Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-06-14
Special to the EVENING OLYMPIAN.
From John SlOyYn.

JoHNsTowN, June 10.-To-day is the
eleventh since the disaster in the Cone
maugh valley occurred and the extent
of the fatality can be appreciated when
it is known that bodies are still being
found wherever men are at work. To-
day one of the morgue directors was
asked the question: "How many
bodies were recovered to-day?' "Oh,
not very many" he replied. There
were tifty-eight altogether. The loss
of life has been so great that forty
bodies found in one day, even if that
were the eleventh, was considered a
light showing. The remains that are
now being removed from the drift are
far advanced in decomposition and the
physicians in charge are advocating
their cremation as fast rs found, as it
is almost impossible TO hold them
safely.
The work of clearing the debris is
progroseins very encuuragingly. The
workmen were not required to proceed
yesterday, but nine-tenths of them
volunteered to continue. As a result
large inroad was made in the drift in
the central portion of the city. Main
street, which was the principal thor
oughfare, and one vast blockade, is now
about cleared.
DR.. Croft says the valley has been
swept so clean by the great floods that
the river waters are purer than before
the disaster. There is a difference in
the concentrating power OF organic
matter. That from bodies dead of
contagious diseases would be far more
dangerous than from bodies in the
river, generally covered in from one to
six feet deep of mud and sand. The
earth absorbs all effluvia and acts rs
the best of disinfectants. There is no
present danger to the water supply of
Pittsburg. At Johnstown the only
present danger is from the people be-
ing frightened into sickness by sensa-
tional reports.
Miss Walk and Miss Ely, of the
Northern Home for the Friendless for
Children, returned to Philadelphia
yesterday and took with them the
Hogman family OF nine children.
These little ones were found in an ut
terly destitute condition, as both par
ents and the older sister were drowned
in the flood. The ladies' will return
to assist i'll the work of aiding child
rem who have lost all. Miss Hinckley,
head of the Children's Aid Society of
Philadelphia, at the headquarters near
the Fourth Ward Morgue, is one of the
busiest young women in the valley.
Applications for children far exceeds
the number of children thus far pro-
vided for. Miss Hinckley says the OBJ
ject of the society is to unite parents
and children rather than send them
away from Johnstown, although little
ones will be provided for whose par
ents are not found. There are plenty
of Johnstown people who will adopt
the children and bring them up as cit
izens of JohnstOwn instead of send
ing them to asylums. Miss Maggie
Brooks, the only resident member of
this aid society who was not drowned,
is school teacher here and knows
every child and their parents in the
city. She spends her time in hunting
every house for miles around for
parents and children.
When child is found it is sent to
headquarters and a note and descrip-
ton made of it. When any of the
child's relatives or parents are found
they are sent to headquarters, and in
this way many families have been re-
united.