Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-05
DESIGNATION OF THE DEAD.

JoHNsTowN, June AT the present
rate there will soon be a live man digging
| in the trenches to every dead one. A con-
tractor has charge of the Smoky City
forces and stated today that 1900 men
would be at work in the ruins tomorrow
morning. Two hundred arrived from
Pittsburg today, and 800 more are an
nounced under the captaincy OF William
Flynn tomorrow evening. There are two
foremen here. The heavy work was done
on the point district where a couple hun
dred mansions lie buried in solid heaps
of brick stone and timbers. Here he Ia
bors of the searchers were rewarded by the
discovery of a corpse about every five min-
uteS.
Mossir NJ Mead superintendent of the
bureau of electricity, headed force of six
teen sanitary inspectors from Pittsburg
who are doing great work among the dead,
Blasters have been at work all afternoon
near the stone bridge. Mr.. Kirk has de-
cided the bodies will rot before half of
them can be reached in this manner.
When the waters surged against
the massive stone bridge and
were repealed they formed vent through
the embankment which had been washed
away The wreckage piled up against the
bridge and the flood was turned into the
new channel it had made. thus leaving the
old bed a receptacle for drift. The water
had been running through its new chan
mel ever since; but the plan now is to build
a wall along the old river course, turn the
water into the drift and flush it out. Mr..
Kirk thinks the other wall can be thrown
up by tomorrow evening.
Chairman MoXham, of the citizens jcom-
mittee, tells of frightful dissertation of the
dead and the looting of houses All after
noon of the disaster he was working
among the victims on the hillside above
Johnstown, when he noticed colored
man hand colored woman a gold watch
and chain with the remark, Hold my
watch for me, am afraid ! will fose it."
The man was apparently working in
dustriously upon the wreck and Mr. Mox-
ham did not think anything Of the cir
cumstance until he saw the negro
step up to the woman again,
peat his remark; suspecting something
wrong, Mr.. Moxham had the woman
placed under arrest. Her pockets were
filled with watches and jewelry. There
were several rings that were bloody. The
fingers had been cut of the dead for the
gold. Later on Mr.. Aoxham discovered
several cart loads Of shoes and clothing
secreted back on one of the bills
One man had clothes line strung full
of clothing evidently taken from food
victims. as they were wet and muddy
When the officers tried TO seize the goods
Tie lsl4O" OpSueQ IRE upon LBeu
with revolver They returned the salute |
and did not stop after reRaining the |
clothes to see what the effect had been. |
Ia the failure OF the Johnstown council |
to afford police protection they found /
many extenuating circumstances. One !
fourth Of the counciimen are believed 70 |
have lost their lives IN the flood and there /
is scarcely one OF the living who has not |
met with some terrible loss
The sad fate Of the family OF |
Chief of Police Harris IS
Today Adjutant General Hasting re-
vived comments very unfavorabie TO Gov
ernor Beaver by ordering out the Four
teenth regiment. Chairman Mcxhau, OF
the citizens committee, is quoted as saying /
that there would have been a popular up
rising against the governor failing 10 pro
vide military protection had not the COM
munity been so heavily weighted down
with its woes Vain appeals have been
followed by protests, and later protests
gave way 70 strong demonstrations Of in-
dignatiOn against the Inactivity o. the
governor. Battery 3 WAS FIRST brought
up from Pittsburg and II was during its
stay that the disregard for las was shown
By certain element Raid and plumber |
was as common As the suTeEings Of the
victims Captain James, TIE iadefAtiga-
bic superintendent Of the National tube
works at MeKeesport. Is given credit Tor
inducing tie adjutart general himself 70
order out the military.
There is also considerable comment ND
on the fact that the Fourteenth regiment
was called whea the Eighteenth had pre-
yiousiy volunteered lis services, raised over
40 uaeu inside OF two hours aad was then
ordered hack The Fourteenth regiment
Is Oh the ground tonight and there IS SOME