Evening journal., 1889-06-03
JoHNSToWN's LOSS.
The Business Portion of the city Entirely
ObIiterated.

and Director James Mcmillan, of the Cambria
Iron company, says their loss has been we'll
nigh incalculable, and while it has entered
into their revenues they are not daunted nor
discouraged, but will begin the work Of clear
ing up the ruins OF their mills, preparatory
70 rebuilding and repairing their works
lhey VIII also Immediately rebuild the Gau-
tier iron works, which was obiterated by
the Hood. This is the disposition Of all the
Others. A dozen Of the business men said /:
True pluck survives. Our pockets are light,
put II nothing more happens, all Of us will
be IN business again.
The central portion of Johnstown Is as
completely obliterated as If Il had never had
foundations. The river has made its bed
upon the sites OF the dwellings and a vast
area OF sand gravel and furrowed grounds
marks the old channel 1t is doubtful II it Is
possible ever 70 reclaim what was once the
business portion Of the city. The river will
nave TO he returned 70 its old bed in order
70 do so, and that is an engineering feat
hardly possible
The massive accumulation of debris extend
ing from 500 to 1000 feet along the south
shore Of the Conemaugh and Immediately
above the bridge Is now in complete posses
sion OF the flames, and viii be until the arri-
val OF further relief from Pittsburg, so that
another pang is added TO those who had hoped
70 rescue the remains of their friends and
relatives from the debris.
The magnitude of the horror increases with
the hours. 1t is believed that not less than
1900 of the drowned found lodgment beneath
The mass Of debris in the triangle OF ground
that the Conemaugh cut out of the bank be.
tween the river proper and the Pennsylvania
railroad bridge. There was the greatest
funeral pyre IN history. The victims were
not upon IT, but were parts OF its horrible
construction Whole houses were washed
into the apex Of the triangle. Hen coops, pig
stys, stables, the refuse OF the gutter, the
contents of sewers, whole lumber yards, boom
upon boom Of logs composed the mass. Wher
the upsetting of cook stove ignited the mas.
and the work of cremation began IL was a
costly sacrifice TO the demon Of the flood
being a literal breast of fire. The smoke
arose in huge funnel shaped cloud, and al
times IL changed to the form Of an hour
glass. At night the flames lit up this misty
remnant OF mortality
The effect upon the living ignorant and
intelligent, was the same That volume oi
smoke, with its dual form, produced feel
ing Of awe in many that was superior ii
most cases to that in the awful moment oi
the storms wrath on Friday afternoon
Hundreds stood for hours regarding til,
smoke and wondering IL it forbode another
visitation more dire than its predecessor
1t was with feeling of absolute loathinq
that all people hereabouts awoke to flnC
nothing but mass of ashes, calcined human
bones, stoves, old iron and other approx
mately indestruetible matter, from which
only a light blue vapor was arising.
Cen. Hastings took precautions to preven
the extension Of the fire to another huge pile
short distance away, and this win b
searched for bodies
The work Of burying the dead has begun
and has been kept up all day The brnisin
Of the bodies by logs and other debris and eN
| posure in the water has tended to hasten d,
composition in scores Of cases, rendering il
stant interment necessary. Bodies are bein
buried as rapidly as they are identified. I'll
work Of undertakers in embalming the dea
has rendered it possible to keep all those en-
balmet two or three days longer, but this
only desirable in cases where Identification
dubious and no claimants appear at all
The cars sent out from Plttsburg with prc
visions for the living we're hastily cleare
in order to contain the bodies OF the dead in
tended for interment in suburban cemeterie
and graveyards handy TO the city
A party Of searchers saw two men robbinl
the body Of a woman The thieves wer
caught In one Of their pockets was found
lady's ear, entire, sliced from the head with
sharp knife.
In the earlohe was a sparkling diamond
The captors placed ropes around the neck
Of the villains and strung them up to tn
nearest tree until they were dead The,
then cut them down and buried them.
c. L. Dick, ex-mayor of Johnstown an,
several other gentlemen, while patroling tina
part Of the city known as the 'Point,n dis
covered party Of Huns looting the houses
and Tobbing the dead. The parties had n,
guns with them, but Dick leveled his revolver
at one of the plunderers and shot him dead
He fell into the river and no further atten
tion was paid to his remains The city il
guarded by over 500 special officers.
A special train Of twelve cars loaded Will
provisions for the sufferers has arrived.
Conemaugh, Woodvale, Kernville Cam
bria City and other surrounding towns ii
the flooded district are as badly or as Johns
town.
At Conemaugh the inhabitants Of the low
lying portion Of the town have been literall,
wiped out Of existence. At Woodvale th
percentage Of death is even greater than tha
at Johnstown.