Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-06-05


mud, acres Of wrecEage, acres OF unsteady
lettering buildings, acres OF unknown dead.
scres OF ehsstIy objects which have been
eagerly sought for since Friday; acres of
smoky, streaming ruins; acres OF sorrow for
those who lie out there In the sunshine.
There h every prospect that the heat VIII
become intense now, and the effect OF u will
be awful 10 think OF. Hundreds OF bodies
sre lying along the river banks aud under
the piles OF big timber, and trouble will
come from there, because they are hard to
End aud harder 20 dig out.
Out In the centre OF The river, on the ex-
treme edge OF the mass which rests on the
bridge, Pittsburgh fire company has
stream PLAYING on the wreckage. They are
literally in the middle OF the river putting
out the fire. Bon6res are burning every
where. Fire Is the sgent employed TO help
the committee to get rid OF the refuse aud
/ broken wood.
This was the day set aside by the Citizens
Committee for the burying OF ell the I'M
identified dead that have been laying In
the mOrguts since sunday at 10 o'clock.
TINS morning the men who were in charge
OF the burying started 10 work and have
been busy all day. There are no pathetic
scenes at these burlals. The men who have
been hired TO do the work seem to do it just
as matter OF business. The bodies are
| being inferred in the cemetery nearest The
place where the bodies were found.
About noon procession OF about
City cof1ined bodies was seen gong
up the hill about the railroad There
was not mourner present and the sight was
n chastity one 10 behold. It Will take several
DAYS 10 bury the bodies now IN the different
grave.yards, as there were few graves dug
until this morning and no implements TO dug
with. However, a large detachment OF men
sTrived from Pittsburgh this morning and
] they were put to work ~ digging graves Inn
mediately. Altogether about 300 bodies were
taken TO the different cemeteries this morn-
ing.
POUND AT ONE POINT.
Three hundred more bodies have been
| found opposite NiDevah to-day. This makes
| 200 bodies found at that point.
II is now definitely settled that at least
| from twenty 10 forty people were lost on the
two sections OF the day express that left
| Pittsburgh at s o'clock Friday morning and
| the JohnstOwn accommodation that was
about TO leave Johnstown that afternoon.
| There have been numerous and cOn0ict-
| ing reports about how msny trains were
caught IN the food, but from the most rcli-
| able IL has been ascertsned that three trsins
were caught bv the water. Edward McCul-
| Tough, OF the Westmoreland Coal Company,
Yves among the passengers on the day ex.
press last Friday morning. lie states
positively that there were Two sections
OF the day express and the JohnstOwn
accommodation caught in the food.
said he: at Is my opinion that 40 least
| twenty people were drowned from the
| trains, in fact I can count that many my
self, and the death rate may 20 AZ high AZ
/ forty. There was one parlor.car and three
slecpers on the express aud several other
cars We did not know o. the food until
| shout thirty seconds before it was upon us.
! We heard the wnistiihg Of the engines, and
/ all who could ran 10 the hills. The railroad
! company have some names OF the missing.
/ but refuse positively to give them out until
they are certain the people have been
| drowned"
STORIES DENIED.
General Hastings. in an interview this
morning, stated that be wished to deny the
stories published IN certain newspapers 10
the effect that there had been some whole
sale lynchng and riOting here since Sunday.
| SAID he: "These reports are utterly devoid
Of truth and will only iniure the papers that
publish them. Any one here knows that
there is no truth IN these statements, but
people away from here have no means Of OBJ
tanning information only through the news
papers ] think there Is enough truth 10
tell here without publishing false snd sensa-
tional stories"
The burned wreckace against theb ridge a!
JOhnstown Is being dynam,ed TO allow the
water to pass in the main channel. Many
skeletons ana fragments q bodies are found
Opening this channel will take the overflow
from the lower part OF Johnstovn proper.
AtIl O'Clock the first relief train bearing
thousands OF pounds OF provisions for the
suffering and 1000 collins for the dead passed
over the Johrstown bridge, across the i'm
proyised trestle and tract, and up an incline
TO the JOhnstOwn depot. For the first time
railroad communication is re-esta0lShed be-
tween the stricken city and the outside
world.
Pneumonia has broken out among the
refugees on Prospect Hill.
CARD FROM WILLIAM HEE1Y SMITH.
I notice that the Secretary Of the South
Fork Fishing Club said Yesterday that the
club had not fled an indemnity bond, As
claimed by the citizens Of Ebensburg, and
that no complaints bad ever been made about
the safety Of the dam by any JOnnstOWn
citizens. lie is undoubtedly correct as 10
the bond, but is misleading as to the second
part OF his statement. There Is not the
shadow Of doubt but that the citizens OF
Cambria county frequently complained, and
that at the time tue dam was constructed
very vigorous effort was made TO
put stop TO the work. IL is true that the
leader in the movement was not a citizen OF
JOhnstoWn, but be was and is large mine
owner in Cambria county. His mine adj
Joins the reservoir properly. lie related to
me on Saturday story OF bis labors 10 an
effort TO protect the lives and property OF the
people Of that valley. He was frequently on
tue spot and his own engineer Inspected the
work. He says the embankmeut was princi-
pally Of shale and clay and that straw Wa
used TO stop the leaking OF water. Nhile
the work was going on be called on the
Sheriff Of Cambria county and told him It
was his duty to apply to the court Tor an
Injunction. The Sheriff promised to give
the matter his attention. But instead OF going
before the courts went TO the Cambria Com
pany for consultation. An employee was
sent up TO make an inspection. and his re-
pOrt was favorable TO the reservoir work. !
The Sheriff went no further. But the gen
teman referred 10 said he had not failed to |
make public his protest at the time |
and TO renew il frequently This RECON- |
mendalon for an Injunction and pro- |
test were spoken OF by citizens OF
Altoona rs hackneyed subject. Con. !
firmAtion was certainly had at South Fork, |
Couemaugb, Mill Vale, and Johnstown on |
was prevalent at these places early in the |
day, but the citizens remarked that the
rumor was a familiar incident Of the annual
fresbets. Ii is the old and classic story OF |
"Woli! Wolff" They gave up the first |
floors to the waters and retired upstairs to |
wait until the river should recede, as
they bad done often before, scouting the |
oft-tod story Of the breaking OF the |
resereoir. The reader will note the I
remarkable conflict between that shale |
and clay story OF the mine.owner referredto |
above and the published statement OF Gene
raj Morehesd who had chsrge OF the con-
struction, that the masonry was OF solid |
granite limestone, and was believed to be as
enduring as the pyramids OF Egypt. The |
awful disaster would seem to confirm the |
allegation Of the use OF unfit material In the |
construction. The number OF passengers on |
the day express known 10 have been lost SIX
Beside these there are two ladies missing |
and unaccounted for, but who may yet be |
alive. The conductor WHO was at Conemaugh |
on that Hateful day claims TO have run through |
the cars and told the passengers TO run |
To the mountains, The passengers who sur. |