Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1889-07-11
RISING FROM THE RUINS.
The Johns town Of Old is a New
City To-day.


The Johnstown OF to-day presents quite a
different picture from that which ppople
looked upon few weeks ago, when the floods
came and almost literally wiped it from the
face of the earth The day after the flood
the streets of the once-flourishing city of
nearly $1,000 people we're defined by long
rows of ruined buildings From end to end
the thoroughfarcs were piled from 10 to 20
feet high with wrecks of houses, huge logs,
and all manner OF debris. 1t was utterly
impossible to walk three squares i'll any di-
rection on Il given street Now all known
streets, or, rather, all which have been
definitely marked out, are once more
passable. There are still u number that have
been so entirely oblltcratGd that their lucu-
tion cannot be fixed until II re-survcy
of the town plan has been made. This
resurvey OF streets and property lines, recon-
struction of sewers and drans rebuilding OF
bridges and culverts will take many months
and perhaps years to accomplish. This lca
ture of the disaster is likely to weigh heavily
upon the taxpayers of the town for some
years to come. Chief Burgess Howell csti-
mates the boroughs loss upon public build,
lngs ut $1,000; upon furniture, 8 900;
parks streets, etc, $4,000; bridges, S50,-
900, and sewers, 1000 or n total OF SS3,-
900. Add to this a portion at least of n bill
OF S14, 1000, contracted in the employment
or more following the fiood-which the Relief
Committee repudiates, the State is not liable
for, and the County of Cambria doesn't want
to pay-and the taxpayers of the town have
not pleasant prospect at best
james b. Scott, n member of the State Re-
lief Commission, expresses the opinion that
by Oct. l the 15, 900 homeless people in and
around Johnstown will all have been housed
in buildings suitable for occupation all the
year round Main street, which was so com.
petely blocked by debris that reporters
walked along it upon the roofs of the houses,
is now clear and business men are opening
their stores again. The houses on the neigh.
boring hills and in nearby settlements, which,
Tor time, guve shelter to from ten to as
many as thirty survivors each, are gradu.
ally being surrendered to their original ten.
ants. and the survivors are making their
homes in small portable buildings brought
by the hundred from Chicago. AS quickly as
possible it is proposed to erect more suhstan
tlal structures, and it is hoped to provide all
with comfortable homes be ore the snow flies
Little permanent building can be done until
the cleaning out of the cellars is complete
This will keep u large force of men busy all
summer.
The terrible jam above the stone bridge,
which at first appalled, the boldest contract
or, has been removed, and the waters of the
Conemaugh and of Stony Creek are now
running in their natural channels. The mag
nitude of the work ncnessnry IN ucromnIisI
this undertaking cnnnot he onn,.,.;atnI h.,
one who bos nof seen Tho nl,,a II ronuiro3
the labor of hundreds Of mon fnr ny,r thr,,o
weeks and the nynIosion or IN 400 norrds :, r
dynnmite To disIod~e anJ remova th;s Jn'
bris, The DYNAMITE cost % rnnts q, nnund
In the course of This work many dsod o hnd;os
were recovered md some of the blasts snnt
arms, leps nnJ heads Hvin,, bi"b in thc ,;,
from tbe mass of mnd in Sh;rI thn whine
Law buried Tho dynamite work w,s in
charge of Minor Philins who Inns romuletod
his task
The State autboriti.s have peor,v cop,.
pleted their lnbor nC ,Ionrintr tho dahr;s AMI
opening the rivers When this IA done Johns.
town will he left tn cnrn for horsoIf Uor f,,.
turc is problemoticnl Mucb dnnnnds unon
the manner in which tbr relicf G,nds ore dis.
tributed The mnioritv of the survivnrs mr..
now selfsupportinp ns fnr ns nrovisions orc
concerned Tho first nw wnnks nrtar tbn
flood there we're So many idlr neonln nbont
that decentralization ,yns tho un.,rnI rc.rlt
Ii was then resolved To mt MI nhlc. .hodieJ
men to work This has heen done Inv the
Cambria Iron Comnnnv tbs Jnbns,own
Steel Street Rnil Comnnny the pennavIvanin
Railroad Company. and other lnrUe cnnIov-
ers of labor, The Cambria Iron 1omnnny
which has one of tbp most extensive nInnts of
the kind in Americn nnJ Iost 5000 o6o Nv Tho
flood is rnpdly rcstorinpits tsworks Tho ocom.
pany ls also ndeoyorln,r to Inv M ore Innd