Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-04

death list Will reach over 5000 Names and, in
my opinion. the missing will reach 5000 III
numbers" declared Gen. d. Ii. Hastings. at
Johnstown, last night. The property destroyed
will reach at least S25,000.0OO, and the popular
estimate is from $4,000, 900 TO Sj0,OO0.0O0.
At present there are said to be 1900 recov-
cred bodies. The great difficulties experienced
in getting a correct list is the great number of
morgues. There Is no central bureau OF infor-
nation, and to communicate with the different
Gead-houses Is the work of hours. The jour
ney from the Pennsylvania railroad mOrgue TO
the one III the fourth ward schoolhOuse IN
Johnstown occupies al least one hour. This
renders IL impossible TO reach all Of them In
one day. particularly ds some Of the morgues
situated u points inaccessible from Johns
town.
TIE EXACT SCMBER NEVER WILL EE KNOWN.
The Developments of every hour make it
more and more apparent that the exact num-
Der of lives lost viii never be known. All esti-
mates that have been made up to this time are
conservative. and when ali Is known viii doubt
less be found to have been too small. Over
1000 bodies were found Yesterday. and the
most skeptlcal COnctde that the remains of
thousands more rest beneath the debris above
JohnsJoVn bridge.
The population of Johnstown, the surround
ing suburbs and the portion of the valley af-
$4,000. The valley of death is thlrty-one miles
long. Numerous leading citizens of Johns
town. who survived the Hood, were interviewed
and the consensus o. opinion was that fully 30
per cent OF the residents of Johnsto WI and
Cambria had been victims of the combined
disasters Of fire and water II this be true. the
total loss of life III the entire valley cannot be
less than 1000 or 5000. and possibly much
greater.
THOSE DEvOURED BT THE FLAMEs.
OF the thousands Who wege devouued by the
flames and whose ashes rest beneath the smok-
ing debris above JOhustown bridge. no definite
information can ever be obtained. As little
VIII be learned of the hundreds who sank be-
meath the current and were borne swiftly down
the CODemaUEE only TO be deposited hundreds
OF miles below on the banks and Ill the drift
wood Of the raging Ohio, probably one-tHird Of
the dead viii never be recovered. and it will
take list OF the missing weeks hence to enable
even Il close estimate 10 be made OF the number
OF bodies that were seen floating in the river in
the DTIct hour. That this estimate can never
De accurate Is understood when II Is rcmcm-
bered that IN many instances whole families
and their relatives were sWGp away and found
u common grave beneath the Wild waste OF
waters. The total destruction of the CITY leaves
no data even 70 demonstrate that the names Of
these Uufortunates ever found place on the
pages OF eternity history.
The scene at the lower end of the city is
beyond description. The half has not been
told. and never can be, a. 10 the extent of the
awful wreck. The two towns are now under
martial law. and every one who goes about the
place is challenged and required TO give an
account Of himself. The water has subsidized 20
grea. eXten and the streets IN the main part
Of the town are free from water. The falling
water has Laid bare the terrible work OF the
Hood. and the Iull extent OF the disaster Is only
being sScertaIneI now. The streets are one
slckenIng, fOUl-sme4.ing mass OF wood and
debris. and the work OF searching for the bodies
has only fairly begun.
KERSvILLE's TERRIBLE CONDITION.
kernvilIe is in a deplorable condition. The
living are unable to take care OF the dead The
majority Of the inhabitants Of the town are
drowned and II Is said that 1000 dead bodies
have been counted either Embedded In the sand
there or lying exposed awaiting, Identification
A building OF boards has been erected on the
only street remaining in the town. This is the
headquarters for the committee that controls
the dead. A quickly as the dead are brought
10 TINS point they are placed IN boxes and then
taken 10 the cemetery and buried.
\ supply store has been opened in the town.
y mI.kman who was OverchaTgIng for milk this
morning narrowly escaped Iynching. The III
furiated men appropriated all his milk and dis
tributed II among the poor and then drove him
ont of the town.
There Is but one street left in the town.
About l5j houses are standing where once
there stood thousand. None Of the large
buildings IN what once a thriving little
borough have escaped. One thousand people
l. low estimate OF the number of lives lost
from this town. But few OF the bodies have
been recovered. Ii Is directly above the ruins
and the bodies have hoated down into them
where they burned.
walk through the town
RETEALED A DEsJLATE SIGHT.
Only about twenty-five able-bodied men have
survived and are able to render any assist
" I
ewes. bruised faces. and cut heads. The ap-
Pearance Of some OF the ladies l. leartreudjug
They were injured in the food and since that
have not slept Their faces have turned a
slchly yellow and dark rings surround the ewes
Many have succumbed 10 nervous pro-t-ation
For two days but little assistance could be rem
dered them. No medical attention reached
them. The wounded remained Uucared for in
some houses cut OH By the water and they died
from their injuries alone. Some were alive on
sunday and their shouts could be heard bv the
people on shore. 4 man is now IN "a temporary
jail IN What is left of the town. He was caught
stealing gold watch. a shot was fred at HIM
but he was not wounded. The only thing that
saved him from lynching was the smaliness of
the crowd His sentence viii be the heaviest
that can be given him.
Services IN the chapel from which the bodies
were buried consisted merely OF a prayer by
one OF the survivors. NOmInister was present
Each coffin had descriptive card on it. and
bodies can be removed later by friends.
THREE HUNDRED N TIE HOSPITAL
The Cambria hospital has now 300 patients
DIR. Buck, with an efficient corps of aids. Is in
charge. Two OF the patients died yesterday,
Miss Hughes, young lady aged twenty and
Mrs. Ieeters. lady aged eighty-three She
was suffering from compound fracture of the
arm. The remainder of the patients are doing
well Several injured people have had opera
tlOns performed upon them.
Bishop Phelan before his return to Pittsburg
organized the Catholic forces in that neighboT.
hood and all are devOting Themselves 10 hard
work asslduously. What the hospitals would
have done without the Sisters il a difficult oues-
tlon. There are nine Charity. seven Francis-
can and seven Benedictlue Sisters
Among the priests are Rev. Fathers Guido.
GeObeL COsgrave. Gallagher. Trotwein. Rosep-
street, BOren, COrcOraD. berlin. Boyle. Smith.
O'Connell and Landing. Father berlin. who
hives IN Hazelwood. Pittsburg. hurried TO the
scene last Saturday, fearful that his brother
aud parents were drowned He was happily
mistaken IN his supposition, for none of his
relatives had been injured. Mr.. berlin, who
Needed the warning as TO the danger of the
dam had hurried his wife and two children 10
the hills, but returned himself to save some
things from his house. While in the building
the Hood struck 1t and swept ii away, tanning
II among lot Of other houses and hurting
them all around with a regular cl urning
notion Mr.. berlin went 10 his top story,
clamored to the roof and escaped from there
TO solid srructureS and x--a,,-.l