Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-08
THREATENED WITH A PLAGUE
Malignant Diphtheria Breaks Out In
Johnstown.
HOW THE DAM WAS BUILT
A Careful Examination Shows 1t to
Have Been Miserable Piece
of Botch-work - Things
More Settled.
The Hot weather Feared.

warm anu hlulOSJ SullTy, anu bDe SIenCn tnAt
assails one's senses as he wanders through
Johnstown is almost overpowering Sick
ness, in spite of all the precautions and
labors of the sanitary authorities, is on the
increase, and fears of an epidemic grow
with every hour.
"It is our impression" said DR.. T. L.
White, of the state board of health, this
morning, that there is going to be great
sickness here within the next week. Five
cases of malignant diphtheria were located
this morning on Bedford street, and as they
were in different houses they mean five
starting points for the disease. There will
be plenty of typhoid and kindred diseases
here within aweek or ten days, in my opin-
ion. The only thing that has saved us thus
far has been the cold weather That
has now given place to summer weather,
and no one knows what the next few days
may bring FORTH Twenty more physicians
arrived from Pittsburg this morning and
more will arrive to-day. The opinion is
general among medical men that there will
be more need for doctors week hence than
there is now"
DR.. II. l.. Siebel, of the state board of
health in charge of the sanitary headquar.
ters, said; I'VE are using every
The possibility of an epidemic. Our
labors have not been confined to any partic-
ular channel, but have been extended in va
rious directions. Dislnfectauts, of course,
are first in importance, and they have been
used with no sparing hand. The prompt ere
nation of dead animals as fast as discovered
is another thing which we have insisted
upon We have committee. too,
that superintends the burial of
the victims at the cemeteries, 1t
is of the utmost Importance in this whole
sale interment that the corpses should be
inferred at safe distance beneath the sur
face Another committee Is making a house
to house inspection throughout the stricken
city TO ascertain the number of inhabitants
in each standing house, the number of sick,
and to order the latter to the hospital when
ever necessary. So far there is but little
contagious disease, and we hope, by diligent
and systematic efforts, to prevent any dan
gerous outbreak
General Hastings this morning said that
The situation was good, so far as reported.
Bodies are being gradually recovered all the
time, but not in the large numbers of the
first lew days. Last night several ghouls
that were wandering amid the wreck on
evil intent We're arrested. This morning
they were given the choice of imprisonment
or going to work at So per day, and they
promptly chose the latter.
The waits mission is doing q noble work
here. Within an hour after arrival they had
established bureau and were receiving
children and babies that had been orphaned
by flood and flame. Miss Hinckley, who has
charge of the work, said that from Cleve
land, Indianapolis, Altoona, Pittsburg, and,
in fact, throughout Pennsylvania and the
eastern states, she had received kilograms
from societies and families offering to take
charge OF certain numbers of little ones.
u wish that you would state to the coun-
try" said Colonel Scott to an Associated
press representative to-day, THAT as things
are becoming more and more settled every
hour would recommend that all drafts and
checks hereafter be sent to William Il.
Thompson, treasurer of the finance commit
tee, Pttsburg."
In speaking Of the condition of the valley,
Scott said: 1T is improving every hour.
The perfect organization which has been
effected within the past few days has grad
ually resolved all chaos and confusion
into semblance of order and regulation"
So far as known only eighteen bodies have
been recovered in the Conemaugh valley this
morning Only the hardest can stand it to
enter the morgue to-day, 80 overwhelming is
the stencil. A strict order is now in force
that all bodies shall be inferred only when i.
becomes immpossible to longer preserve
them from absolute putrfaCtion.
Two additional cases of typhoid fever were
reported this morning from Miner sdale,
making total of seven in that village alone
since yesterday Measles are becoming more
prevalent on Prospect Hill, where the refu-
gees camp is established
WAITING FOR RATIoNs.
AT the commissary station there was con-
siderable activity. About a thousand people
had gathered about the place after their
days rations. The crowd became so great
that the soldiers had to be called up TO guard
the place until the relief committee was
ready to give out provisions. Several car
loads of clothing arrived to-day and was dis
posed or as soon as possible, as the people
are badly in need of clothing.
Four bodies were taken from the ruins at
the Cambria C ub house and the company's
store this mording The remains were all
bruised and in n terrible condition. They
had to be embalmed and buried Immediately,
and 1t was impossible to have any one
identify them
The number of people missing from Wood
VILE is almost incredible, and from present
indications it looks as if only, about fifty
people in the borough were saved.
REPORT ON THE DAM.
A. NJ. Wellington, with +. y. Burt, asso.
ciate editor of the Engineering News of New
York, have completed an examination Of the
dam which caused the great disaster. Wei
lington states the dam was in every respect
of very inferior construction, and of kind
wholly unwarranted by the good engineering
practices of thirty years ago. Both the
original and the reconstructed dams were of
earth only, with no heart wall. but only rip
raped on the slopes. The original dam, how
ever, was made in rammed and Waiered
layers, which still show distinctly in the
its stability, but it was 10 all appearance
simply dumped in like an ordinary
railroad fill. Much of the old part is stand
ing intact while the adjacent parts of the
new WOrkS are wholly carried OH. lnere
was no central wall OF paddle or masonry
either in the new or old dam. 1t has been
the invariable practice of engineers for
thirty or forty years 10 use one or the other
In building high dams of earth. The recon-
structed dam also bears the marks of great
carelessness in having been made two feet
lower in the middle, which would have con-
centrated an overflow il il should occur at
the ends instead of the center, Had the
break began at the ends the cut of the water
would have been so gradual that
little or no harm might have resulted Had
the dam at once been cut at the ends when
the water began running over the center, the
sudden breaking of the dam would have been
ut least greatly diminished, and possibly pro-
longed, so that little harm would have re-
suited. The crest of the old dam had not
been raised in the reconstruction of 1881
The old overflow channel through the rock
still remains, but owing to the sag of the
crest in the middle of the dam only five aud
a half feet In il, instead of seven feet, were
necessary TO run the water over the crest
The rock spillway, narrow at the best, has
been further contracted by close grating 10
prevent the escape Of fish capped by good
sized tmoer, and in some slight degree
also by trestle foot bridge The
pet effect of all these differences of
conditions was that the dam, as Il stood, was
not much safer against excessive floods,