterday, and should
this cool weather continue few days longer
1t is possible that hundreds of bodies may
yet be recovered from the wreck in such a
state of preservation as to render identifca-
tion possible.
The work of clearing up the wreck and
recovering the bodies is now being conducted
most Systematically. Over SIX thousand
men are at work in various portions of the
valley, and each gang Of twenty men is
directed by a foreman, who is under
orders from general headquarters. AS tho
rubbish is gone over, and the bodies and
scattered articles of value recovered, the
debris is piled and burned. In this way the
valley is assuming a less devastated condi-
tion. In twenty four hours more every mass
Of rubbish will probably have been searched
and the investigation will then be confined to
THE SMOKING WRECK
above the Johnstown bridge The Pitts
burgers are now in sole charge of every
thing at this place.
NO RIOTS AND LYNCHINGs,
The genaral sent the following telegram
to Governor Beaver this morning:
1.-The chief of police of Johnstown in
forms me there were no depredations last
night
The stories about riots and lvnchings are
untrue and are sent out by people who are
desirous of making sensations"
AT Johnstown, station on the east side of
the river, is the chief commissary station.
This morning by 2 o'clock $1,000 people were
fed and about six hundred families were
furnished with provisions. Five carloads of
clothing were distributed and now almost
everyone is provided with clothing
At the different registration places $4,000
residents of the devastated district had
registered. The total population of this dis
trict was between forty and fifty thousand
There were hundreds of people waiting
around the offices to have their names placed
on the list of saved. 1t is thought that by
tomorrow night at least So per cent of the
survivors will be registered.
EXAGGERATED STORIES OF THIEvING.
Roger O'Mara, chief of police of Pittsburg
who has been here for two days look,
ing for crooks and plckpockets said the
reports about robberies and thieving We're
greatly exaggerated. Said he: "There are
no professional thieves in Johnstown and
this is not the place where they would be
crowded trains and rob the passengers yet
they would be just as likely to help with
work here as not. No professional thief
would work the dead here, as there is little
many police that it would be almost impossi-
BILE to evade detection. All the
little theving that has been done has been
done by ,,i lot . OF oro tramps aHn, land and
are too many relief committees and not
enough workers. What is needed here is
people with picks and shovels and they are
badly needed"
HUNDREDS OF WORKERS ARRIVE.
This morning /, 100 men arrived here, and
by IL o'clock they had succeeded in doing
more work at clearing away the debris
than has been done heretofore. Seventy
five carpenters and twenty carloads of pro-
visions came up with the laboring men. This
morning another delegation of fworkmen came
up from Braddock, each man bringing tools
with which to go to work Immediately. The
adiutant- general stated to the Associated
press that this kind Of men were wanted
here, and too many can not be sent. Thirty
doctors arrived from Philadelphia this morn
ing. They were thanked for their willing.
ness to help, but their services were declined
from the fact there are no sick to care for.
TWELVE TO FIFTEEN THOUSAND LOST.
Conservative men are of the opinion that
the number of people destroyed will reach
from twelve to fifteen thousand. This Is
based upon fragments OF evidence obtained
from over a hundred persons, care beng Ia
ken TO select as intelligent men and women
as could be found. They were chosen
many social classes. They were asked tc
estimate the percentage of loss of the tota
population; to tell how many people of theil
acquaintances have disappeared; how gath
erings of residents on the streets and in pub
lie places compare with the same in former
times. Their statements of facts and
estimates were proved, as far as could be
and the calculation seems to run between
twelve TO fifteen thousand. IL must be re
membered that large proportion of the loss
is made up of children
In the morgue the little ones lie in dozens
where adults are in half dozens. But there
is and has been much greater difficulty II
recovering the bodies of children. Beini
lighter and smaller they were Otter
swept INTO out of the way re
cesses that were almost inaccessible
and very great proportion of the chidrer
have been swept down the river and theil
bodies driven in under overhanging banks
1t is the opinion among intelligent men
physicians, engineers, railroad men anl
others-that from thousand 10 hfteeI
hundred bodies will never be found.
MORE MONEY NEEDED.
At IL o'clock Adiutant- General Hastings
sent the following telegram TO Governo
Beaver:
"Fully three thousand men are at worl
clearing off the debris. Bodies are nov
being rescued in large numbers. The cti
zens' committee has organized and the worl
Is systematized. A detachment o
twenty men of the Fourteenth regi
ment was detailed last night TO guar(
the supply trains, Provisions are pour
ing in and II IS difficult u
take care OF them. There Is no SUFFERING
from want of food or shelter Contribution
OF money are more desirable than anything
else"
The state officers of the Royal Arcanun
are here ana have called meeting for thi
afternoon at Prospect HILL They will pro
vide for the families of the victims of tn
food who We're members
FIFTY MORE BODIES FOUND.
At i:l5 this afternoon fifty bodies wer
taken from the debris of the Catholic churc
in Johnstown borough. About fifty of IN
bodies were those OF women. They wer
Immediately removed 10 the morgue for den
tiiication.
RECKLESS MILITARY MEN.
Some over Jealous local military me
cpused considerable excitement near tn
Morrell institute in Johnstown proper Uni
morning by firing upon some men employe