The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-07-03
JOHNSTOVN RECOVERING.
Improved Prospects for tho
People of the Flooded City.
Business Resumed, and the Work
Of Restoration Progressing.

Johnstown, Penn, is steadily recovering
from the effects of the terrible flood. The
estimate of the loss of life has been reduced
to between 5000 and 1000. The amount of
money subscribed throughout the country
or the food sufferers is over s., 900, 0O0 A
ecent dispatch from Johnstown gives the
ollowing details concerning the resumption
of business and the work of restoration and
relief:
The first real work under the supervision
of the State commenced this morning at 6
o'clock. The whistle at the Cambria Iron
and Steel Works was the signal for the men
to commence, and about fifteen hundred start
ed in with their picks and shovels. The ear
iy morning was warm and cloudy. AS the
morning advanced the weather grew warm
or, and by 10 o'clock the sun was shlnlng
brightly and every one on the ground was
hard at work. During the morning crowd
pfmen in some manner secured an entrance
to the town and wanted to maugurate
strike among the workmen. James nc
Knight, of Pittsburg, Of the State contract
ors, went to General Hastings, who is III full
charge at Johnstown, and demanded protec-
tion for the men. A detachment of mill
Tia from the Fourteenth Regiment were de-
tailed to the place and they drove away all
the men who refused to work. This caused
General Hastings to issue an order to the SOL
iiers not to admit any one to Johnstown
proper without an order.
The business men of the town seemed to
have awakened to their senses, and this
morning number Of them We're preparing
to start over again in business. Two grocery
stores werc started near the Pennsylvania
railroad freight station. Both places were
doing land Office business and this encour-
aged other merchants to start up, and the
A. &c 1of
est 100 stores will be in operation. Already
two barber's shops and one jewclry store
have been opened.
General Hastings said Gas yet I do not
know how many men are at work, but sup
pose there must be 1900 at the least calcula-
Hon. We intend to put as many men to work
rs can be worked properly. do not suppose
we want more than 5000, and it will be an
easy matter to get that many mon. 1 do not
want to employ any one but Pennsylvania
men, and would like to get as many Johns
town people at work rs possible. They are
the ones that need the work. A false impress
sion has broken out to the effect that the
boroughs here are under martial or military
law. This is q mistake. The State has
charge of the work, and the only thing the
military is doing is guarding the property.
We will clear away all the debris on the
streets and level the town of. I do not know
yet whether we will clean out the cellars of
the houses, but il I had my own way would
do it, 1t is as little as the State can do to
clean out the places and give the people clean
foundation to build on. Beside, there is not
the least doubt that there are number of
bodies in these cellars and they should be
taken out"
General Hastings has now gotten every
thing down to system. There will be but
one morgue and hospital and one headquar-
ters. Everything has now been centralized,
and it is easy to get at the facts.
Captain Seers, of the United States Army,
one of the Corps of Engineers at Willet's
Point, and Captain Burbank, of the West
Point Engineering Corps, have laid out the
different boroughs in five districts, and COM
charge of each district Captain Seers in an
Interview, said: II am only here to advise
General Hastings and do what can to help
him. think that inside Of two weeks the
three or four thousand men that will be at
work will succeed in putting the town in very
good condition, and think inside Of month
Johnstown will have almost recovered from
this terrible shock.n
The general opinion among well-posted
people here is that the loss of life will be be-
tween 5000 and 1000. 1t was generally given
out that Johnstown and boroughs adjoining
had population of 35, 600 people, but this is
q very high estimate, and conservative pco-
pie put the population between 25, 600 and
$4,000. Colonel Rogers, who has charge Of
the registration, states that from all he can
learn the population only amounted to about
$4,000, and this accounts for 10000 people
supposed to be lost.
The reports sent out from hero to the ef-
feet that 12, 900 to 5000 people were missing
were based upon the supposition that there |
were 8. 900 inhabitants in these boroughs.
y'To-day was the second day since the nooo
that Johnstown was not deluged with rain.
The people are making heroic efforts to clean |
out their houses to fit them for habitation. |
Neighbors have combined to help one another
to reset houses on their foundations and to |
remove the accumulations Of drift and rub
bish which bar entrance to their doors. The |
sewer pipes are all awry and the cellars are full
of water. There is need for engines to pump |
out the water as early as possible. Syphen- |
ing has been tried, but with no success, as
the cellars are much lower than the ground. |
The Cambria Company started out corps |
Of surveyors this afternoon to locate lines of |
demarcation for the rebuilding and repair Of |
their demolished plant !
saA .as first artsss decisive step toward putting |
Johnstown's business men on their feet again !
was made to-day, when about two hundred |
merchants who had survived the food, mary /
Of them without dollar, met Ad5Itant |
General Hastings this afternoon. and were
TdSSQreu CnaG lney WOulu Ue II-eSGdollouSu III
business on long credit. Both Plttsburg and
Philadelphia wholesalers have offered Johns
town merchants this business courtesy upon
the suggestion Of General Hastings.
The report Of the Bureau Of Transporta-
ton, which died with the Citizens Relief
Committee was presented to James B. Scott
to-day. 1t shows that from June to H. i'll
elusive, 1892 people were given free trans
portation out Of Johnstown. Out of these
S72 were over the Pennsylvania and 12O over
the Baltimore ard Ohio. One hundred and
seventy-six were sent to fittsburg by the
Baltimore and Ohio and CSC over the Penn
sylvania; 157 were sent to Philadelphia over
the Baltimore and Ohio. The Bureau of III
formation answered 2S7 kilograms and sixty
eight letters mostly inquiries from anxious
friends as to the safety of Johnstowners.
The mass at the stone bridge was fired this
afternoon and tonight is burning furiously.
With it is destroyed all hope of recovering
the bodies that are certainly there entombed.
Adjutant- General Hastings said to-night
''Provisions and clothing are coming in at
satisfactory rate and there is no immediate
prospect of dminution. / have instructed
all the commissary people to be generous
in dealing out supplies. Where there IS any
question they will give the applicant. the
benefit OF the doubt To-day we have been
feeding good many Of the men, but every
cont Of it is being charged up against
them. The soldiers are also taking
supplies from the commissary depart
ments, but this is all charged to the State,
and as soon as get to Harrisburg l will
make out warrant for the amount in favor
Of the relief fund. This morning l tele-
graphed Mayor Filter of Philadelphia for
four steam fire engines. At II he replied
that they were on the way with crews.
al q