The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-06-07
THE NUMBER ON DEAD
StIll Estimated Mt From Twelve to HFtOcn
ThOusaud-WhcrC the UnreCoversd BOD,

stu Estimated Mt From Twelve to Fifteen
ThUWsnud-WherO the UnrsCOvered bod
les Are.
JoHNsrowN, PA, June G-Some doubt
has been expressed rs to the estimate
that 10000 to $4,000 people have been
lost In this flooded district. OF course
there is ut present no way OF determln'
ing with any degree OF exaCtitudo how
many are dead, but the guessing is reas.
enable and conservative and based on
close figuring. In the first place 1t must
be understood that this is the greatest
disaster in history, and no ones brain
can compass its details. It's possibilities
are bouudless, its misery infinite and its
destruction lost in the unfathonable
darkness OF death. At least $500 bodies
have been found, 1000 at the lowest
calculation are In tho burned debris in
the river, 5000 are in unsenrched sand.
banks around the Cambria works, down
along the river and in the lower part OF
Johngtowp. From 1000 to 1000 are
scattered in the valley from WoodsYille
to the bridge, and 1000 or 1000 below
the bridge between JohnstOwn and Boil.
var. Hundreds were carried down to
the broad rivers in the tremendous cur
rent and may never come into the hands
Of the living.
Said Adjltant General Hastings, this
morning: ''In my opinion the loss is
greater than We can now show figures
lor."
That sturdy worker, Wm. Jones, OF
DraddoCk, thinks that at least 10000 to
10000 were lost. The statement that
$4,000 persons had registered at the reg
istration bureaus yesterday was inCor.
rect One OF General Hastings aids
saidC at 10 o'clock that so many persons
registered TWICE or more that the list
had to be revised and that the total was
not more than $4,000 or perhaps 1880.
This registration not only comprefelds
the population OF Johnstown and al.
Joining towns, which was aboyt $4,000,
but embraces places further away In tho
flooded region, the total population OF
which was at least $4,000, including
villages, struggling hamlcts and farms.
Chairman Hicks, Of the Altoona dele
cation, who has been all over the districts
gince Sunday morning. says the loss is
1850 to 1000, and he bases 1t on talks
with scores Of all sorts ol people. The
absence OF former residents, and Of .
fixed and familiar population Is most
striking.
There are thousands OF strangers aud
workmen from n distance here, but for
the three first days the one perpetual
question was, "Whero are tho people ?
aerS gre 4b9dt ten thousand Where
MORE EFFICIENT MEASURES.
Tho real work Of ascertaining who the
living and dead Of Johnstown are was
started this morning. A corps OF clerks
under the direction Of tho Relief Com.
mittcc, started out this morning, and
they will go to every house in this yictn-
ity and secure the names OF the living.
Another corps OF men will endeayor to
lind out who the missing are, and in this
manner it can DO nearly definitely
the flood. A revision nt the register
list shows that only $4,000 people had
registered up until / o'clock this after
noon at the different registration sta
tions. by this list it is plainly apparent
tb8t q large number OF the survivors
| will not lake tho trouble togo and regis
ter al ono Of the Ratiopsi consequently
tho plan Of having registers tRRke ? GqPlnl, GqPlnl.,
vAss was adopted, Tho great number, d
bodies not identified seems almost In
credible aud impossible. Some OF thesl
bodies have laid for four days In the dlf
fCrent morRges. Thousand Of people
from tho different peStipps Of the Stat,
have seen them, yet they Eenain uni
Identified. At &ineyel they arep pbIry
ing all the unidentified, but in thi
morgues In this vicinity no bodies hay
been buried unless they were identified
!