Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-06-06

The estimstes OF the loss 81 life. The 900
army tents brought on by Adjutant General
ANliue, OF Ohio, have been divided, aud
Two wbite>walled villages Row afford shelter
10 nearly 5000 homeless people. These vii.
lagos are policed and IN charge Of General
Axllne. The action OF the authorities ye,.
icrdsy IN consolidating all authority aud
yesiiog Il In b. Il. Scott, Of Pittsburgh, as
dictator IA received with favor on all hands.
Dictator Scott has taken bold Of the Stupen-
dous task imposed upon blm with energy.
aud slrcadY has marked out bis work and
assigned various portions 10 men equally
Jealous. Already he has $500 men at work
aud has called for $500 more, 10 whom be
promises work for sixty days at g per dAy
and board. Scott, in an interview this
morning, said that be proposed 10 clear the
town OF all Wrecksge add debris Of all
description and turn the town site
over 10 the citizens when he has
completed his work clean and free from
obstruc'ionS Of all kinds In conversation
to-day Superintendent Duncan, Of the Johns
town strcct.rallway, and one OF the leading
citizens 81 the place. declared that as soon as
the people recovered In measure from the
dazed condition IN which they have been
since the catastrophe, Immediate measures
would be taken IN the direction 81 rebuild
inc. This will be gigantic and costly
work, On, Mr.. Duncan expects TO see new
city spring from The ruins Of Johnsiown.
RAILROAD FACILITIES.
The work Of rccoustructing the rOad-bed
and relay ing the tracks Of The Pennsylvania
railroad is'being pushed forward vigorously.
aud already trains from the West are run'
mag down 10 the passenger station, while
construction trains are able 10 90 cOnsdera-
bly, further. by night II Is expected that the
high embankment at the big bend Of the
river which detected The river from lie
course on the fatal day, and which was final
" washed away Itself, will be reconstructed.
Although the loss Of the Cambria Iron COM
pany will foot up into millions the dcstruc.
tiOn 81 their plant IS not ~ bad ~ appre-
hended and reported ri first. and the officers
Of the company now say ;bey expect to ie-
sumo operations IN thirty days.
a civil engineer OF the company who
made careful survey Of tuc premises yester-
day asserted 10 the writer this morning that
although greater portion OF the valuable
buildings and their still more valuable con-
tents I'm the wy Of improved machinery is
damaged beyond repair. there Is a complete
set Ct machinery in the Bessemer MIL uniu-
jured. and the manufacture OF steel rails may
10 resumed within two weeks.
TnE WEATHER.
There hiss been dsaGIeesble fall OF tenn
perature since yesterday hat VIII be prolific
OF much suffering and many Ills. The at
mosphefe to-day is damp and the air keen
End penetrating. This condition OF affairs Is
iavoiHble 10 the workers but most I'M
pleasant for the hOuseless sufferers, aud
ihinly-cad women and children ale shlYer-
ing this morning under the caves OF every
convenient building. The sun has been OBJ
scured the greater portion Of the day.
The sight OF long relief { aims rolling into
Johrs'Own over both railroads and from
every section OF the country almost every
hour tends To- make the observer conclude
that charity, whether Christian or not, is not
so rsre under the sun as the cynic phloso-
pher would have Us believe. From East
and West, North and SOUTH, come whole train
loads Of clothing and provisions, accom-
panied by special messengers having funds
and a large force % volunteer physicians,
nurses and workers. Accompanying the big
PHILADELPHIA relief train was special car Oc>
cupiod by a corps Of surgeons, who were
supplied with large outn. OF instruments
and medicines. The character OF The sup
pies scut ont from the Quaker City is most
acceptable, consisting 81 cotton sheetlng,
clothing. boots shoes, hard breads OF all
kinds, salt fish. csnned goods Everything,
in fact. IN the provision line.
Pcrcbed high upon the hill, three quarters
Of a mile from the Pennsylvania, on the
Ebensburg road, is Camp Hastings. where
several hundred dsstitu'e sufferer, are snel.
tered and fed. The camp is in charge OF
Thomas VISITS, of the PENNSYLVANIA railroad,
and W. j. Cain, both OF Pittsburgh, who
have organized it thoroughly. The men
have blankets and straw TO sleep upon and
the WOmer mattresses, and all are provided
with an abundance Of good, comfortable bed
clothing. TheTe Is no sickness in camp.
REGISTRATION TO DATE.
The registration Of the survivors goes on,
but not 20 rapidly as Yesterday. The total
10 date Is only triile over 1900,
out Of total estimated population OF the !
district Of from $4,000 10 !
AZ, 900 last FRIDAY. Allowance must be made |
Of course for a large number Of survivors |
mo have sought refuge with friends in /
other place., as we'll as many who have |
failed either from ignorance or Temissions TO !
register. But the falling of to-day leads the |
authorities ~ apprehend that their worst
fears msy yet he realized and the desth-rOll |
viii amount well up into the FIVE figures.
Visits 10 several Of the regislration-oifices TO-
day and inquiries among the survivors who
came IN 10 register and compilation OF re-
replies indicate that the proportion OF saved
ard lost Is about equal.
The enorsity OF the devastation wrought by
the Conemaugh flood il becoming more and
more apparent with every one Of the
laborer> to resolve order out Of chaos. over
one hundred men have been all day engaged
in an olorl to clear the narrow passage from
Tho "dcath bridge" upward through the sea
Of Debris thst blocks the COnemaugh for
nearly haii mile.
USING DYNAMITE.
Every ingenuity known 70 man has been
re.otted 10. The giant power OK dynamite
wa, brought INTO rcquisltion, and at fire.
ment intervals the roar Of an explosion was
heard through the valley, and sticks, stones,
and logs would fly high IN the air. GraGu.
gliv q few ~ the heaviest timberS were de-
mohshcd and fragments were permitted to
hoat down through the centre arch. Al
however the clear space above the
bridge did not exceed a. arCa VI sixty feet
by forty feet IN width. When one reflects
that fully twenty .nye acres are TO be cleared |
M tni, way, the task ahead seems an inlermi- |
nable one. rut there is no royal road, |
aud IL hundreds OF thousands OF bodies |
beneath these blackeBcd ruins are 10 be le-
covered fer Christian burial, the labOrs OF |
today must DO continued with increased /
Ylgor. There are many conservative MINDS /
that recommend the use Of the torch in this /
work Of clearing the river, but they are not |
among the sufferers, and when such coun. |
sels are heard by he wives, chilcren, sisters, |
or brothers Of those who rest beneath TINS |
sea Of notsam and ictsam the suggestion u
cremation meets afurore OF objection. Thus !
only IA deicrtuce 20 the unre .s0ning man
date Of grief The heTcu,ean labor Of clearing |
me river by means OF dynamite and deiricks |
is persisted ia. There Is no hope Ia calmer
minds that this task can be pursued TO the |
end.
SLOW PROGRESS.
The progress OF to-day is hardly discerna.
bic, and before two more days have elapsed |
there il little doubt the em2nsti0n OF the |
putrid bodies will have become so strong as |
10 drive the hardest workmen from the |
scene. Until that time 9rrlyes, however, |
there is no hope that this grief-strlcken popu. |
Istion Will abandon the cherished hope OF |
again gazing on The forms OF loved ones.